Learning India

Making sense of the subcontinent

Filed Under: Communication, Cultural Adaptation, On the Job, Podcast, Team Management

Episode 1: Andrew Mogendorff

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Don’t do India alone.

I think that’s the best advice anyone could give on how to survive here. Whether you are signing up for a three-year assignment with a multi-national, or just trying to establish a life in India, nothing is more helpful than a circle of friends.

One of the best things about a circle of friends is hearing their stories. Stories from people who have been exactly where you are now, and figured out a thing or two along the way.

To help with this, I’m happy to announce the Working with India Podcast – conversations with people who have worked with India for a long time and have insights to share. We’ll discuss how to transition to an Indian style of working, develop leaders, implement processes, prepare for repatriation, and much more.

 

Andrew Mogendorff

The first episode features Andrew Mogendorff, who recently completed a three-year assignment with Target in Bangalore. Andrew came to India with his wife and two young children.

Here’s what you can expect from the first podcast: [Read more…]

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Filed Under: #PowerPlays, #See1See100, #ThinSkinned, On the Job

10 Steps to Removing Items from your To-do List in India

To Do List

I’m a list guy. I have 18 separate lists where I keep track of things to get done for different areas of my life. I have no faith that my brain will remember more than 3 things at a time, so everything else goes on a list. There is nothing that epitomizes a satisfying workday for me more than crossing off dozens of tasks.

However, my approach to lists has often gotten me in trouble in India.

 

How lists can fail you in India

[Read more…]

Filed Under: #ChaosBeatsLogic, #PowerPlays, Team Management

Building Ownership in Indian Teams

Indian Team

I want my Indian team to take more ownership. Can you do a training session on that?

This is a common request from many cross-cultural managers. How do you get Indian employees to take more ownership over the work of the organization?

You may see associates constantly passing on calls and tickets to their managers instead of dealing with them directly. Your office feels like a revolving door, with people constantly coming to ask questions and seek approval. You wish people would just stand up and take a decision without you.

I was talking with a British manager in India who gave his team the task of preparing a presentation. The team booked numerous meetings with him to make sure everything was done exactly as he wanted. Their insecurity in being able to complete the project on their own led him to a much deeper involvement than he wanted.

“Since then, I’ve tried to teach them to have more autonomy,” he said.

“Is that working?” I asked.

“No.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Daily Living, Into India, On the Job

How to Avoid Dying in India

Most people are not prepared for India.

No amount of reading, interviewing, or cultural training can really get you ready for working and living in India.

If you choose to dive in deeply, you will see the world from a brand new perspective. You will gain knowledge and experiences you could never get from any other place.

But you are also subject to feeling like you are just running from one “emergency” to another, constantly putting out fires. You may start to become entangled in the daily power struggles at work, or amongst your househelp. You may feel like most of your job has become apologizing for offending someone and can’t figure out why everyone seems so sensitive.

You could use some help. Not a solution for every problem, but a way to make sense of it all. An introduction to the new rules of this foreign land.

Enter How to Avoid Dying in India.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Team Management

4 Things Indians Learned in University that Might Drive you Crazy

Indian University

What did you learn from your university?

I mean really.

While your alumni association would like you to believe you learned exclusive knowledge that set you up for success, it’s likely you’ve forgotten most of that stuff.

What you did learn was how to build a network, how to collaborate on projects, and how to convince a professor to throw out the results of a failed test.

These are the skills that have stick with you and continue to shape who you are today.

Indian universities are no different. They teach technical skills, but the ‘other’ skills are the ones that tend to stick more. Some of these skills are great for the business world, such as how to churn out a group project overnight. Others might cause you to pull your hair out. [Read more…]

Filed Under: #ChaosBeatsLogic, #PowerPlays, #ThinSkinned, Communication

The Golden Rule for Choosing the Best Forms of Business Communication in India

Woman on the phone

You know that feeling you get when your inbox gets to zero?

You feel like you really accomplished something. Like you are on top of your game. Like you really earned your money today.

 

In India, that feeling can be deceptive.

You can have an empty inbox, but never do any actual business. You can reply to all your messages and SMSs, but never reach any of your targets. You can send a hundred emails a day, but never be any closer to your goal.

Why?

The problem might lie in choosing the wrong forms of business communication in India.

 

When it comes to communicating with India, there is one Golden Rule you must always remember: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Communication

Is your communication understandable in India?

Confused indian boy

 

“I can’t understand your accent.”

It’s easy to imagine someone from Detroit, Berkshire, or Melbourne saying that when talking to an Indian counterpart. But could you imagine this coming from an Indian talking about you?

Probably not in that direct of a sentence (it would sound too offensive), but they would tell their friends as they are walking out of the teleconference, “I can’t understand anything he says – it’s impossible!”

 

Communication is a two-way street, and it is important that you are pulling your weight when it comes to being understandable.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: #ChaosBeatsLogic, #PowerPlays, #TimeIsEternal, Parent Leadership

The Most Important Quality When Working for a Parent Leader

Image of Clock Tower

…is loyalty.

And the most important way your Parent Leader will evaluate your loyalty is…

availability.

You get no awards in India for having great time management. You get no praise for submitting weekly reports on all your tasks. No one will mention you at a celebration if you manage to save an hour a day by not checking email until noon. Time is not something that can be spreadsheeted.

The only truly important question about time in India is:

Were you there in the Moment of Need?

What is the Moment of Need? It’s the moment when your boss or your team members are freaking out because something has gone terribly wrong and the world might end.

The assessment of your loyalty is most dependent on how completely you are available in the Moment of Need.

[Read more…]

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© Neil A. Miller, LearningIndia.in, and Madras Media Marketing LLC 2013-2015. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given.