A dog pack has a leader. The leader is shrewd, constantly alert and watchful of imminent danger; danger with respect to other dogs and their pack. The leader makes sure that nothing enters the territory without the pack’s consent and if it does, it confronts and fights the danger, to warn them and push them to back off. Scouting the territory – often alone. Isn’t that something!

In my conversation with their team leaders and managers, I realised that so many of the behavioural nuances were being imitated top down. So many of them held open the door for me as I walked in. To one I asked- why did you do that? She said “that’s our culture”. That of course took us to a longer discussion about culture.

Spelling out what I am sure the title gives away; all you need here is to ‘ask the right questions.’ The journey from being a good leader to becoming a great one is all about being able to fill in the blanks and connect the dots.

We define our organisational journeys all too often by another’s definition of success. Also being demoted back to her team member role would be a bit much for the ego and her morale. That would be the final nail in the coffin. I will leave you to ponder what Ria should/ would do. 

The caveat of “Leave your experience outside the door. Be agenda free” has always flummoxed me. If you recognise this statement, you probably have gone through a similar traditional coach training program. I never resonated with this. How do I leave myself at the door? Isn’t it precisely why I am me that the coachee expects some kind of engagement with me? 

I realise that we all are prey to the prevalence of dominant cultures. We internalise rules and norms to an extent that it feels it is the only way to be. If my mother did this and my grandmother did this and my mother-in-law did this, it has to be the right way to do it. That’s where I believe a lot of us have got it wrong.

I often find myself talking to my farm, the dogs, the trees a week before my public appearance. All of that information keeps surfacing randomly in my head. Somedays I have a quiet dialogue with things around me and with myself, on other days, I don’t think about it all. 

I dug deeper to understand this anomaly. 25% is an exceptional hike and very rarely granted – so you would expect it to be given to an outstanding performer (and from what I could see, Radha was not one).

Years ago, when I was leading the setup of my employer’s first offshore capability center, we reached a major milestone. To celebrate, I organized a dinner for our visiting headquarters colleagues. Wanting to be respectful of hierarchy, I invited only the senior members of our project team.

It might sound like the simplest thing, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned about my Indian friends when they miss home, it’s this: they miss the spice.

Welcome to Schmutziger Donnerstag, or Dirty Thursday, the most mischievous day of the German carnival season. But don’t let the name fool you. It’s not about dirt (Schmutzig), it’s about fat (Schmutz), a nod to the rich feasts people enjoyed before the fasting season of Lent. This day kicks off the wildest stretch of Fastnacht (or Fasnacht), especially in southwestern Germany and Switzerland, where parades, costumes, and all-out revelry take over the streets.

Living away from Europe has opened my eyes to the subtle, and sometimes striking, differences in driving cultures, even between neighbouring countries like #Germany and #Switzerland.

Before I came to India, I had heard one strict Indian etiquette: never eat with your left hand! Growing up in Germany, where using cutlery is the norm and the fork always stays in the left hand and the knife in the right, I was a bit nervous. Would I unknowingly break a cultural norm? Would I fumble my way through meals, unsure of what to do?

The best way to navigate these moments? A bit of humor. A simple, "Oh, in my country, we do this differently!" can ease the situation, spark curiosity, and make cultural differences something to laugh about rather than stress over.

Thinking about it, this aligns with India’s collective mindset: better to keep germs to yourself than to release them into shared spaces. It’s a small but telling example of how social norms reflect cultural values. Many people here will wait until they are alone or in a restroom to do something as simple as blowing their nose.

Even in professional settings, the meaning of “on time” can change. A 10 a.m. meeting might start at 10:15, not out of disrespect, but because relationships and context often take precedence over rigid punctuality. At the same time, deadlines can be absolute in certain industries, requiring a different kind of time discipline.

Co-facilitating Indo-German intercultural training with Pratha Shetty is always insightful, because we embody the very differences we teach.

This shift wasn’t just cultural, it was transformational. It taught me that trust has many forms, and knowing how to navigate them can redefine the way we work across borders.

A strong foundation makes it a little easier to face storms and blizzards. It’s the same with an organisation and its people. All I am suggesting here is build resilience – the power to fight back in times of stress and in times of crisis.

The most important thing is to know that it’s not always possible for one person to lean forward. Because, after-all, there is only so much that one can tweak in her personality to match someone else’s.