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.

The city council decided that Jenn should be sent to the State Council to ask for support and share their scary numbers. She had statistics on deaths of adults and children, rising medicare costs, the rising cost of drinking water (since the natural source was polluted). Her request for financial aid for the city was denied. The council decreed that numbers were much worse in other parts of the country too. Sadly Jenn’s town would have to fend for itself. 

In a world where the wrong is disguised and hidden, the victim is made to struggle even more, we need to stand up. And by we, I mean those in power.

The dilemma between being raised and brought up in a society with a very high respect for authority paired with the sentiment of not being able to progress in career, because speaking up to power is unimaginable.

The doubts, the resistance and the fears are understandable but there is also a need to stand up to those fears for what comes next, for a tomorrow where no other woman is told ‘Chup’. And if she is, then there are many more standing up around her to tell her otherwise.

I am not a fan of solving a problem by yelling at and embarrassing the other person. And I assume generally no-one wants that. What we do in Germany as a culture may not be the best solution or the best way to tackle such situations. But avoidance is worse. Trust me.

Executive presence is a term that we often come across when we talk about leadership and personal brand. It directs to what people say about us when we are not around.

Nature is the basis of our being, our life. Soil is our nurturer. Unfortunately, also the very things we take for granted.

There were so many pieces of the puzzle that had to be put in place. With that being said, the role of the Lexagent team was one extremely important piece of that puzzle.

In the early part of 2020, we saw massive demand and supply disruptions. Hoarding goods led to sudden empty shelves. Fear had set in. But now, with the year at its close, economies have begun to revive. The usual ask for “COVID rates” is taking a backseat. 

Organizations are, according to the great historian, philosopher and author Yuval Noah Harari, “constructs of our human mind, not a reality”. They only exist, because we have constructed them in our minds and created a whole system of supporting rules, laws, etc.

Feedback is one way to gauge how well you are doing. The primary reason that my coaching services exist is so that people can learn new ways to grow on their own.

Ownership and accountability are tough even in the best of situations. often people don’t commit to either because of the need to be safe (what if s*** hits the roof and it’s my name on the email), or the need to not jeopardize what’s already working (another peer taking the credit for it has worked before and will continue to work - even if you believe you can do a better job) or the need to not court uncertainty.