Antje Bauer Antje Bauer

The Congested Nose Saga Continues…

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.

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Antje Bauer Antje Bauer

Switching Gears: Let’s Talk Social Etiquette

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.

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Antje Bauer Antje Bauer

Is "on time" the same everywhere ?

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.

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Antje Bauer Antje Bauer

A corporate leader to a farm leader – It’s all relative

The most important question, when it comes to leading at farms, is - how do we scale the amount of work we do or we are capable of doing? There are people involved and there is work to be done, just as in any organisation. What people miss is that, farming is much more about leading well than we ever realise or pay attention to.

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Antje Bauer Antje Bauer

Stories vs Numbers- What drives action?

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. 

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Antje Bauer Antje Bauer

Is avoidance a cultural trap?

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.

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COVID rates make the entire ecosystem vulnerable and unstable

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. 

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Antje Bauer Antje Bauer

How do we set the boundaries of a Boundary-less organization?

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.

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