The First Gig.

To lend some perspective, let me give you a little more info so that my blog seems a little less confusing.  

First, I'd like to introduce Frank Lewski – a lead character in the story. Frank is an independent HR consultant who has been hired by TATA to deliver 10 one-day workshops on the topic of assertiveness for female employees. He is also my former manager at Alcatel, the main designer and the lead facilitator of the workshops, and most importantly the guy who got me on-board. My job is to deliver the workshops with him. I don't think I got this job for any specific reason other than my supposed ability to relate to the target audience which is primarily Indian and female. Apart from this, we didn't have much more information on the participants, so we prepared for all scenarios and hoped that our material was not too advance or too amateurish. 

Workshop 1 - Charlotte, North Carolina. 

TATA had "organized" the workshop at the Airport Holiday Inn Hotel where Frank and I were put up. Now this was very convenient for us, however not so convenient for the actual participants. The result: only 4 women showed up! Frank and I looked at each other in part despair and part confusion. The exercises in our workshop were designed with 20 people in mind. 

So, the start was shaky but overall the workshop was a success. We ended up spending more time on each of the 4 participants and they didn't seem to mind. They were getting a day off from work and had someone train them on how to push back at work – mainly with clients, male peers and managers. For us, the workshop was a good pilot. We re-modelled some of the parts and are now hoping to reach double digit participant figures at our next workshop in San Antonio, Texas on March 7th. 

For me, the day was an eye-opener. It introduced me to girls who live in a completely different India than I. They have incredible technical minds but have trouble speaking their mind. They haven't been exposed to the cultures of the west even on TV and in fact had NO formal cultural training when they moved to the US. So, they live in a bubble in the US – a bubble in which they do all things as they would in India. It's like they never moved! Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing their behaviour. If I was dropped into another country and then told to start performing without any kind of orientation, I would try to stick to what was familiar too. Moreover, a lot of girls face pressure from home to return for marriage or to maintain marriages. So although most of them have the option to work here for at least 3 years, they weren’t planning to stay that long. That said, there is still a spirit in them simmering underneath the surface - a want to be different and to be in more control of their choices at work.  

Charlotte - the city

You've probably never heard of Charlotte, maybe except for the character in 'Sex and the City'. Lonely planet seemed to indicate that Charlotte was more of a "modern village". However, Downtown Charlotte could pass off as an upcoming area in Manhattan- lots of restaurants, bars, museums, modern architecture and sky scrapers every few blocks. And I managed to get a glimpse of Charlotte's claim to fame: the towering Bank of America building. It’s hard to miss actually. Whoever I asked, “So, what’s there to see in Charlotte?” they would to be quick to respond with “the BOA building of course” followed by a long pause and a shrug. I guess the list ends there. But there seems to be a lot happening on the food circuit. So, if you ever go to Charlotte, grab a bite at the Thai restaurant "Basil". Their spicy chicken curry soup is some of the best food I’ve had.