The Lady & The Elephant in the Room!

The title could have very well been just “Elephant” in the room; why add the “Lady” bit?

Just for a click bait? Well…NOPE, that’s not why the lady was added. This story is about BOTH.

For the uninitiated, the expression "elephant in the room” is a metaphor for an obvious problem or situation that people are not comfortable dealing.

And here I am, attempting to write about the lady AND the elephant simultaneously.

Double whammy! But I don’t have a choice, the elephant doesn’t exist without the lady in our story.

BTW, you are going to see a lot of work references in my write up. I warn you, a lot! Because that’s where I am 80% of my “awake time”. There comes a point where you wonder if your identity has merged with your work life. Well, that’s a separate topic for another post. Now, let’s get back on track. Where was I? errr…Lady & the Elephant in the room.

We all know business meetings, right? The ones that happen in fancy boardrooms where everyone is suited up. You can imagine the drill, the usual meet & greet, those beaming smiles & handshakes. If it’s “all-men” business meetings, No Problemo!. But, what to do when there is a lady in the room? That’s not something we have dealt with, at least not that often. There comes our big fat elephant size problem! You get where am going?… It’s the awkward handshake people!…Oops!… were you expecting something else? ;) have some patience, read on.

How to do a handshake with a lady? – Boom enters the “elephant” in the room!

If that’s not enough, in India, there is a whole new dimension to consider – whether to fold both hands (Namaste) or shake hands when greeting. Should the handshake be firm or gentle? The problem is real, I tell you! No Pun Intended! They should have a separate chapter on this topic under business etiquette.

Over the years, I have dealt with so many versions of handshakes, Namastes, combination of bow & the Namaste, combination of handshake & the Namaste, sometimes all in the same room! Trust me, it’s really document worthy!

Of course, that’s not the only elephant I wanna write about. Let’s just say this is the baby elephant...

Let's read about the Mama elephant and call it a day!

Link for The Lady & Mama Elephant