When you walk into a meeting with multiple people, greet the most senior person in the room first, then work through the rest in descending order of seniority rather than greeting whoever’s nearest or most familiar.
Show up on time yourself, but don’t read anything into a counterpart arriving a little late, it’s common enough not to be a snub. Let the meeting open with some small talk (safe territory: family, travel, cricket) before steering toward the agenda.
- Skip religion and politics as small-talk topics — both can be genuinely divisive given India’s regional and religious diversity, safer to stick to neutral ground.
- Decisions often move up the chain rather than being made in the room — don’t expect a junior counterpart to commit to something on the spot; that’s normal process, not stalling.