The first five weeks of E.L.I.T.E general management program was a period of intensive learning. We were exposed to a plethora of activities which focused on instilling lessons and values we carry with us as we embark on our journey in the organisation. Sessions on Technical and Domain were balanced with lessons on personal excellence and Leadership sessions which gave us insight not only into the organisation but also the way leaders think and make decisions. Each of these activities has helped us immensely in our personal growth.
E.L.I.T.E General Management, in spite of being an inaugural program, has been highly structured right from day one. I could see the kind of preparation that went into ensuring that the first five weeks had been planned to the minutest of details. The first learning essentially was Plan, Do, Review. Ample amount of time ought to be devoted to planning beforehand for a smooth and seamless pursuit of activities. However, equally important is to review the activities to identify the areas of opportunities and learn from mistakes. This has essentially changed the way I go about tasks at hand and even conducting meetings.
Consulting Skills Workshop was a rigorous exercise to introduce and inculcate the way consultants operate. Several important lessons were imparted which are quite useful as I go about my first project. Feedback is crucial and should be taken constructively to improve. I also learned to collaborate and work in teams to complete the task assigned to us. It was an experiential learning environment and was brilliantly facilitated by Kees Langbroek and Stefan Cornelius. But most importantly, I learned from our fellow E.L.I.T.E. trainees to complement our own skillset to achieve the desired goal. Lessons on communications were also imparted during the Pinnacle workshop. I learned to consciously avoid errors in the way I interact with the team. Effective communication has helped instil confidence and improved my networking skills.
I experienced the joy of giving back as I participated in several CSR activities over the weeks which further created many lasting memories. The E.L.I.T.E trainees were divided into teams and sent to organisations supported by Capgemini that focus on empowering the people with disabilities and help them in securing jobs. During my brief stay at Les Fontaines, Paris the team participated in the Move fifty campaign and the co-creation challenge and pledged to do our best to follow sustainable practices to protect the environment.
Another important learning was to also have fun while working hard. Several activities were planned to ensure that we had fun as well. Be it the Scavenger hunt during our first week as we discovered the Hyderabad city followed by the Bowling event in the second week and Laser Tag in the subsequent week which instilled one of the core values of Capgemini - fun and also helped in building comfort with our fellow trainees.
It has been a few weeks since my rotation and I am already implementing the lessons learnt during the first five weeks and hope to keep learning from my mistakes and continuously improving to put my best foot forward.