It was only when I started to think about what I wanted to write in my next blog that I realised quite how much has happened in the past couple of weeks. When you're in the midst of it, you just get your head down and get on, but when you reflect on it, you suddenly start feeling pretty exhausted!
I attended the 2005 graduate induction two weeks ago, which was quite the diverse three day experience. All 20+ grads in my year (all functions) gathered in a suitably removed conference centre in an idyllic country setting to learn about things like career planning, business principles, corporate social responsibility, and leadership imperatives. There were so many highlights, but I'd definitely say having the head of our Europe, Middle East and Africa division coming to talk to us was worthy of note! That and going ice skating one evening, where I successfully stayed on my feet the entire time AND managed to fit in some dancing to retro-pop-dance tunes as I careered around the rink.
We also started planning our major "Community Project," which we will undertake as a group. At this stage we're not quite sure what it's going to be yet, but we've organised ourselves into groups looking into fundraising, international projects, and domestic projects, and we'll be assessing our options and making a decision within the next couple of weeks. Cadbury Schweppes really does put a lot of emphasis on community involvement, and although our group does have some quite diverse opinions on what we should do, we all seem to have a common drive to achieve something and maximise what we can do for whomever we get involved with.
I was also privileged enough to experience our National Sales Conference on Thursday. During the day key leaders of the business gave presentations on the year that's passed and the key challenges and events that are to come, and then in the evening we got together for a massive fancy dress party. My last-minute dash to a costume hire shop resulted in me being a cavalier, complete with sword (which broke before I could even get down to reception), but that was nothing a few beverages couldn't solve. I managed to get to bed at the extremely conservative 3.30am, which made me feel fantastic when I had to get up and go to work the next morning.
In between these events I've continued to pound the streets of my sales territory, visiting retailers and living from sugar rush to sugar rush given my huge chocolate intake. I'm also doing a few extra projects so that I can come out of this placement feeling like I've made a lasting difference to the role. They mainly revolve around writing reference documents for my team that extend the training that we get and help share best practice, so they're the sort of things I hope will evolve and develop long after I'm gone. More importantly, however, they help remind me of my own development needs (of which there are many) and the areas I need to work on if I'm going to become a good salesperson by the time I move on. You have to keep pushing yourself in this role, it's far too easy to become over-reliant on your strengths and ignorant of your weaknesses.
Finally, just a reminder to everyone reading and thinking of applying that we are less than three weeks away from the application deadline (December 2nd), so if you haven't done so already then now is the time! Best of luck, and I'll hopefully see some of you at the assessment centres.
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