The dream Graduate team is a work in progress

I've experienced three "a-ha!" moments during the Graduate Wine Ambassador program. Surprisingly, all three are connected to teamwork.

1. Recognising our differences

This week I've been imagining myself in the UK, meeting my new team for the first time. Over coffees in humid Sydney cafés, and walking around our office - I've asked everyone who has worked in our London HQ about these mysterious future colleagues - what are they like? What motivates them? It seems that some of my future managers will be collaborative and happy to get a ‘feel’ for how work is progressing; others are process-driven and want everything set out in a clear plan. Yet, I won’t know what it’s like to be a part of this new team before I get there. The preparation is important for me, because a tough learning curve in this graduate program has been recognising my way of work can’t always complement everyone else’s; that there is give and take, and everyone is driven by a unique reason that isn't always obvious. It has put my mind at ease before my big career move to England, shifting from a small, tight-knit team to a new one with a different dynamic.

2. Giving & taking feedback

Have you asked for honest feedback lately? Well, brace yourself and confront those murky depths, and use this new-found knowledge. In Spain, the graduates were spending a day with two of our experienced, talented and passionate winemakers. We were in the lab, trying dozens of ferments to analyze their quality and potential – it was an absolute privilege to participate. Being the involved and inquisitive types we are, we gave feedback to the winemakers on what we thought of how this ferment tasted compared to that one, and some we enjoyed, but others we couldn't see what the winemakers saw - we weren't on the same page. If it was me, it would have been difficult to take on the opinion of the critics! But the winemaker had the best response. He took a few moments to think, and decided our presence and pokey questions might be useful to him; he explained he is so ingrained in the process of tasting that an outsider point of view gave him a reality check. I want, for myself and for everyone in my team to be able to take on feedback just like that winemaker.

3. Implementing ideas & evaluate our team successes

In one week’s time, the three current graduates will hand over over some responsibilities to two new graduates! What will I tell them about teamwork? Two things stand out. We’re great at developing big, creative ideas, but struggle to take ideas through to a swift and efficient completion before moving on to the next thing. Our team has improved our ability to recognise the crucial moment to stop developing and start implementing. We’re adopting the “OK, let’s get on with it now” attitude! The second thing that stands out is, as a team, we have to evaluate how we’re tracking on common projects. We need to evaluate our own progress more often! Are we spending the right amount of time on each project? Are the tasks distributed evenly? A team meeting once a week is the way to check in and help each other where we can. Armed with this knowledge, I look forward to meeting the two newest recruits to the Pernod Ricard Graduate Wine Ambassador team next week!

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