Does anybody remember their first week of formal post-graduate employment?

If you were even half human you would have experienced some of that feeling of wide-eyed wonder as you entered the big, bad world that you had always heard your parents talking about.

Imagine entering that world today, when the rate of change is so much faster than it used to be.  (Think about it: there are many people working today who started out before the Internet even existed!)

Imagine entering it in the world of motoring, where alternative energy sources and self-drive cars are the not-insignificant trends that the new generation of fresh-faced graduates will have to lead the world through.

And that’s not all.  They are also entering a world of work where it’s no longer just about what you do, but also about how you do it.  The triple-bottom line aside, it’s more about collaboration and working in teams, than it ever was.  Being the boss just because you’re the main technical expert, no longer cuts it.  These days you have to know yourself, know your people, and know how to coach them.

It was into this world that Ennea International, as a provider to Duke CE and under the auspices of Deloitte, welcomed 21 new graduates to their first official week of employment at auto manufacturer BMW.

Our Head of Distribution for Africa & Middle East, himself a certified coach and facilitator, Neil Bierbaum, led the graduates through the morning session.  The energy in the room was high, the interest was palpable, and there were more than a few A-ha moments experienced.  “It was a privilege to take them through an introduction to the Five Lens Development Platform,” said Neil afterwards, “and in particular the enneagram, which delivers such great personal insights about one’s areas of avoidance and the filters that we view the world through.  Congratulations to BMW, what a difference it must make to have this kind of self-knowledge handed to you when you are setting out in the world of work!”

After the group introduction session, the graduates were debriefed individually, thus compounding their insights, before they embarked on the week-long induction program hosted by Deloitte and designed by Duke CE.