As a company, Third Space Global (TSG) encourages our team to consistently learn and educate, with a heavy focus on promoting a growth mindset. TSG introduced its first-ever signature employee development programme for our non-tutor team, a testimony to its mission of valuing people & focusing on grooming the next leaders of tomorrow. This would prove to take the company from great to greater heights further refining its brand, organisation, values, and people itself.

What is the EMERGE Programme?

The EMERGE programme focuses on corporate skill development among its participants, bringing forth the opportunity for different departments to engage & interact with other departments. It encourages us to get to know each other and make new friends and fresh memories while learning, unlearning, & relearning. It pushed people to face their fears, try new things and have fun too.

How I felt

Personally, when I got selected for the programme, I was excited! I remember hesitating about whether I could handle the challenges of being an introvert and having to interact. Despite being nervous, I have always wanted to try stepping out of my comfort zone, and at the time, I had just been appointed leader of a team.
Being a team leader for the first time, I was looking for ways to build myself into a good leader that my team could rely on & look up to. Looking back now, I don’t regret being part of this experience one bit.

Challenges that were overcome & my overall experience

Sure, there were challenges in terms of managing work & supporting my team while performing well on the programme so as to not let my teammates down. I can safely say I was able to get through them all, thanks to everyone who supported me throughout this journey. The first challenge I encountered was the OBT day that kick-started the programme. We were scheduled to do a lot of outdoor activities but I was ready to face it head-on. What I didn’t expect was that I’d be making the beautiful memories I made there, thanks to the team at Wilddrift. They reminded me of what it was like to be a child & have fun. I loved how there was always a lesson and learning experience behind every game we played.

As a person who always views things in depth, this meant a lot to me, not just during the outbound training but throughout the training on emerge. We were also trained in presentation skills, communication, emotional intelligence, mindfulness, teamwork, problem-solving, conflict resolution, & leadership essentials. These proved to be so insightful & intriguing, considering how they helped in shaping me into a better communicator, leader & team player. I loved how Tharindu brought on the actionable steps & tips on how we could implement the said theories as a part of our work

Apart from these training sessions, we received a few more on how to prioritise work, manage, & achieve our life goals from two great people at our workplace, Susan & Aasma! It was perceptive considering that they know the ins and outs of our company’s culture and people’s lifestyles. It inspired us to act on organising our work while maintaining a work-life balance.

Progress

I have honestly seen major improvements in how I manage my team, workload, and thought process regarding my commitments. It has helped me elevate my support for my team while encouraging them to be more independent. I have become more confident in trusting myself and ensuring that I give my best as an employee, team member & leader!

The Finale

After these sessions came to a close, it was time to demonstrate what we had learned so far on the programme to our trainer and HOD, for which we were assigned to do individual & group assignments. The individual assignment involved presenting a problem our team faces and what plan we propose to solve it with actionable steps. I enjoyed delivering this! And for the group presentation, we were to present TSG beyond - Where would TSG go from where we are now into the future? I found it to be quite challenging. It helped me figure out what I needed to work on in terms of presenting to an audience in person. Nevertheless, I was glad for the opportunity and enjoyed it.

Emerge itself has helped me build, understand and learn many lifelong lessons that I will be applying to my work and personal life. It was not just a passing experience but a moment where we were all taught to “EMERGE” and rise to the occasion throughout the training. I am really grateful for this opportunity to grow and progress in TSG while doing my part for the company. This experience has put me up to face challenges head-on and confidently. I look forward to more opportunities to grow within the company and gain experiences outside of it too.

Author Note

My name is Asma Muzammil. I work as a Senior QA Analyst on the Software Quality Assurance Team. A few of my hobbies include listening to music, reading, writing, working out and photography. I am passionate about sharing my experiences in learning, life, and subjects like women's empowerment, and breaking the stigma surrounding topics like religion. My favourite quote is from ‘A Song About the Sea,’ which is, "where there is hope, there is despair.”