“Leadership ambition alone isn't enough for us”

One weekend, nine board members, 38 applicants. The original idea behind the recruiting event "NEXT" was that each member of the Allianz Deutschland Board of Management was to select a highly-qualified mentee they would install in the company's senior management in the medium term. At the end of the event, there were actually far more candidates who could be considered for possible top leadership positions. Wolfgang Brezina, Allianz Deutschland AG Board of Management member responsible for HR and one of the masterminds behind the NEXT program, gave an interview about top candidates, leadership ambition and the key role that hand-drawn organizational charts played in his own career.

 

Mr. Brezina, you put aside an entire weekend in order to meet Allianz Deutschland's future executives. Were you happy with how things went?

 

Definitely. First of all, it was fun to talk to these highly-motivated young people in a relaxed atmosphere. And the outcome of the event speaks for itself: many of the participants were able to win us over, so we ultimately offered more contracts than we had initially planned.

 

Is NEXT a one-off measure in the competitive race for the best talents, or have there been similar initiatives in the past?

 

This was the first time that we adopted this particular format. We want to start by gathering experience of how this recruiting method works, take a good look at the findings after the event and then decide whether we want to hold a similar event again.

 

What are your expectations of the mentees?

 

This is a recruiting event for our senior management. We certainly expect the candidates to be flexible, in terms of both their duties and their location. They need to show leadership ambition, but also request feedback from their mentors. We mustn't forget that we are aiming to promote cross-divisional careers to ensure that the candidates ultimately have a broad base for their future duties.

 

You are also a mentor yourself - was there ever a situation where things suddenly "clicked" and you knew that this was the right candidate?

 

You can't talk in terms of one single click, but more of a combination of clicks. Did the candidate naturally take on the leadership of the group, showing an inclusive approach at the same time? How well has the candidate analyzed the contents? Is he or she sufficiently cooperative in discussions with others in order to bring together different ideas? Leadership ambition alone isn't enough for us here.

 

Do you already know which Board of Management member will be assigned which candidate?

 

Not yet. We selected the candidates together within the Board. Everyone has to agree and this is not something that we've ever found difficult. Incidentally, as part of our cross-divisional approach to executive development, the idea is also to switch mentees around and give them the chance to prove themselves in a number of different areas.

 

Was there a time when you yourself would have liked to have a mentor?

 

I was very fortunate, as I always had superiors who supported me. I didn't consciously see this as mentoring at the time, but in retrospect, these relationships were certainly consistent with the concept of mentoring.

 

Think back to the time before you were a Board of Management member. What tips would you have liked from a mentor in order to prepare you in the best possible way for your future duties?

 

Not tips as such, but I think it is good if mentees are given tasks that they don't initially think they can complete. I worked in Controlling for a long time, and couldn't have imagined working anywhere even slightly different. At the time, I was in charge of a department with ten employees. Then, overnight, I had a new role - I was head of the Operations department, with 2000 employees. I remember feeling very nervous. At first I thought there had been a misunderstanding. When it came to the agenda item "Miscellaneous", my boss at the time drew up an organizational chart for me, and spontaneously sketched out where he saw my new position. I still have this piece of paper today.

Dr. Wolfgang Brezina: “I think it is good if mentees are given tasks that they don't initially think they can complete.”
Dr. Wolfgang Brezina: “I think it is good if mentees are given tasks that they don't initially think they can complete.”

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Petra Krüll
Allianz SE
Phone +49.89.3800-2628
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Ulrich Hartmann
Allianz Deutschland AG
Phone +49.89.3800-12943
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