Every company has its own way of operating, which means that approaches to recognizing and investing in talent may differ. Despite these differences, the goal remains the same — to retain key employees with high potential.

Since the merger with Adriatic Slovenica in 2020, Generali Insurance d.d. has grown to over 1,300 employees. The merger served as an opportunity to refine HR processes and in 2021 the company modernized its talent development approach.

Generali Insurance defines talents as employees with high potential for accelerated development and emphasizes that these individuals are highly motivated, willing to invest effort, energy and time, and can develop faster with the right support.

Identifying employees with high potential for accelerated development

Given the large number of insurance agents in the company, Generali Insurance runs a separate talent development program for the sales team. The Potential Accelerator Program rotates annually — one year the focus is on insurance agents, the next year on employees in other functions.

The process begins with an assessment of the current state. During the annual performance reviews, line managers evaluate employees using a 9-box grid, assessing both job performance and the potential to take on more complex and responsible tasks. Employees also complete a self-assessment based on the same grid. Those who score well in both areas are identified as candidates for accelerated development.

A second 9-box grid is used to assess experiential agility and career ambitions. Experiential agility measures an employee’s ability to adapt to change and take a proactive approach to development, while career aspirations are assessed based on their motivation to grow within the company.

The next phase, screening, begins with a conversation between the manager and the employee about their suitability for accelerated development. The interview focuses on whether the employee truly demonstrates potential, shows a strong drive for growth and is ready to take on more challenging tasks.

As managers can be biased in their assessment, the process also includes a self-assessment of the proposed candidate. This helps to mitigate the tendency of managers to nominate employees who share their own characteristics — such as being equally structured or detail-oriented.

Following this, interviews are held with the company directors regarding candidates for the Potential Accelerator Program. The HR team gathers as much information as possible about future changes in the departments and the directors’ visions, while the directors can also provide feedback based on their own observations of the candidates in projects or specific situations.

The first phase concludes with an interview with the candidates, in which they are informed that they are seen as high-performing and ambitious employees. At the same time, the company obtains feedback on their motivation for growth. It is crucial that the employees express their willingness to invest extra time and effort, while the company provides the necessary support. The discussion also makes it clear that participation in the Potential Accelerator Program does not automatically guarantee a promotion, but is primarily designed to develop key skills and competencies.

Honesty plays an important role in this step — if an employee turns down the opportunity for any reason, he/she can re-enter the development program at a later date when conditions are more favorable to him/her.

Employees who accept the opportunity undergo psychological assessments at competency development centers. Based on the results, they receive structured feedback and an individual development plan.

Even if the assessment reveals that a candidate lacks certain key skills but shows strong motivation for growth, they remain in the Potential Accelerator Program.

The 60:30:10 development model

Generali Insurance follows the 60:30:10 principle for employee development. The majority — 60% — comes from mentoring by line managers. Employees and their line managers meet at least once a month to review progress based on the individual development plan. The HR team ensures that these meetings take place regularly and do not become overly operational.

The company itself contributes 30% to employee development, focusing on key areas identified through psychological assessments. The goal is to strengthen the competencies that align with the company’s strategic needs and ensure that new skills and knowledge remain relevant. This year, a particular focus has been placed on lean innovation, which has already delivered outstanding results.

This 30% also includes high-potential employees meeting with top management, as well as various workshops on key topics such as assertive communication. The final 10% of development comes from participation in local and international projects.

Potential accelerator in numbers

Since the program was redesigned, Generali Insurance has run two seasons of the Potential Accelerator Program. Of the 68 participants, 37% have been promoted to managers or experts. The program has a low turnover rate of only 3%, with one departure being an international transfer within the Generali Group. As the second season is still ongoing, an even higher promotion rate is expected.

What works and what have they learned?

The change of seasons — one year for the sales team, the next for the other employees — has proven to be very effective. Sales teams need different competencies and skills, so it is logical to tailor their development program to their specific needs.

The differences in approach are also reflected in the group sizes within the Potential Accelerator. Sales teams work in smaller groups of up to 15 participants, while other groups usually comprise around 35 talents.

The development program for both groups (sales and other functions) runs on a two-year cycle. Looking ahead, the company expects the size of the group to decrease, even as new employees join, as some talents has already progressed through the ongoing program.

Generali Insurance attaches great importance to linking talent development with the operational business. Several hackathons were organized in the first season, while this year’s focus on lean innovation has brought remarkable results.

The employees in the Potential Accelerator ultimately become ambassadors for the company. They are the first to give feedback and are actively involved in various internal initiatives.

From the beginning, Generali Insurance recognized that it is not enough to rely solely on the assessments of managers to identify employees with high potential and has therefore also introduced self-assessments. It also communicates clearly and transparently that participation in the program does not automatically lead to career advancement. However, some employees express a desire to take on a management role after completing the program. If this is the case, an open dialog helps to find the best way forward.

Experience has shown that not all employees initially identified as high potentials fulfill all the necessary criteria. In each cohort there were some people who, according to the assessments of the competence center, did not reach the expected skill level. Nevertheless, they were given the opportunity to participate in the Potential Accelerator Program.

What comes after the Potential Accelerator Program?

Generali Insurance is already working on the next steps, including an additional program that will be conducted less frequently and will focus primarily on the personal motivation of employees.

Zala Slana Medle, Head of Talent Development and Academy at Generali Insurance, adds:“Successful companies invest in their best employees, and the best employees are those who invest in themselves.”

Employees who have the potential to achieve more need to be supported in their development, but this is always a two-way process. For talent to truly grow, they must also be willing to invest in themselves.