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Who was Bill O’Brien?

Inspired by his faith and reason, Bill O’Brien was a pioneer in institutionalizing vision and values in the workplace.

Impressed by the business philosophy of Hanover Insurance President Jack Adam, Bill took a cut in pay and began working for The Hanover in 1971 as Vice President of Marketing. He served as CEO between 1979–1991. After resigning from Hanover in 1991, Bill was one of Generon Consulting’s founding partners, where he continued until his death in 2002 helping organizations to better align vision and values.

A 1954 graduate of Fordham University, Bill credited his Jesuit education as a key ingredient in shaping his business thinking and practices.

“I had a deep frustration with the way large organizations hired people out of school, full of ideals and energy to make a contribution, and, because of bureaucracy and organizational politics, the vast majority of them became empty shells, counting the days and years to retirement. I didn’t think it was a learning issue; it was more a virtue issue. I thought it was too much politics, too much lying, too much putting spin on everything. I saw the infections in the corporation as inferior virtue. So I looked for the eternal truths or values that would elevate behavior above the lower things. My bias is that companies have a big need for values and virtue, because that can turn on the entire workforce.”

Excerpt from “Twenty Years of Organizational Learning and Ethics at Hanover Insurance” by Barry Sugarman.