Ed O’Brien helps large, creative global companies maximize their people assets to make giant leaps in performance. Known as a real thinker who excels at seeing the big picture, Ed is a trusted consultant to captains of industry on sensitive HR challenges. Like James Bond, he can remain a calm figure when “exotic things happen to and around him.” His gift is identifying the one or two connecting issues that, if solved, will have the greatest business results and employee engagement. He has the perspective to know what levers to pull to facilitate change.
High-Performance HR Branding
Ed gets that companies must build their authentic, relevant employer brands in order to recruit, fully engage and retain the best employees. In fact, studies prove that employee loyalty is contingent upon satisfaction with leadership and management rather than financial factors. Ed has invested the past 15 years in human resources exploring new ideas, breaking down HR stereotypes and developing his unique, positive approach to make the HR function a powerful contributor to the organization’s success.
Creating a Magnetic Environment and a Muscular Workforce
Unsatisfied with how many companies tolerate poor people skills in their leader and management ranks, Ed excels at selecting the right people that can take a team from good to great. For example, at Chiron Diagnostics he was charged with creating a sales team that could introduce a new product in a dynamic environment. Ed changed the hiring profile and worked with internal decision makers to recruit the leaders. He then trained and coached managers, directors, VPs and the GM to be better people managers and cultivated a culture that helped make Chiron the fastest-growing diagnostic company.
Fully Engaging People at Work
A voracious reader and “discoverer,” Ed explores all disciplines for insight into building better organizations and getting the most out of people. He’s focused on identifying people’s unique promise of value and using that to deliver on the company’s objectives. With his passion for human potential, Ed leverages personal branding and Buckingham’s strengths-based approach in his management training. He’s developed and delivered training programs in Buenos Aires and Singapore for recruitment, giving feedback and leadership. Mentoring and coaching for positive reinforcement always follow training.
Big Conversations with a Touch of Humor
Being an effective and respectful HR executive requires courage and a bit of humor to lighten difficult conversations. Respected for his forthright communications, Ed shines when he has to move people into different roles and doesn’t shy away from unpopular decisions. At Icon, he was brought in to fix the 45% turnover rate in Australia. In one year, turnover dropped to 10% and employee satisfaction ratings shot to highest in company by improving leadership, making the right director choice and coaching managers.
A Taste for the Finer Things in Life
When Ed is not working, he is likely trying a new martial art, painting, driving cars fast, appreciating aesthetics, good design, traveling to exotic locales with his wife or playing with his children.
Ed and his family reside outside of Philadelphia, PA.
