The AJO Story
We Help Organizations Succeed by Helping People Succeed.
Andrew O’Connor Sr. was a proud and ethical individual who with his wife, Betty, raised a family of seven children; six sons and one daughter.
AJO was established in 1983 by the grandparents of the current President, Shannon O’Connor Bock. In common with many outplacement industry “founding fathers,” Andrew Sr. and Betty O’Connor coupled their human resources background and expertise with a desire to provide assistance to individuals in career transition during the recession of the early 1980s.
They embarked upon a journey to create a very special company that would deliver a service to individuals who were in need of emotional, strategic and transitional support to get them through a very difficult time in their lives and careers. Services initially included help with resume preparation and other self-marketing tools, but quickly broadened to address needs for vocational/educational guidance, career assessment, entrepreneurial interests, networking, interviewing, and job offer negotiation.
Today AJO partners with individuals, teams and organizations to reach broader goals, resulting from expanding services into executive coaching and team and leadership development. This expansion also extends to our geographic reach as we serve the delivery needs of our clients in national and international locations.
Impact of Family Values on the Business
With values instilled by respective parents and grandparents, Andy Sr and Betty shared a love of our country and the opportunities afforded to all Americans. Coupled with their deep spirituality, a strong work ethic, integrity, respect and discipline, they balanced a hectic work/life by sharing equally in day-to-day operations of running a start-up company while concentrating their love and time on their children, several of whom were in high school and college in those early years, never missing a family celebration, holiday or commitment to church or community.
It’s those values the company is built on: honesty, empathy, emotional support, hard work, dealing with reality and, most important of all, accountability and responsibility for oneself. In combination with the support and resources the firm provides, AJO continues to support individuals through a trying time in their lives.
The Line Missing From Your 2027 Plan
A typical annual plan covers the goals for the year, the financial targets, and the budget to support them. Budget usually drives the process, and that’s appropriate. Without a healthy business, there isn’t much of a future to plan for. What annual plans rarely cover in the same detail is the people expected to carry […]
Building Bench Strength When the Entry Level Changes
We heard recently from a leader whose organization was changing how it sells and how it builds relationships with customers. On the surface, it had nothing to do with technology. In the process, the job of the people leading their front-line teams had changed underneath them. The skills that used to make someone good in […]
35 Lessons in 35 Years
Andy O’Connor said no the first time his father asked him to join the business. That’s not usually how a thirty-fifth-anniversary piece starts, but it’s true, and it says something about how the next three and a half decades actually went: mostly figured out one decision at a time. This year, AJO marks 35 years […]
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