Pros
I have been at Hanover for four years now, serving in a variety of different leadership functions across the company. I hopped on this site last week to gauge how Hanover has been portrayed by current and former employees, and it prompted me to write my own post. Having written precisely zero unsolicited Internet opinions in my life, that action should be a meta-commentary of a sort. Without relitigating any of the more negative reviews, I would be remiss if I didn’t add my proverbial two cents. With that experience under my belt, herewith, a few thoughts:
“Company culture” has been bandied about so often and with so little insight in recent years as to be effectively meaningless; however, if we take it to mean, simply, a company’s people, then Hanover is exemplary. Like many companies in professional services, Hanover attracts individuals with elite intellects and attendant analytical prowess. Unlike many of those same companies, however, Hanover boasts a staff that manages a balance between healthy ambition and cordial, symbiotic collaboration. If you are coming from the consulting world (as I did), for instance, you will find a diametrically different interpersonal environment at Hanover, predicated on mutual respect and trust. It is as (sadly) disorienting as it is welcome.
All of that talent is immaterial, however, in the absence of competent leadership. Hanover checks that box emphatically. From the passionate vision of founder Peter Dodge; to the reliable and dynamic management of CEO Wes Givens; to the reinvigorating intellect, energy and accountability of CCO Anil Prahlad and CGO Vineeta Mooganur; leadership at Hanover is sui generis. There is unquantifiable value in the peace of mind that comes with trust in one’s executive team.
Pivoting outward, how do these corporate attributes manifest themselves in client service? The same pervasive spirit of collaboration – as distinct from parallel execution duties – that defines Hanover’s internal approach to operations also governs our protocol w/r/t our clients. Thoroughly attuned to the fact that sound third-party strategic guidance is predicated on mutual trust, we collaborate with clients early and often, cultivating a relationship that both contributes to and benefits from close coordination. The products are impressive, to be sure; how we create them, however, is where Hanover’s value truly resides.
Hanover has its faults. Many of them have been outlined in previous reviews. I agree with some, and disagree with others. Some, I find baffling. Regardless, I do not intend for this to be a purely reactive counterpoint. Like any teenager, Hanover is at times awkward and frequently imperfect, but the people who work here (at every level) instill trust and optimism. If a reader comes away from this knowing that at least one Hanover employee believes that – and believes it deeply enough to write a few hundred words to that effect – than this was more than worth the time.
Cons
These are covered elsewhere, in painful detail.
