D. Douglas McKenna, Ph.D.

The Oceanside Institute

Executive Coaching Profile

Experience

For over 30 years, Dr. McKenna has mentored individual leaders as they work to transform themselves to meet the challenge of bigger, more complex jobs. Drawing on his unique portfolio of experience and expertise--HR executive, scholar/professor, executive coach/consultant, author, master teacher—Dr. McKenna helps leaders give full expression to their individual talent while building the strong network of relationships necessary to make great things happen.

CEO, Executive Coach, Author, Teacher. The Oceanside Institute, Seattle, WA, 2001-present

General Manager, Human Resources Policy and Planning, Executive and Management Development, Microsoft Corporation, 1993-2001, Management and Organization Consultant, Microsoft Corporation, 1986-1993

Professor of Psychology and Management, Wheaton College (IL) and Seattle Pacific University (WA), 1979-1983, 1983-1993

Senior Research Scientist, Personnel Decisions Research Institute, Minneapolis, MN., 1983-1985

Education

An Industrial/Organizational Psychologist by training and practice, Dr. McKenna is relentless in diving into new areas of study that feed and grow his understanding human nature in general and leadership in particular. His postgraduate study and training in family systems theory and therapy offers clients deep, often unconventional insight into the dynamics of their organizations and relationship systems. Becoming increasingly aware of the role of the body-mind connection in high-pressure leadership situations, he has turned his attention to studies in neuroscience, meditation, and yoga.

Ph.D., Differential Psychology, University of Minnesota, 1979

Post-Graduate Program, Bowen Center for the Study of the Family, Georgetown, D.C., 2004-2007

Anusara Yoga teacher training, Seattle Yoga Arts, 2009-2010

Advanced Meditation and Yoga Philosophy studies with Professor Paul Muller-Ortega, 2009-ongoing.

Coaching Philosophy

Dr. McKenna has a fundamental respect for executive leaders and the demands they face. In designing and conducting a coaching engagement, he focuses on cultivating four “active ingredients” that predict success in coaching:

Readiness: The executive must be willing and able to do the hard work of personal change. His or her organization must also be ready to reinforce and support change. Without a clear sense of readiness in the executive and the organization, coaching is unlikely to be effective and a waste of time and money.

Relationship: Dr. McKenna works hard to build a strong working alliance with the executive right from the start. This is defined as ongoing agreement on goals and tasks, as well as positive and respectful rapport on both sides of the relationship.

Positive Expectation: Hope and optimism are key factors in behavior change. Dr. McKenna has a talent for seeing the strengths in executives and leveraging those strengths into confidence that current development challenges can be mastered.

Resonance: Executives have strong, reasonable theories of what’s working, what’s not, and why. Dr. McKenna helps clients articulate, explore, and understand those theories. He works with the client’s convictions, rather than forcing his own views. The process becomes one of expansion, clarification, and refinement of the client’s theories rather than the imposition of a supposedly more expert theory of the problem and the solution.

Client Profile

Dr. McKenna works only with elite, carefully selected senior executives.

C-level Executives in IT, Higher Education, Biotechnology, Construction

Highly selective practice with just 3-5 clients active at any given time

Typical client is 40-55 years old who has scaled quickly and is dealing with intense business and relationship pressures

Engagement Focus and Structure

In coaching elite leaders, the most potent way to work is to bring new light to pressing issues on the executive’s agenda. At this level,” the devil is in the details” and the opportunities for growth appear right on the leader’s calendar.

There must also be a steady rhythm to the engagement. Phone or face-to-face meetings are held twice per month. But at this level, issues arise quickly and so Dr. McKenna stands ready to respond to email or phone questions at any time during the engagement. Once the working alliance is consolidated, virtual or phone coaching can be highly effective.

Initial assessment of client-coach fit and evaluation of key predictors of engagement success

Data gathering and goal setting involving client, client’s manager, and key HR/leadership development staff to ensure climate of support for the work

1:1 meetings for 60-90 minutes two times per month

Unlimited email or phone contact on pressing issues

Six month review of progress with option to continue or terminate

Publications and Appearances

McKenna, D. and Davis, S. (2010). Hidden in Plain Sight: the Active Ingredients of Executive Coaching. Journal of Industrial Organizational Psychology.

McKenna, D. and Davis, S. (2011). Activating the Active Ingredients of Executive Coaching. Chapter 1 in Advancing Executive Coaching, Hernez-Broome and Boyce (Eds.).

CEO Stress. January 28, 2011 appearance on Headline, Business News Network (Canada).

 http://watch.bnn.ca/headline/january-2011/headline-january-28-2011/#clip408904  (pt 1)

 

http://watch.bnn.ca/headline/january-2011/headline-january-28-2011/#clip408906 (pt. 2)

 

http://watch.bnn.ca/headline/january-2011/headline-january-28-2011/#clip408908 (pt. 3)

McKenna, D.  Exercise Your Self-Control. Forbes.com, October 15, 2009.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/15/self-control-muscle-leadership-ceonetwork-discipline.html

McKenna, D.  Who Needs an Executive Coach. Forbes.com, October 15, 2009.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/04/need-executive-consultant-ceonetwork-leadership-coach.html