Those who are familiar with the Oakley Advisors coaching program know that we often speak of non-productive behavior. It is a somewhat odd term, especially when talking about executives and senior managers who are usually known as being very productive members of the business.

Non-productive behavior does not necessarily mean that the executive is not being productive. To the contrary, their personal work output may be extremely high. However, they may be exhibiting behaviors that inhibit the productivity of those who work with and for them. They might demand that others manage exactly to their own exacting standards. Or they may display a number of intimidating management behaviors. They often are not even aware that they are doing this and they most certainly are not aware of the detrimental effect their behaviors are having on the business. These are the situations where we use the term “non-productive behavior”.

Oakley Advisors executive coaches have worked with many managers who have strong tendencies toward non-productive behavior. We actually see this as an area that is on the rise as we work with more and more companies. By helping these managers to recognize and alter their behaviors, the businesses in which they work achieve remarkable increases in productivity and employee satisfaction.

Jerry Kleinhaus
Oakley Advisors
Certified Executive Coaching
Cincinnati, Ohio
Nationwide Executive Coaching and Talent Management Services

Some people who have read our web site and heard our presentations have said, “you make it sound like executive coaching is the solution to just about every management problem. Can it be that good?”

Well, we certainly are passionate about our work and we are glad that it shows when we talk about coaching. But certainly, executive coaching is not the solution to all management problems. Effective executive coaching is just a part of the comprehensive talent management programs that companies should be putting in place. From a budgeting perspective, it actually might be one of the smaller parts. But, when evaluating executive coaching we feel strongly that there are two points that businesses should be considering:

1. Even though executive coaching may be a small part of the talent management budget, it very possibly delivers the greatest return on investment (ROI) for talent management and personnel investment. This is because it directly impacts those managers who, as individuals, have the greatest impact on the organization’s performance – the executives and senior management.
2. Every successful, top performing organization should consider having executive coaching as a permanent ongoing part of its talent management strategy. To exclude it is to exclude what has become a required element for any world-class organizational development model.

Jerry Kleinhaus
Oakley Advisors
Certified Executive Coaching
Cincinnati, Ohio
Nationwide Executive Coaching and Talent Management Services

It is human nature and has been said in so many different ways, whether it s a diet or learning to play a musical instrument – we procrastinate. This is especially true when it comes to making a commitment to change ourselves. Working with an executive coach is right up there on the tough commitment ranking.

Many senior managers feel they have been successful because they either do not have any detrimental behaviors, or have overcome them. Nothing could be further from the truth. Top performing CEO’s recognize that improving their personal performance will help them improve their contribution. From this perspective, using an executive coach can be ego based. The focus on self-improvement that comes from executive coaching will help the executive leave a stronger legacy.

We don’t really care how companies and individual executives come to see the extraordinary value of executive coaching just so long as they get there. By doing so, they are on the road to making real differences for themselves, their teams, and their organizations.

Jerry Kleinhaus
Oakley Advisors
Certified Executive Coaching
Cincinnati, Ohio
Nationwide Executive Coaching and Talent Management Services

Even though Oakley Advisors is located in Cincinnati, Ohio we offer nationwide services. We can do this for two reasons:

1. Our coaches will travel to client sites and work on their premises. This includes international locales. One might ask why companies would not use local executive coaching firms rather than have Oakley Advisors travel to them. The reason is that the Oakley Advisors executive coaching process is unique and proprietary and it has an excellent track record for delivering strong business results. There are very few executive coaching firms that are using a process approach. It is well worth having Oakley Advisors come to your location.
2. Oakley Advisors has member coaches in other major American metropolitan areas including Dallas, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Columbus with more cities to come. Coaches will be added in both Europe and Asia that will make international coaching engagements easier to manage.

No matter where your company does business, call us. The Oakley Advisors executive coaching process and the world’s premier executive coaches can be working for you tomorrow.

Jerry Kleinhaus
Oakley Advisors
Certified Executive Coaching
Cincinnati, Ohio

The Sherpa stance is another reason why the Sherpa process is unique and effective. The Sherpa stance has 4 elements that guide the coaching parameters for executive coaches. They are:

• Precise – is the issue that the client so presenting specific enough that some action can be taken to address it. It is surprising how many times clients will talk to coaches about situations with a coach and yet no specific action plan results. This is usually because the issue was not precisely defined. We often push our clients to tell us exactly how the issue “looks” at work with as many examples and specifics as possible.
• Present – Past situations really don’t mean much to us anymore except as examples. Future actions can be strived for but cannot be coached yet. The present is all that matters when taking coaching action that makes a difference.
• Personal – Actually this point should be read NOT personal. Executive coaching is a business function and should stay there. Issues in a client’s personal life are the venue for life coaches and therapists.
• Possible – Sometimes a client wants to work on situations that are beyond their control. The most common example is a their wanting to have a new boss. Well, in most cases, that is not going to happen unless they change jobs. So, it is really not possible. A good executive coach will help them to see that and then work on changes that are under their control and can make a difference in their work environment.

Jerry Kleinhaus
Oakley Advisors
Certified Executive Coaching
Cincinnati, Ohio

Looking at the Oakley Advisors web site, one can see that some of the finest executive coaches in the Cincinnati area are associated with Oakley Advisors. But Oakley Advisors also acts as a placement and distribution center for other top executive coaches. Because we know how critical it is that the “fit” between coach and client is right in order for executive coaching to be effective, we have developed relationships with a large group of executive coaches with varied personalities, techniques, and approaches. We also know how important this can be to our client companies, each of which has specific needs and expectations for their executive coaches.

So, IF YOU ARE A QUALIFIED EXCUTIVE COACH LOOKING FOR MORE OPPORTUNITIES, give us a call. We may be just the right connection you need to expand your practice and join a growing team of executive coaches dedicated to superior results for our clients.

Jerry Kleinhaus

Oakley Advisors
Certified Executive Coaching
Cincinnati, Ohio

In our option, the strongest element of Sherpa coaching is the fact that it is process driven. The process is the core of Sherpa’s effectiveness. It puts a specific goal and timeframe around the coaching process. It adds a repeatable element to the coaching experience, making the coaches that use it ever stronger and more proficient. It uses tools that are used by all Sherpas. Since most Sherpas share experiences using the tools with each other, the tools are constantly improved. Because the process is documented, the certification of its use can be reviewed, modified, and continuously improved. There is no other executive coaching process that undergoes this rigor and dynamic improvement.

Jerry Kleinhaus

Oakley Advisors
Certified Executive Coaching
Cincinnati, Ohio

The terms executive coaching and talent management both appear in the Oakley Advisors tag line. Some of our clients have asked us what the difference is between the two. In general, the answer is that executive coaching is a branch of talent management. Talent management encompasses all levels of management and indeed the entire employee base. Executive coaching is very specific one on one individual talent management.

While the executive coaching process is effective with any employee, no matter what their job, it is usually reserved for senior management. This is not a discriminatory behavior. But rather, it is a recognition that changes in management behavior gives a proportionately greater return to the business as it is applied at higher levels. Therefore, the ROI for executive coaching approaches its highest level as it is applied to a company’s most senior managers – its executives. Thus the name, “executive coaching”.

Jerry Kleinhaus

Oakley Advisors
Certified Executive Coaching
Cincinnati, Ohio

For any company that has been growing in the past 10 years and looking to fill its ranks with talented middle and upper level managers, they know the all too painful truth. There is a huge shortage of talent in today’s labor market, especially for skilled executives. And that shortage is growing.

It used to be that executives that were non productive could be easily replaced. No more. Executive coaching is a sound business decision. Investing in executive coaching, which can revitalize and hone a seasoned executive, is simply good business. For a relatively minor investment, key experience and talent can be saved at a fraction of the cost of replacement. Executive coaching from Oakley Advisors can make it happen.

I was discussing executive coaching recently with a friend of mine who is an executive at a major corporation in Cincinnati. She was polite and interested but told me that she had worked with an executive coach for years and could honestly say that she did not feel that she had benefited from the experience much, if at all. She said the coach was competent, intelligent, and seemed to be well trained. But, in the end, she did not think that executive coaching was a good use of her time or the company’s money.

I probed deeper and asked her to tell me as much as she was comfortable with saying about the work she had done with the coach. She said she was OK with telling me the details, but SHE COULD NOT REMEMBER THEM! That statement immediately identified a major problem. The coach probably was providing her with valuable training and tools that were helping her improve her performance. But my friend did not retain them. She probably used them at the time and may have even recognized their value. But if the coach did not also provide her with ways in which to make the tools and techniques a permanent part of her daily management behaviors, she soon forget them and fell back into old behaviors. Ultimately, my friend forgot them completely and thus her perception that the coaching was not worth it.

Oakley Advisors executive coaches take specific steps to make sure the changes and improvements that coaches make become permanent parts of the client’s management style. Without that step, the entire coaching process becomes very limited in value. Clients who are not coached to PERMANAT CHANGE will say that executive coaching does not work. And for them, that will be true. It is up to the coach to make sure that does not happen.

Jerry Kleinhaus

Oakley Advisors
Certified Executive Coaching
Cincinnati, Ohio