The art of choosing your advisor
One need only browse LinkedIn briefly to be convinced: "Advisors" are now springing up like mushrooms. The question this exuberant supply prompted me to ask is: "How is it that so many people can present themselves as advisors?" What criteria should one use? Here are a few thoughts I would like to share.
If practising as a "business advisor" is a genuine art, the same is true for the "client in need" seeking to find that elusive good "advisor". With the market saturated, navigating an overabundant offering becomes increasingly complicated. How does one separate the wheat from the chaff? Word of mouth is a powerful ally in the selection process. But the more one operates in a niche or in a cutting-edge sector, the harder the task becomes. How does one find the rare gem? One must never cut corners on this, because as the saying goes, "he who thinks a professional is expensive has no idea what an amateur can cost him." It is therefore imperative to find the right person, as the consequences of an incompetent advisor can prove catastrophic for a company.
Maturity: a necessary rite of passage
Many become "advisors" out of frustration, opportunistically, or after being made redundant. They set up on their own and offer their services. While some, older and more experienced, have a colossal body of knowledge built up over many years in their field, others have little experience and choose to set up independently when they still have everything to learn about their own activity. Unlike the personal development coach — who instils logic and self-confidence in their "pupil" — the business advisor must personally commit and provide concrete, detailed, and planned solutions. In one case, accumulated experience may be secondary; in the other, it is fundamental. Who can assume the role of "advisor" without being able to justify a significant number of years spent in the relevant sector? In a highly specialised area such as intellectual property, for example, one must choose a lawyer who has been around the block and is capable of bringing genuine added value on legal, financial, and strategic matters. That said, it is worth noting that working occasionally with people entirely unfamiliar (and inexperienced) with the subject at hand can provide a fresh and inspiring perspective — which is of great value, particularly in the context of innovation. Their input carries weight even if they are not from the field, provided they have maturity.
A person of "values"
If good advisors sometimes charge exorbitant fees, that is not the sense in which we should look for a "person of values" — but rather in their capacity to embody precious qualities, including, to name a few: credibility, competence, candour, courage, wisdom, and respect for others. Every reader will easily be able to add to this list. It would be a mistake to choose an expert solely on the basis of their sectoral experience. One must demand that they be a vehicle for all the prized and sought-after human values. And this is where the recruitment task becomes more complex, since none of this always appears on a CV. Consequently, short of knowing the advisor personally, it is difficult to know whether they tick these boxes, and one must then put them to the test.
A relationship to be tested
This is undoubtedly the most complex part: any "advisor" immersed in a company will need to go through an adaptation phase. If this is successful, the relationship can be established over time. One must "give time to time" — and it is at this price that a genuine relationship of trust will be born. This is arguably the only viable mode of operation between the two parties. For it cannot be a "teacher-pupil" or "knowing-learning" relationship. It is more a relationship between the "experienced" and the "less experienced". This relationship must be continuously tested through the sharing of experience, and it may take several years before the true fruits of the relationship can be harvested.
From "I don't know" to "I take responsibility for the consequences"
As already mentioned, wisdom is one of the cardinal values of the "advisor". It is therefore a resource they must draw on in their client's most challenging situations — such as, for example, "knowing when to say: I don't know", or "acknowledging that one does not have all the answers on a given subject", or "being aware of the consequences of the advice offered and being capable of standing behind it". A quality not always found in large consulting firms, which do not always act as guarantors of the strategies they propose. Care must be taken, however, not to fall into the opposite extreme — for a half-decision often amounts to an accumulation of problems: a good advisor must know how to meet their client's challenges. Learning then comes from sharing, and it is from this that trust is born.
Ultimately, an advisor is a little like a Formula 1 driver. Before sending them out on the circuit, they must first obtain their licence. This image is far more reassuring and positive than the one that says "you do not entrust your body to a surgeon you do not trust" — though the latter does make perfectly clear the importance of "choice" and the absolute necessity of cultivating the art of choosing one's advisor wisely.
