Although today the new generations call them coaches, I believe that there is a significant difference in what an advisor represents today.
An adviser, also called a consultant 20 years ago, is a specialist in his discipline, he is an experienced environment surrounding the organization, an expert in successful solutions, which allows a high level of confidence in his proposed solutions and recommendations, for example the improvement of an administrative process, the implementation of an internal control system, the development of an advertising campaign, or any other problem area to be addressed. On the other hand, a coach focuses mainly through intensive training on the improvement of the person and/or the group and not the environment that surrounds him.
While for the advisor his competitive advantage is mastering her discipline, for the coach it is positively reinforcing the development of competencies, experiential learning, and performance measurement in their different forms in their work teams.
There are advisers of all kinds, from financial, asset, advertising, commercial, human resources, real estate and even couples advisers. A large part of these advisors have the firm intention of offering new perspectives towards the different problems of our business and personal environment. Therefore, being open to changes is essential for an advisor to achieve the objectives set out in their proposals and thus exceed the expectations of their clients.
In these current times, not only companies must have strategic flexibility to adapt to the changing environment. The advisor’s role must also be to reinvent his business model and develop his ability to adapt in order to face the challenges that arise.
The first challenge must be to put nostalgia aside, get rid of arrogance and comfort and face the changes to come, perhaps the previous times were better, but we live in the present and we need to promote, accelerate and develop a capacity for adaptation. The future must be the raison d’être of the present.
The second challenge for the advisor is her ability to create a variety of new service and performance options to fit the environment. You must be flexible to understand that current business models can become extinct and some of them are even doomed to extinction. Continuing specialization in new disciplines in accordance with modern business trends will allow the advisor to have a better portfolio of service offerings for their clients.
And the third and last challenge is to maintain the innovative spirit. Good advisers can always be replaced by better advisers. You must be creative and maintain a differentiated service offer with unique products and services of its kind, this to ensure that the service offer is always attractive and above all useful for the benefit of your customers.
At the end of the day, the advisor who knows how to interpret her environment and who best anticipates the future is the one who will achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, and the one who doesn’t will stay by the wayside. Ing. Héctor Sotomayor, MA advisor specialized in investment and advertising projects, as well as a professor at the Tec de Monterrey in the Department of Engineering and Sciences. Email: hsotomayor@digitocreativo.com.mx