Posted on September 24, 2009 by Stephan Wiedner

I attended an ACETECH presentation today to help seasoned business veterans become advisors for companies. I attended not because I am a seasoned veteran, but because Noomii could benefit from an advisor. I think most, if not all companies, could. What’s interesting is that one of the attendees had a question about what a business coach is and there was definitely some confusion. I hope I can clarify some of the confusion.

A business coach is an individual that has been trained to ask a lot of questions and help clients produce solutions to their own problems. A coach, in the purest sense, does not give advice. A coach does not even share his or her own life experiences.

A good coach or business coach:

• is a good listener and sounding board
• can ask well-timed, direct and thought-provoking questions
• focuses on the coachee’s agenda
• wants to see the coachee succeed
• believes in and respects the coachee
• holds the coachee accountable
• when necessary, can be brutally honest, in service of the coachee

Based on this purist definition of what a coach does, anybody can be a coach. There is no requirement for a coach to be a subject expert. A coach can help a coachee on any topic.

But sometimes you want more than what a coach can offer. You want advice. You want someone to offer strategic insight.

Since I just learned more about what it takes to be a good advisor, it’s apparent to me that the speaker was advocating that advisors act like business coaches with one main difference – they bring their “been there, done that” experience to the discussion. Therefore, a good business advisor applies the skills of a coach as listed above AND relies on her life and business experience to advise the company CEO in a diplomatic and respectful manner.

Of course a lot of business coaches are also seasoned veterans and as such, they can easily slip into the roll of an advisor or consultant. Unfortunatley, this causes confusion about what a coach is and what an advisor is.

Do you have your own business? Interested in a getting a Board of Advisors? Here’s what a CEO had to say about his board of advisors:

If you are serious about starting and running a company, you have to have a board of advisors. They are the critical sounding board for your thoughts and your connection to the business community. They are the ones who tell you that you are not right. They keep you accountable to yourself. Getting a board of advisors moved my company to another level. It’s like having your own MBA course.

Vaclav Vincalek, PCIS, Vancouver, BC