Well, it looks like that time of the year again.

Athletics directors and presidents will be reaching for a wish list they’ve been making of outstanding coaches they wish were on their sideline. Their coach seems to be perched on the proverbial “bubble” or “slippery slope.” But how will they know that the new coach they hire will be any better than their current choice?

There are a lot of ways to make a bad decision, and administrators who refuse to use an inclusive process just increase the chances that their new choice might look better but will get no better results.

Several years ago, I worked with some fine people at Cash Lehman and Associates in Toronto who helped me create a way for coaches and administrators to recognize the key traits of successful sports leaders, regardless of race or gender.

We called the assessment the “Pathfinder for Success.” We targeted it at coaches as a developmental tool, and that might have been a mistake. Perhaps it would be more effective if colleges’ and universities’ hiring teams had that information to use as a more scientific perspective on the hiring process.

For the negotiated price of $99, any NCAA university, head coaching or athletics director candidate can determine whether they’ve got “the stuff” to be successful. The assessment has been normed through the testing of a diverse pool of football, basketball, volleyball and soccer coaches who have all had successful careers in their professions. It cannot be the only determinant, but it can serve a useful purpose. Experience, past performance and communication acumen are all essential competencies to be considered.

If you want to know how your candidate stacks up to the best in class, tap into the Pathfinder. I urge you to include the Black Coaches and Administrators and NCAA Coaching Academy databases; form a diverse, representative search group; and instead of hiring an expensive search firm, use the Pathfinder as one of your hiring tools with all of your finalists. I guarantee you’ll be pleased with the results. You can find the Pathfinder on the NCAA’s Web site by clicking the “employment” tab..

After all, can college athletics really afford the price of a lawsuit to do the right thing?

Ron Stratten is president of Stratten Solutions Consulting and former NCAA vice president for education services.