Coaching And Mentoring: How Different Are They?

Different individuals may have different and varying ideas about what coaching and mentoring are. What some people call mentoring could be considered by others as coaching. Well, to make things easier and simpler to understand, we should first know what these terms mean literally. 

The word ‘mentor’ originates from the Latin word ‘mentore’, and this means “to be like”. An effective mentor is someone who shares his knowledge and imparts his wisdom with a colleague who has much less experience. Thus, mentors are typically able to lead their mentees to valuable resources. On the other hand, a coach does not necessarily have to be an expert in their field.

Mentoring in the workplace is typically used to promote career development, skills development, and integration or on-boarding to a new role in an organization. Performance coaching, on the other hand, is focused on developing a person’s ability to perform their jobs.

Coaches and mentors use almost the same sets of skills, and it is possible for their roles to merge as well. Mentoring and coaching both feature trust, rapport, communication, respect, observation and feedback. Advice and guidance may also be offered, and what is sought are practical and not really the theoretical solutions.

When to Choose a Coach and When to Choose a Mentor

• If your own need for development requires more of a personalized approach, it is vital that you decide whether coaching or mentoring is more suitable for you. This may seem complicated, but keep in mind the basic difference of the roles of a mentor and a coach.

• You should look for a mentor if you wish to discuss various career issues, obtain general guidance, or perhaps want to clarify your development goals, make the right decisions for your career, have a plan for the future, and solve your current problems with your career.

• A coach is what you need if you want to seek help in defining exactly what it is that you need to be better at. You will also need a coach if you already have a goal based on enhancing your performance and improving your skills in your current job or career.

• A direct supervisor can play the role of your coach since there are the ones responsible for developing their subordinates’ performance. A mentor, on the contrary, is not a person with higher rank or authority. Your mentor could be your friend or just someone who is more or less senior to you.

Coaching and mentoring may also differ in terms of the advice they give. Nevertheless, they are both committed to helping people like you who seem lost in their careers. So if you want to keep your career on the right track, you should carefully consider having a mentor or a coach.