Coaching and mentoring

Coaching and mentoring are not the same.

What contributes to the confusion is that a coach and a mentor often perform their work using similar skill sets. Effective mentors also use effective coaching skills.

The key difference is that coaching aims to improve a specific set of skills such as accounting or public speaking and is focused on specific results. By contrast mentoring is a more holistic process that often has a longer time frame and focuses on the mentee developing through their career or life.

Another key difference is that the mentee sets the agenda for the sessions and the mentor responds, whereas in coaching the agenda is set by the employer and coach.

The sporting analogy is useful where the coach focuses on technique, training and performance, the mentor fulfils a different role and engages in broader discussions about their goals, commitment to winning, leadership and how it feels.

The increase in 'executive coaching' has somewhat blurred these distinctions and much of this we consider mentoring but with bigger fees.