Coaching and mentoring have many commonalities and the terms are often used interchangeably.
However, technically speaking, they are not quite the same thing. Here are some perspectives.
The Brefi Group explains it this way,
Coaching: helping another person to improve awareness, to set and achieve goals in order to improve a particular behavioural performance
Mentoring: helping to shape an individual’s beliefs and values in a positive way; often a longer term career relationship from someone who has "done it before"
Coaching and Mentoring Approaches
An interesting differentiation they make is that the coach does not need direct experience of the client's job. Coaching is often a structured approach.
The mentor is usually someone experienced in the role or sector. The mentoring is on an ongoing basis, often informal.
I would agree with this. In my experience of mentoring, it is often planned and refined collaboratively on an ongoing needs basis. It's interesting how mentors and mentees often find each other by circumstance. Coaching tends to be more directed and time focused.
Are we playing with semantics here?
What is your take on the difference between coaching and mentoring? Or do you think it's just a matter of semantics? How do you use coaching and/or mentoring in your small business?
» 10 Ways Mentors Benefit From The Mentoring Process from SmallBizMentor
Mentoring, like any relationship, is a two way street. We often think of mentoring as only benefiting the mentee, while the altruistic mentor shares their time and expertise. In actual fact, mentors often find they get as much out of... [Read More]
Tracked on: November 23, 2007 9:01 AM | Permalink to Trackback