Coaching vs Mentoring: What are the Key Differences?

Coaching Mentoring Differences

In both an individual and organisational context, the terms ‘Coaching’ and ‘Mentoring’ are often used interchangeably. They are similar in many ways. For example, both support performance, growth and development through meaningful conversation, and increasingly Executive Coaches are utilising principals from each. They do, however, also have their profound differences.

To understand the distinctions between coaching and mentoring and determine which approach is right for you and your development, we explore the definitions, provide a side-by-side comparison, and discuss the purpose of each discipline.

 

Contents:

 

Definition of Coaching

The founder of today’s billion-dollar coaching industry, John Whitmore, defined coaching as “unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance”. It allows individuals the opportunity to dig deep, ask powerful questions, and listen to an outside perspective.

While we have previously explored what coaching is, as well as the benefits of coaching, it’s important to highlight its primary aim. Coaching works towards producing optimal performance, is extremely goal-focused, and looks at specific skills and approaches to various scenarios. It can impact an individual’s personal attributes, as well as their development in a work environment.

Within modern coaching, a symbiotic relationship is formed between the coach and the coachee, to support them in reaching their own solution and achieving things that they themselves have identified. A coach won’t necessarily define how their coachee will achieve success, but instead will enable them to reach clarity and focus, ultimately identifying their own path to attaining their goals.

 

Definition of Mentoring

Mentoring is a learning partnership between two people with different levels of expertise. While primarily the person with a higher level of experience will provide the less experienced (the mentee) with practical knowledge and advice, both can achieve new learning, insights, and personal growth.

In a mentoring session, the mentor’s duties will consist of providing impactful guidance and training to improve the mentee’s skills for professional development. Knowledge and information can also be tailored towards personal development and goals, but from an organisational perspective, it’s a much more strategic activity that supports vision, goals and values, all of which align with the mentee’s developmental needs and wishes.

Mentoring is usually a long-term relationship and calls upon the skills of questioning, listening and clarifying, to support the development of an inexperienced or lesser experienced individual. Signs of an effective mentoring relationship are shared learning, emotional support, and the trading of valuable resources and advice.

 

Side-by-Side Comparison

Coaching isn’t necessarily about talking with somebody within your field, sector, or business. A coach doesn’t need to have subject knowledge for the coachee, and they do not need to be associated with the coachee’s business. Mentors, on the other hand, should absolutely have subject knowledge, and experience is vital.

A coaches role is often described as ‘a challenging friend’. A mentor, however, will provide advice, which is something that coaches rarely do.

Mentors are are much more ‘telling’ than coaches are, and they can open doors for their mentees that may not have been options before. For example, this could include introducing the mentee to their network, or making career recommendations. Where mentoring is focused on career and capability, coaching has a stronger focus on the development of skills both professionally and personally.

The two are quite similar, but it’s important to note that they are not the same. Below are some distinct differences and overlapping similarities between coaching and mentoring:

Coaching Mentoring
Relationship usually has a set duration Often an ongoing relationship
Structured and follows a format Happens on an ad-hoc basis
Focused on achieving sets of wider changes and transitions Focused on developing specific skills or knowledge in the mentee
Based on personal development and self-awareness, and can reach beyond professional improvement Mainly based on professional development generally, or in an organisational/work setting
The coach drives the relationship The mentee drives the relationship
Coaching is non-directive, where the coach asks questions to uncover areas for improvement Mentoring is directive, where the mentee will ask questions to learn from the mentor’s experience
Coaching can be described as evaluative, where the coachee’s performance is measured Mentoring is non-evaluative, and mentors should not act as managers to the mentee
Predetermined skill improvement Holistic Development
Confidential Confidential

 

 

What Coaching Is and Is Not

If an individual identifies that they have a skill or area they would like to personally develop, coaching would be an effective solution. The identification of this missing skill development could be caused by increasing pressures in the workplace, or it can occur while transitioning to a new phase in a career. Because coaches engage in constructive challenges, they can guide and support their coachees to discover solutions to any present problems.

Coaching results in elevated self-awareness, empathy and confidence, which can be carried throughout numerous aspects of the coachee’s life. However, it can often be misinterpreted and overlooked as something that it’s not. Coaching is not:

  • Mentoring – as explored in this blog, a mentor is a knowledgeable guide and provides advice to their mentee. A mentor is a professional with lots of experience in their field of work, and even though both coaching and mentoring work toward achievements in the future, mentoring focuses on professional development as and when needed.
  • Counselling – a counsellor works with their client on aspects of their personal life that they feel uncomfortable or dissatisfied with. A client looking for counselling is similarly seeking advice and guidance, but counselling focuses on providing problem-solving and coping techniques for short-term issues.
  • Therapy – where coaching works on an individual’s mental growth, therapy works on mental health. Therapy seeks to relieve clients from psychological and emotional stress and trauma, and the motive to undertake therapy stems from getting away from pain and discomfort rather than moving towards a goal. Coaching is not remedial like therapy, and both therapy and counselling are more likely to understand and work with past experiences than coaching.
  • Training – while training and coaching both use methods to improve an individual’s performance in the workplace, they each have different purposes. Any kind of training is likely to be targeted at specific skills for immediate results and is often conducted in groups, negating that 1-to-1 support. Training is the process of gaining knowledge, skills or abilities through study, experience or teaching, and as demonstrated earlier, this is not the case in coaching.
  • Consultancy – a consultant works on solving business problems and providing expertise in a specific area. Consultants do not directly affect individuals within an organisation – they deal with the organisation as a whole or a particular area of it.

 

The Role of a Mentor

Mentors can be described as both storytellers and advisers: they tell stories of their past experiences to share wisdom and inspire, and they also offer expert advice along the way. Because they also share professional knowledge when asked – and they share constructive feedback throughout the mentoring session – they can also be perceived as a bit of a critic. This is a good thing, however: constructive feedback adds value to an individual’s personal or professional advancement.

Having a mentor can be a unique and transformative experience, as each mentor can offer their individual insights, knowledge and perspectives to accelerate their mentee’s growth. The value and importance of a mentor lies within their ability to effectively provide constructive feedback, celebrate accomplishments, and offer a helping hand during any setbacks.

The purpose of mentoring is not just to navigate professional and personal challenges but to unlock someone’s untapped potential

In order for their mentees to achieve their goals, mentors need to motivate, empower and inspire them to work towards their aspirations. A mentor can be an effective guide in a mentee’s career through a friendly approach of encouraging and supporting without stepping over the line of being an agreeable friend.

 

Conclusion

Coaching and mentoring can be extremely valuable to any individual, depending on what it is they want and need. By figuring out what’s important to someone’s personal and/or professional development, they can open up to a coach or mentor as required and work on what’s important to them.

Both coaching and mentoring have a whole host of benefits, which, when guided correctly, can support and benefit not just the individual but the organisation in which they operate in

Coaching is fantastic for allowing people to develop their skills and abilities and for reaching resolutions to any issues. Mentors are beacons of guidance and support for individuals seeking to navigate and level up their careers with clarity and purpose.

Coaches don’t advise their clients or have the subject knowledge of the background which their clients come from, but they do focus on specific development and act as ‘a challenging friend’. In contrast, it’s vital for mentors to have subject knowledge and experience and to advise their clients on their careers and capabilities as experienced guides. Both, however, use questioning and listening techniques to raise awareness and encourage responsibilities.

Maria Banks

About the Author: Maria Banks

Nominated as the UK Business Hero 2020 by the British Chamber of Commerce and featured in The Sunday Telegraph and The Times, Maria is an innovative coach distinguished by her unwavering commitment to leadership development. With over a decade of experience in the corporate energy sector, Maria has implemented successful change and performance management strategies throughout Europe, enhancing operational efficiency and surmounting performance challenges. She excels in diverse settings, serving a broad international clientele. Her dynamic approach and rich expertise position her as a driving force in transformative leadership.