Coaching versus Mentoring
What is the difference between Coaching and Mentoring?
The question of the difference between coaching and mentoring comes up often, particularly in the business world where it is not uncommon to see the terms used interchangeably in articles. And although the industry is still working out definitions, here at MJH Associates we believe mentoring and coaching are not the same things, especially as the two concepts function in the business world.
In our experience, mentoring is an organizationally focused activity. It is what happens when an executive, usually at the behest of upper management, takes on the development of a promising subordinate for the express purpose of grooming that person to step into the executive’s position in the future. The mentor sees to it that the subordinate acquires the same skill set and competencies as the mentor so that when the mentor moves on to new horizons the subordinate will successfully carry out the mentor’s duties. In essence, the purpose of mentoring is to create a “Mini-Me” that will serve the organization well so productivity levels remain constant when personnel changes occur.
So you ask, how is coaching different? Doesn’t coaching develop skill sets and competencies? Yes, coaching does that, but there’s an inherent difference in the starting point and here it is: a coach helps their client reach their personal best so the client can go where the client wants to go, not just where the organization wants the client to go. Coaching is all about helping you walk into those ever broadening horizons of possibility, not about carving you into the peg that will fit the organizations pegboard. Can’t you just feel the difference?
Let’s hasten to say there is nothing wrong with the mentoring paradigm. The organization through the mentor puts time and resources into the subordinate who gets advancement, greater visibility and compensation. In turn the organization is ensured of business continuity and productivity. Not a bad bargain. The trouble is the model no longer fits in this now ever-changing world. The mentoring model requires stability no longer the norm. Long-term commitments are scarce at best. Remember when IBM promised lifetime employment? Who does that anymore? Today the only given is your first job will not be your last job.
Success is now for those who take personal responsibility for their personal and professional growth by investing in themselves. A good coach is an important part of that investment, working with the client to identify where they want to go, what they want to be, and helping design the road map that will get them there. Think of it as the difference between driving in road rally behind the wheel of a BMW with an excellent navigator at your side guiding you to the win, and jumping on a trolley car you can ride one way to one destination.
Now, where do you want to go today?
