What is the difference between Coaching and Mentoring?
Coaching and mentoring are often treated as synonymous as many of the skills used by the coach and the mentor are the same.
However, it is useful to make a distinction between the two activities as there are some contexts where one is more appropriate than the other.
While coaching can be used in any context, mentoring is generally used within the workplace or where a specific set of skills needs to be defined or developed for a particular role to be done effectively.
The coach does not need to have experienced the context within which a person is operating to be effective. Their skill is in reflecting back what they are hearing or observing and in identifying the tools or techniques needed to support the client's own reflection and learning.
A mentor is usually employed to support a person who is either new to a role or who is finding aspects of it difficult. The mentor therefore, unlike a coach, needs not only to understand the context but ideally to have experienced it. Their task is to share their own knowledge, understanding and skill set to help the individual perform better in the role.
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