Mentoring vs. coaching

You may have noticed that throughout my website and my book, I rarely refer to myself as a “coach”, and instead always strive to refer to myself as a “mentor”. Some people assume those terms mean the same thing and use them interchangeably.

In fact, I used to use those terms interchangeably, until I was educated by a professional coach and then did some research of my own. There are many definitions out there, but the ones I like best came from the Association for Talent Development.

• Mentoring: Talking with a person who has identified their needs prior to entering into a mentoring relationship. The emphasis is on active listening, providing information, making suggestions, and establishing connections.

• Coaching: Listening to a person, identifying what they need, and helping them develop an action plan. The emphasis is on the person or client finding the solution, not instructing or leading them

Another simple distinction is that anyone calling themself a management coach should have received training and a coaching certification from a recognized coaching program. A qualified mentor, on the other hand, will provide insights and guidance, hopefully based on years of applicable experience. I’m a member of the latter category.