The Difference Between a Mentor and a Coach

Many people use the words mentor and coach to mean the same thing. A coach can be a mentor and a mentor can coach you, but essentially they are very different. Knowing the difference will help you make the right choice of people you need to bring into your life to enable you to grow and develop as a business professional.

Your ultimate success is dependent on getting the right help. Long gone are the days of the self-made man, or woman, and being an island unto yourself. People admire and respect more so, the professional who has been willing to make him or herself accountable to someone else.

A Mentor is you in 10 years time.

The biggest difference between a Mentor and a Coach is that a Mentor is someone who has been to where you are going. Your mentor will ideally have been in the same industry for many years, be your senior and willing to share with you what he or she has learned along the way, the ups and downs and all the pitfalls. They have the experience you lack, know the changes that have occurred and can foresee future developments. A Mentor is essentially you in 10 or more years time!

A coach can step in at any time.

A Coach can know nothing at all about the industry you're working in. Coaching has many names, and whether it's a Life Coach, Business Coach, Executive or Leadership Coach, the coach doesn't need to have done what you've done nor what you're planning to do. They are able to step into your life, learn your 'map' of the world and help you navigate your options. They learn your strategies and help you uncover why you do the things you do and why you think the way you do. 

"A Mentor has been where you're going but a Coach will help you get there."

A good mentor is hard to come by.

A Mentor can, by sharing their experience, show you the way and help you observe and appreciate your surroundings along the road to success. We all need good mentors who act much like the father figure, but these are very hard to come by. You may be disappointed many times by mentors who were an example of what not to do. To find a good mentor you must be prepared to reach out and show a compelling reason as to why they would take you under their wing. Your relationship with a mentor may be somewhat uncommitted because no agreement was made and you're free to come and go as you please. Mentors do love to see ambition, but can only work with someone who is teachable. 

A coach will help you understand yourself.

Coaches on the other hand won't have first hand knowledge of your work nor the steps required to progress up the ladder. What they do have is the knowledge and skill to help you understand yourself. Coaches help you know how you tick, what you stand for, get clear about what you really want, help you with a plan to achieve it and keep you accountable and focused. Before the coaching relationship can begin, there's usually an agreement that you have to sign off on. You book sessions with your coach and there is a fee involved. Your mentor may be happy with you paying for lunch and the odd gift, but getting coached is a professional relationship.

A Coach will help you create the life you want. A Mentor will advise and support you in developing the life you have.

I have had both mentors and coaches. I have also been a mentor and a coach. My mentors were not great, and for a time I gave up on seeking one. When I discovered coaching I realized the power and resources at my disposal to live my life by design instead of default. A Coach will help you create the life you want. A Mentor will advise and support you in developing the life you have. Having both is the ideal, but it's much easier finding a great coach than it is a mentor in today's world. It may be that this is the new way.