What is the Difference Between Coach and Mentor

The main difference between coach and mentor is that a coach helps you to develop a specific skill or achieve a specific outcome while a mentor helps you to develop in many areas. Thus, coaching is a short term process, while mentoring is a long term one.

Although the two words coach and mentor are often used interchangeably in a business context, these are two distinct words. Both coaches and mentors are valuable resources. However, it’s important to know the exact difference between coach and mentor so that you can know which one you need.

Key Areas Covered

1. Who is a Coach
     – Definition, Characteristics
2. Who is a Mentor
     – Definition, Characteristics
3. What is the Difference Between Coach and Mentor
    – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Coach, Coaching, Mentor, Mentoring

Who is a Coach

A coach is someone who can develop your skills and train you in specific areas. He or she may identify areas that need improvement, break down the main goals into smaller goals, that can be achieved within a specific time frame. For many businesses, identifying and periodizing their business goals is a major challenge. Business coaches help businesses by guiding them by clarifying their growth vision.

Coaching is a formal, structured approach to resolve issues and achieve specific outcomes. Since coaching is object-driven and structured, it is a short-term process. For example, you may hire a coach to develop a specific skill – once you acquire this skill, you will longer need coaching.

Who is a Mentor

A mentor is someone who offers their knowledge, expertise, advice, and guidance to those with less expertise. Mentors take time to understand mentees, the way they work, and the challenges they are facing. Then, they advise mentees based on their expertise and personal experience to help them improve. In brief, by using their knowledge, expertise and guidance, mentors guide their mentees in the right direction.

The process of mentoring has many benefits. It can increase your confidence, improve interpersonal skills, and give you exposure to new perspectives. A mentor can also help you to figure out opportunities for career growth. Since the mentor’s support is based on his own experiences and learnings, it is more reliable and practical. Moreover, when compared to coaching, mentoring is a long-term process.

Difference Between Coach and Mentor

Definition

A coach is someone who can develop your skills and train you in specific areas while a mentor is someone who offers their knowledge, expertise, advice, and guidance to those with less expertise.

Time Frame

Coaching is short-term as it has a specific outcome in mind while mentoring is long-term and may take even a few years.

Structure

Coaching is more structured than mentoring. Coaching may involve regularly scheduled meetings while mentoring involves informal meetings.

Nature

Since coaching is designed to improve a specific area or skill within a specific time period, it is objective-driven. Mentoring, on the other hand, is development-driven since it takes a holistic approach.

Session

In coaching, the coach is more likely to drive the session. However, in mentoring, the mentee is responsible for driving the sessions.

Personal Experience

A coach is not required to share his personal experience, but since mentoring is more personal and informal in nature, a mentor is more likely to share his personal experience with the mentees.

Conclusion

The main difference between coach and mentor is that a coach helps you to develop a specific skill or achieve a specific outcome while a mentor helps you to develop in many areas. Thus, coaching is a short term process, while mentoring is a long term one.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Two, men, writing, white, paper, inside, painted, room, write, help” (CC0) via Pxfuel
2. “Mentor Startup Mentorship Free Photo” (CC0) via Needpix