As I continue to work through honing my organizational behavior “chops”, I keep seeing articles about coaching versus mentoring. Folks either believe there’s a vast difference…or none at all.
The easiest way to explain the difference is to think about an athlete in training. Typically, an athlete has a coach that is an expert in their given sport, knows the physical dynamics of it, and teaches the athlete performance techniques. At some point, the athlete realizes she’s reached the limit of her coach’s expertise and in order to get to the next level, she needs a next level coach. All this is to say, a coach is a focused relationship based on tactical teaching and performance, and the key is that they’re an expert in a specific field.
Coach in the Workplace
“Coach” is a more recent workplace term, and often is the immediate supervisor. In my experience, they’re more typically “performance monitors” who help grow tactical expertise. In some companies, “coach” is another word for supervisor who, if not trained in strong coaching techniques or not tactically strong themselves, may frustrate or hold you back. Companies that value growing future leaders who have tactical strength, organizational knowledge, and leadership skills often have a coaching program in which your coach is from a different area of the company. Smart!
Mentoring, on the other hand, involves the transfer of wisdom and experience. Some believe that mentors should be from your industry, or in your field of practice. I disagree. In my experience, the best mentors are those who had no vested interest or knowledge in how to do my job, my tactical expertise if you will. Their value was in helping me navigate my chosen career path, making connections that would benefit my growth and development, understanding the dynamics of business relationships, and building my business etiquette and acumen. As a sounding board for new ideas, challenges or frustrations, my mentors have been invaluable in allowing me to air my thoughts without bias or concern for backlash, then asking the right questions of me so that I could navigate to my own best decisions.
The Mentor Relationship
Be proactive in selecting your mentor. The key to a successful mentor relationship is just that…a relationship. As a mentee, it’s important to choose a mentor who you can trust and speak openly to, is receptive to your goals and aspirations, and feels able, and has a genuine interest in, mentoring YOU. When someone asks me to be their mentor, and I’ve mentored several over the years, I always start with getting to know the person first. Can we gel on a one-to-one level? Do we mutually feel that we can talk openly, even challenge each other’s point of view in a respectful and valuable manner? If we don’t make a connection on a one-to-one level, our mentor relationship will soon falter and not be valuable for either of us.
Do not settle on just one mentor! I strongly believe in order to build yourself into a well-rounded professional, you need the value of different and diverse perspectives. And, as you progress through your career your needs as a new professional will be very different from your needs as a seasoned professional. Make no mistake… mentors are not just for those newly on the business scene. Mentors are valuable at every stage of your career. Last piece… don’t discount the value of “informal mentors”, your network connections. Learning and growing yourself is a never-ending process, and every channel has value. Nurture those channels.
Choosing a Mentor
I have a few questions I like to ask when I first meet with an interested mentee. I’ve turned them into a tool you can use to choose your mentor.
- Tell me about your career path, where did you start and how did you get to where you are today?
- What are some of the challenges you faced? How about your greatest accomplishments?
- Did you ever have a mentor? If yes…
- How did having a mentor help you?
- If no, why not?
- My goal in having a mentor is ______________________. How do you feel your experience would help me achieve my goal?
Take a click on over to Leadership: Do I Really Need a Mentor for more tidbits.
Do you have a mentor? Have you benefited from a mentor? Share your wisdom in Comments below…I’d love to learn from you!
