Coaching or mentoring - what's the difference?

As a mentor and a coach I often think that the boundaries between the two get blurred both in the minds of clients and in the minds of the person being a mentor or coach.

So what is the difference?

Mentoring	Coaching
Ongoing relationship that can last for a long time	Relationship generally has a short duration
Can be more informal and meetings can take place as and when the mentored individual needs some guidance and or support	Generally more structured in nature and meetings scheduled on a regular basis
More long term and takes a broader view of the person. Often known as the 'mentee' but the term client or mentored person can be used	Short-term (sometimes time bounded) and focused on specific development areas/issues
Mentor usually passes on experience and is normally more senior in organisation	Not generally performed on basis that coach needs direct experience of clients formal occupational role
The focus is on career and personal development	Focus generally on development/issues at work
Agenda is set by the mentored person with the mentor providing support and guidance to prepare them for future roles	Agenda focused on achieving specific, immediate goals
Revolves more around developing the mentee professionally	Revolves more around specific development areas/issues

This helpful table is courtesy of CIPD. Coaching deals primarily with skill building and mentoring helps shape the outlook or attitude of the individual. Mentors are guides and focus on helping people believe in themselves, increasing their confidence and exploring new ideas. 

Here is a brief case study to show what mentoring can do for your business. 

Background

Sue approached Guardian Angels as she had lots of good ideas but didn’t have the capability or confidence to make them happen. She needed someone with the business acumen to ascertain which ideas were plausible, where to source the information to put her ideas into action, the legalities of this and then to market and distribute the product.  She had an idea to produce and distribute English recipe ideas e.g. Cottage Pie but using halal meat to appeal to the Muslim market and a wider market.

Mentoring

Both the business support team and her Guardian Angel immediately exceeded her expectations. The team offered her the support she required, an outlet for her frustrations and a constant source of information for her to access.

Brian Cushing, her Guardian Angel, went above and beyond his call of duty. Before meeting her he researched her company and completed a mystery shop analysis therefore observing the business through customer’s eyes. From their first meeting, Sue has found Brian to be a good listener & mentor, taking each of her ideas on its own merit and discussing them at length, which enabled her to distinguish which to take forward and concentrate on.  Thereafter he supported her with her business plan, all the processes and procedures, administration and funding applications. Brian has even become an ambassador for Addict, meeting potential customers (with Sue) to assist in the negotiation to ensure the products are sold.

Sue feels that with Brian’s support, Addict has gone from strength to strength. She now has a number of recipes and developed a small production area at the back of the current premises. She has streamlined her processes and deliveries and now has the confidence to tender for larger contracts, some of which she has won and some that are in the process of being finalised. In turn, this has increased her turnover to a point that Sue is now recruiting 2 more staff to take on the increased workload. Brian has also given her the confidence, knowledge and support to create a new product which she is in the process of developing (a new halal sandwich filling).

Sue says

“I have found all the team, namely Jane, Jo, Lesley and Donna, extremely helpful and supportive. They are always on the other end of the phone if I ever have any problems or questions and they can never do enough for me.