Do you know the difference between coaching and mentoring? Whilst many may think they do, strangely enough this isn’t an easy question to answer.

The important thing for leaders and organisations is that they are consistent in their understanding of what coaching and mentoring entails. Confusion between the two can lead to people seeking the wrong type of support to help them develop and meet their goals.  But if you employ the right one at the right time, you and your organisation are more likely to benefit.

In a recent coaching engagement with a client, they exclaimed at the end of our session that they had clearly never had coaching before, even though prior to us meeting, they thought they had.  The organisation had previously allocated her a coach and she had received lots of advice from this person. Unfortunately, she hadn’t found it useful. She was therefore understandably initially reluctant to embark on another coaching engagement.  And that’s the problem! - Unless the person realises whether they are receiving coaching or mentoring they may then dismiss it for the wrong reasons, when they could really benefit from both when used in the right way.

Both coaching and mentoring have their merits, particularly when used in the right circumstances.  Of course leaders and managers may well have to adopt both styles at times with their staff.  But if they are looking to in-source mentoring or coaching within an organisation it helps to be clear on what the objective is and to then ascertain whether coaching or mentoring is best suited to their needs.

Leaders therefore need to be clear on what it is that they are looking to provide.  Why do they want to offer any coaching, what is the benefit they are hoping to get out of it.  The same goes for mentoring which also has clear benefits for an organisation or for the individual. 

So let's consider the differences?

For theorists this is where it gets contentious.  Research has shown that there are varying views on the subject from coaching experts, and that there is much debate around the differences and similarities.  This is supported by the work of Garvey, Stokes & Megginson (2018) who devote their whole first chapter to exploring the differences, only to conclude that there will unlikely ever be a widespread consensus as to their associative meanings.

Leading on from this, my view is therefore that the most important thing for organisations and leaders is that they adopt a meaning and language around mentoring and coaching that is consistent.  As with most things within organisations a common language and understanding is key.

Here are some considerations to take into account when defining coaching or mentoring within your organisation. 

The nature of the relationship

In its purest form, coaching is less likely to include advice.  The role of the coach is seen to challenge the client and to ask such pertinent questions that the client works through problems and identifies their own solutions.  However, most coaches will provide advice if there is a call for it and a good coach knows when to strike that balance.  They will also advise the client when they are providing advice.  

Because of the nature of the relationship, the coach does not have to have experience in the same sector as the client.  What is more important is their experience as a coach.  Although arguably for executive coaching it is good if the coach has held such senior positions to understand the challenges that exist at that level.  

Contrastingly, a mentor is more advice led.  It gives the receiver the opportunity to learn from the successes and mistakes of others.  Often a mentor is a more senior member of staff and acts as a role model for the receiver.  It doesn’t mean that the mentee should take the advice of the mentor, but it serves well for them to find out what worked for someone else in a similar position to them.  As a consequence the mentor often has experience in a similar industry or role as the mentee.  The mentor is also more likely to share their own personal experiences with their mentee.     

The focus and purpose for the coaching or mentoring:

In terms of provision of coaching and mentoring the purpose for both is to lead to some element of transformation and self improvement in the individual that receives it.  (Hastings & Kane 2018).  And there is certainly room for both to achieve this objective. 

However, there may be differences in terms of the transformation and self development that is required.  

Coaching is often seen to lead to the development of a new skill or in the attainment of shorter term goals.  Such examples could include transitioning into a more senior role, preparing for a career change or improving their leadership skills. Hence the coaching usually happens over a shorter time period.  This is a view supported by Garvey, Stokes & Megginson (2018)). This may in part be due to the fact that coaching is mainly incurred at a cost, whilst mentoring is often voluntary or provided by senior managers at no additional cost to the organisation.  

In comparison, mentoring relationships often last that much longer.  Even if the mentor is initially requested to support with a specific goal, if a strong bond is created they may often reach out to their mentor for advice when issues arise.

One to one or group based:

Another consideration with regard to coaching and mentoring is whether the focus is for one on one or group sessions.  My personal experience has mainly been that mentoring is on a one to one basis.  However, whilst this is also often the case for coaching, I have seen more group or team coaching sessions, where the coach will focus on a particular subject or area with a wider group, for example how to set goals effectively.  This may also occur across work teams such as sales divisions for example as highlighted in Cox, Bachkirova & Clutterbuck (2018)

Contrary to my own experience there is evidence of group mentoring also being employed.  For example in the case of newcomers to an area, and in minority groups in order to instil a sense of belonging and to help them navigate through new surroundings and cultures (Pryce, J.M., Kelly, M.S. & Lawinger, M. 2018) and similarly for students who benefit from sharing their experiences and concerns in a group setting (Honkimäki & Tynjälä, 2018)

Processes:

There are many similarities between mentoring and coaching in terms of process.  For example, both processes start with the initial request for mentoring or coaching.  Similarly both involve the initial preparation for the first meeting which is around building rapport and setting the context for the ongoing sessions (Starr, 2016) and (Starr, 2014).

Similarly both processes will typically have a review element and a parting of ways when the necessity for the coaching or mentoring dissipates. (Starr, 2016) and (Starr, 2014).

In terms of differences, the coaching process is typically more formal.  This can result in a contract being drafted and agreed at the earlier stages.  As stated above, the process for coaching is often shorter in duration than that of mentoring which is another contrast between the two processes.

Similarly due to the nature of a coach being qualified they may use specialised techniques  or tools during the process which a mentor may not be equipped to do.  For example coaches could employ cognitive behaviour or neuro linguistic programming as part of the process.  Such practices can help the client to bring elements of this into their coaching conversations.

Conclusions

Once you recognise the similarities and differences between coaching and mentoring you can see when each is best suited, and how they can complement each other as development options.

Both have their benefits and both have their place in developing staff.  For example, an organisation may look to foster a nurturing people focused development plan with mentoring to support young leaders in their organisation.  But they may also look to employ coaches to help embed quality leadership amongst their senior managers.  The benefit of this type of approach is that the senior managers are then more likely to make good mentors to those aspiring leaders within the company.  

The most important takeaway is that leaders and organisations need to be clear about what their definition of mentoring and coaching are.  This will then avoid any confusion and will make it easier to set expectations and get results.

References

Cox, Bachkirova & Clutterbuck (2018) - The Complete Handbook of Coaching

Garvey Stokes and Megginson (2018) - Coaching and Mentoring, Theory and Practice

Hastings and Kane (2018) - Distinguishing Mentoring, Coaching and Advising for Leadership and Development

Honkimäki & Tynjälä (2018) - Prerequisites for the successful group mentoring of first-year university students

Pryce, Kelly, Lawinger (2018) - Conversation Club: A promising Practice in Youth Mentoring of Migrants and Refugees

Starr (2014) - The Mentoring Manual

Starr (2016) - The Coaching Manual

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Helen is an ILM 7 Executive Coach and Strategy Consultant. She runs her own consultancy, helping organisations and businesses develop strategies to differentiate themselves and grow successfully. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management.