Differences Between Coaching and Mentoring
What’s the difference between a coach and a mentor? I think the differences are significant. Here are some examples from my upcoming book, Million Dollar Coaching (McGraw-Hill, January 2011):
Attribute Coaching Mentoring
• Initiative • As often proactive as reactive • Solely reactive
• Scope • May work with groups • Only individuals
• Duration • Set tenure with disengagement • Open-ended
• Key Feature • Periodic interaction • Accessibility
• Proximity • Tough to do solely remotely • Can do remotely
• Fees • Based on value to the client • Retainer access
• Accountability • Guiding development • Sounding board
• Focus • Heavy process, some content • Can be either
• Primary Client • Organizational • Entrepreneurial
• Specialties • Usually • Irrelevant
• Experience • Needn’t have done the job • Has done it
• Ease of Entry • Simple • Tough (earned)
As a rule, mentors are experienced, successful people who provide wisdom and insights that may or may not require actual content expertise of the subject matter. Coaches, however, generally need strong process skills and some demonstrable knowledge of the content involved. (“Content” is what is being discussed, “process” is how you do what is discussed. Manufacturing tires in a content issue, but decision making is a process which transcends the content of the subject matter.)
The segmentation into “life coaches” and so forth has always struck me as more than silly. What qualifies someone to be a “life coach,” even if you can conjure up a definition? Would it be someone who has already lived life and can therefore provide empirical advice? Or someone now living such an unequivocally great life that others can only gawk in envy? I find that most life coaches are so pretentious that, well, they need to get a life.
© Alan Weiss 2010. All rights reserved.
Peter McLean
Thanks for this Alan. On a more positive note than some of the above, I’m looking forward to reading the book come January. I thought Million Dollar Consulting and Million Dollar Speaking were both great updates to your other works.
A question for you: In the above list, you note alongside ‘Proximity’ that Coaching and Mentoring are differently suited to being conducted remotely. I would agree with this and personally find that direct observations and face-to-face conversations etc. are invaluable in the coaching process. Yet, from memory, you seemed to imply in books like Million Dollar Consulting that full remote coaching was not only a viable, but sometimes a far more desirable, option.
How would you distinguish its utility based on the need/situation? Or what criteria would you use to determine the relative benefits of remote vs “personal” coaching?
Alan Weiss
Peter, it depends on the objectives. I think remote coaching is most effective after a personal coaching engagement. The trust and relationship are built. Let’s face it, there are instances where distance and conditions demand that the coaching be done via technology, and alternatives such as Skype can make that more personal (as can virtual office, and so on). But most remote coaching turns into a form of mentoring.
Personal coaching is the way to go when there are behavioral objectives that require improvement via feedback and interaction with those being affected by it; when you have to model and/or debrief; and when observation is the only way to confirm and validate what’s happening and what’s changing.