Coach, Mentor: Is There A Difference?
Coach, Mentor: Is there a difference?
By Matt M. Starcevich, Ph.D.
CEO Center For Coaching & Mentoring, Inc.
In 1998 we conducted an on-line survey to define what partners felt were the attributes of effective mentoring relationships (see http://coachingandmentoring.com/mentsurvey.htm.) A resounding YES came from responses to this open-ended question: Is there a difference between a mentor, coach, and supervisor? These differences are summarized in Table 1:
|Table 1: Differences between Mentoring and Coaching |
| |Mentor |Coach …show more content…
"A mentor is like a sounding board, they can give advice but the partners are free to pick and choose what they do. The context does not have specific performance objectives. A coach is trying to direct a person to some end result, the person may choose how to get there, but the coach is strategically assessing and monitoring the progress and giving advice for effectiveness and …show more content…
The coach also has an implied or actual level of authority by nature of their position, ultimately they can insist on compliance. A mentor’s influence is proportionate to the perceive value they can bring to the relationship. It is a power free relationship based on mutual respect and value for both mentor and partners. Your job description might contain "coach" or you might even have that job title—it’s just a label or expectation. "Mentor" is a reputation that has to be personally earned, you are not a mentor until the partners says you are.
Return
The coach’s returns are in the form of more team harmony, and job performance. The mentoring relationship is reciprocal. There is a learning process for the mentor from the feedback and insights of the partners.
"The ability to look at situations from a different perspective, I am a Generation X and he is in his 60’s."
The relationship is a vehicle to affirm the value of and satisfaction from fulfilling a role as helper and developer of others. Mentors need not be an all-knowing expert—such a position could be detrimental. In our study the most significant thing the mentor did was "listened and understood me" and, "built my confidence and trust in myself, empowered me to see what I could
By Matt M. Starcevich, Ph.D.
CEO Center For Coaching & Mentoring, Inc.
In 1998 we conducted an on-line survey to define what partners felt were the attributes of effective mentoring relationships (see http://coachingandmentoring.com/mentsurvey.htm.) A resounding YES came from responses to this open-ended question: Is there a difference between a mentor, coach, and supervisor? These differences are summarized in Table 1:
|Table 1: Differences between Mentoring and Coaching |
| |Mentor |Coach …show more content…
"A mentor is like a sounding board, they can give advice but the partners are free to pick and choose what they do. The context does not have specific performance objectives. A coach is trying to direct a person to some end result, the person may choose how to get there, but the coach is strategically assessing and monitoring the progress and giving advice for effectiveness and …show more content…
The coach also has an implied or actual level of authority by nature of their position, ultimately they can insist on compliance. A mentor’s influence is proportionate to the perceive value they can bring to the relationship. It is a power free relationship based on mutual respect and value for both mentor and partners. Your job description might contain "coach" or you might even have that job title—it’s just a label or expectation. "Mentor" is a reputation that has to be personally earned, you are not a mentor until the partners says you are.
Return
The coach’s returns are in the form of more team harmony, and job performance. The mentoring relationship is reciprocal. There is a learning process for the mentor from the feedback and insights of the partners.
"The ability to look at situations from a different perspective, I am a Generation X and he is in his 60’s."
The relationship is a vehicle to affirm the value of and satisfaction from fulfilling a role as helper and developer of others. Mentors need not be an all-knowing expert—such a position could be detrimental. In our study the most significant thing the mentor did was "listened and understood me" and, "built my confidence and trust in myself, empowered me to see what I could