Coaching vs Mentoring: A Look At The Major Differences

What do Master Shifu from Kung Fu Panda, Kabir Khan from Chak De! India and Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid series have in common?

Apart from being memorable characters, all three were also masters in their field and incredibly talented coaches. But, they also transitioned from a coach to a mentor. This explains why the terms coaching and mentoring continue to be used interchangeably. Because in some cases, in reel and real life, coaches can also be mentors.

However, as similar as the two may sound, coaching and mentoring are not the same thing. There are several differences between coaching and mentoring, especially in a business structure. Organizations use both, coaching and mentoring relationships to help employees' professional development and build a more engaged workforce. But their role in an organization is certainly not the same. 

Here's a look at what the two terms mean and the key differences between them:

What is coaching?

Reports suggest that 86% of companies have recouped their investments in coaching. Moreover, 70% of people who received coaching reported an improvement in their work performance. This makes it clear - coaching is incredibly important for any organization.

Coaching is a developmental activity where a more experienced individual (coach) teaches and/or trains another, inexperienced individual to achieve a set of defined goals or improve a particular skill set.

As far as definitions go, Oxford defines coaching as the "process of training somebody to play a sport, to do a job better or to improve a skill."

The focus here is on the outcome - it's goal-oriented career development rather than holistic development. It could be winning a match, increasing sales, or becoming a better speaker - but the outcome or end result is always well-defined in coaching. Yes, fulfilling a particular goal can lead to overall professional growth, but the focus is on the particular goal. This is also why a coaching relationship is usually short-term. Because it only lasts till the goal is fulfilled. 

Coaching is most common in the world of sports, for example, a basketball coach. However, today several different types of coaching exist, like career coaching or lifestyle coaching. In fact, life coaches who offer guidance on improving an individual's lifestyle, or career coaches who help employees reach their full potential in a career are becoming increasingly common. 

A brief history of Coaching

As far as the origin of the term goes, coaching was first considered to be slang for tutoring or instructor/trainer. At least, that's what the Oxford Dictionary stated in the 1830s. It was only in the 1860s that the term adopted an athletic sense. Much later, in the 1980s, the US business world adopted the term, and business coaches started becoming a part of the organizational structure. 

Key skills required to be a coach

One of the most important skills required to be a coach is relevant experience in the subject matter. Experienced professionals who have considerable knowledge of their field are best suited to coach others. This is why most coaches in sports are former players.  

An individual's coaching abilities depend on various factors, but here's a look at the key skills required to be a coach: 

i) Communication Skills

ii) Active listening

iii) Problem-solving approach

iv) Ability to provide practical feedback

v) Empathy

Key elements of coaching

Organizations may pair senior employees with those in need of coaching through coaching programs in order to teach them specific skills for the job. These coaches evaluate employee performance over a short period of time. 

For example, pairing new sales executives with sales managers for a fixed period of time or a set number of coaching sessions. In such cases, sales managers can take executives through sales calls, help improve their sales pitches, share insights on how to deal with difficult customers and provide constructive feedback that can improve their overall performance.  

Here's a look at the key elements of the coaching process: 

i) It's goal-oriented 

ii) It's short-term

iii) It's driven by the coach

iv) It's evaluative i.e. coaches provide feedback on performance

v) Standardized and usually formal in nature - coaches follow a structured process

What is mentoring?

As per a CNBC article, more than 4 in 10 employees (40%) who didn't have a mentor considered quitting their job. When compared with employees who have a mentor, the number came down to 25%, which is 1 in 4 employees.

Mentoring is also a developmental activity where a more experienced individual (known as the mentor) provides guidance and support to another, less experienced individual (known as the mentee). Unlike coaching, mentoring does not have a specific, well-defined goal but rather the focus is on the overall development or professional growth of an individual. 

As per the definition by Oxford, mentoring is the act of advising or training someone, usually a younger colleague. 

Yes, mentees are usually junior in age to mentors. However, it's important to note that it's not seniority in age but rather in experience that makes one a mentor. Mentors often rely on personal experience to help a mentee achieve their development goals. These goals cover a wide area of topics, from improving leadership skills to direction on pivoting careers.  

Mentoring programs are common in organizations but individuals can also have mentors outside of their immediate professional network. Since the focus of mentoring is on both, a mentee's professional and personal growth, it's long-term in nature. 

A brief history of Mentoring

The concept of a mentor finds its origin in the Greek epic Odyssey by Homer. Home introduced the character in the novel by writing about the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Athena. Athena takes on the role of a 'wise mentor' to guide and help the young prince, Telemachus.

Today, mentoring has transformed into a development-focused relationship where the end result is not fixated. In other words, a mentor may help mentees achieve career goals, but they can also help them with their personal goals. 

Key skills required to be a mentor:

Much like coaches, mentors should also possess advanced knowledge but the scope of knowledge transfer is a lot more expansive than in coaching. For example, sales managers can coach sales executives about sales skills. But mentors can help sales executives focus on areas of personal development as well, like improving negotiation skills or dealing with workplace conflict, or even pivoting to a different career role, if that's what they desire. Because mentorship is driven by the needs of the mentee. 

Here's a look at the key skills required to be a mentor: 

i) Interpersonal skills

ii) Active listening

iii) Communication skills

iv) Constructive criticism

v) Leadership skills

Key elements of mentoring

Organizations often pair junior employees with more experienced employees who can act as their mentors. These mentors are responsible for providing direction to a mentee in the form of honest feedback, professional guidance, and if need be, by listening to their concerns about the workplace, if any.

Here's a look at the key elements of the mentoring process:

i) Goals are not fixed, the focus is on an employee's broader development and overall professional growth 

ii) It's long-term

iii) It's driven by the mentee

iv) It's non-evaluative; mentors may provide feedback but they do not evaluate mentees on a set of metrics

v) Personalized and usually informal in nature; mentors may adopt different approaches with different mentees depending on a mentee's requirements

Coaching vs Mentoring: Key Differences

Both coaching and mentoring are important processes that help improve knowledge transfer,  career development, and employee engagement in an organization, and reduce turnover rate. And both coaching and mentoring require experienced people. 

But there are certain differences between coaching and mentoring. Coaching is often compulsory for a particular role in an organization. But mentoring is not fixated on a particular role. 

Here's a snapshot of coaching vs mentoring: 

These are the key distinctions between coaching and mentoring. However, coaching and mentoring are often confused with training as well. Read ahead to understand the differences between the three:

Coaching vs Mentoring vs Training

Unlike coaching and mentoring, training is inherently hierarchical in nature and rarely, if ever takes place one-on-one in an organization. Training focuses on a specific form of knowledge transfer - from a teacher or trainer to a group of individuals. For example, HR may conduct training on workplace rules, and/or the finance team may conduct training on the reimbursement process for new employees. 

Here's a look at the difference between coaching, mentoring and training. 

Level of trust:

Mentorship is based on mutual trust between the mentor and mentee. But this isn't a core requirement in coaching or training. Coaches and trainers are responsible for imparting knowledge in a professional manner. In some instances, employees do need to trust their coaches. But training rarely requires the level of trust displayed in mentoring. 

Nature of relationship:

Training is usually a one-time activity or an activity that takes place over a short, fixed period of time. Though the duration of mentorship and coaching differs, both are more long-term than training. Mentoring has the maximum duration of the three. 

Style or approach:

Training is always structured in its approach. Trainers usually follow a pre-approved training module, which is easily repeated across trainees. Coaching is also structured and easily repeatable, though experienced coaches may tweak the format in rare cases. However, mentoring is always personalized. The nature of the relationship is such that mentors can't adopt a one-size-fits-all approach. 

When can a coach be a mentor?

An experienced coach can be a mentor. Often, coaches take on the role of a mentor for an employee, and may even offer advice or guidance beyond their fixed coaching sessions. However, this is only possible when the coach shares a heightened level of trust and takes an interest in the overall development of the individual being coached. 

This transition, from a coach to a mentor, also happens only after a coach has helped the coaches achieve their predetermined goals.

To sum up, it's only when the objective of the coaching relationship has been met that a coach transitions into a mentor - provided the coach and coachee share mutual respect and are focused on the coachee's overall development, and not just a single skill. 

Suggested Reads: 

• What Is Mentorship & Why It's Important For Both, Mentors & Mentees
• What Is A Mentor? Understanding Its Definition And Types In Detail
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