Although I can play the roles exclusively, personally I feel my clients will benefit the most when I play both the coach and mentor roles interchangeably and/or simultaneously, which I firmly believe will help accelerate their professional development and maximise their potential.
Introduction
Before I started on my professional coaching journey, I used to think that since I’d been “coaching” many people within the organisations that I was attached with throughout my entire corporate management career, it would be an easy transition for me. I thought that since I was already “coaching” internal staff, it should be no different coaching clients.
Now that I’m a credentialled professional coach and with the knowledge that I’ve amassed, I need to confess that my previous understanding of “coaching” was inaccurate- I’d brilliantly confused coaching with mentoring!
Sometimes people use the words “coaching” and “mentoring” interchangeably, but they are different. While both are aimed at developing people, their performance and their potential, they clearly differ in their definition, focus and role.
Coaching
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as "partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership."
A coaching conversation involves a coach being fully present, where he listens actively and asks thought-provoking questions to the coachee. The coach is a solution-enabler and the coachee discovers his own solutions though greater awareness of the matter when responding to questions asked by the coach. A coach does not instruct, lead or offer solutions to the coachee.
Mentoring
The European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) defines mentoring as “a learning relationship, involving the sharing of skills, knowledge, and expertise between a mentor and mentee through developmental conversations, experience sharing, and role modelling. The relationship may cover a wide variety of contexts and is an inclusive two-way partnership for mutual learning that values differences.”
A mentor is typically someone who has vast skills, knowledge and expertise, and the conversation with the mentee involves the mentor sharing his knowledge and experience, providing information and offering suggestions to the mentee. The mentor often plays the role of a solution-provider and the mentee leverages on the mentor’s “encyclopaedia”.
Benefits
Although coaching and mentoring are distinct, they offer a range of benefits to the coachees and mentees. Both coaching and mentoring are effective learning techniques and development tools for leaders, managers and executives. Both are easy to implement as they can be formal and informal. Coachees and mentees are able to increase their confidence and improve their performance, which ultimately supports organisational and business sustainability.
Realisation
Looking back, what I’d thought of “coaching” is actually “mentoring”. That means what I’d done in the past with the people within the organisations that I was attached with was mentoring. I’d used my skills, knowledge and experience to help them solve their problems and develop their capabilities.
Am I a coach or a mentor?
I am both a coach AND a mentor.
My role depends on what I’m engaged for and I’m guided by the terms of my engagement. When my client requires me to be a thought-provoking coach, I’m happy to wear my coach hat. When my client wants to leverage on my corporate knowledge and expertise, I’m happy to wear my mentor hat.
Are both roles mutually exclusive? They can be but not necessarily so.
Do I wear both hats at the same time during a session? Typically I don’t but I can, and once again this is subject to the terms of my engagement.
Although I can play the roles exclusively, personally I feel my clients will benefit the most when I play both the coach and mentor roles interchangeably and/or simultaneously.
While I am an effective executive and leadership coach with a proven track record, my clients will gain so much more from the conversation with me when I share my corporate knowledge and experience with them, which I firmly believe will help accelerate their professional development and maximise their potential.
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