Through your business travels have you encountered people who offer to coach or mentor you? To help you improve yourself and/or your business? When you have met with these people do you spend the time being "told" how to do it or "asked" how you might do it? No doubt you have all heard of coaches and mentors? Naturally, both types of people offer the same type of service? Wrong! This is often where many people get confused when they decide to take part in a group of sessions or a programme for personal development, or to work with someone who can offer helpful strategies and useful advice to progress or transform a business.
As a trained coach and mentor, part of my training involved learning and understanding the difference between being a coach and being a mentor.
So what is it that makes coaches and mentors different? Before you decide to work with a coach/mentor here are a few things you should know: 1.
A coach will listen to you and adopt a questioning style approach to encourage you to make self discoveries and your own choices as to how you progress yourself or your business.
2.
A coach acts as a guide/facilitator and may make suggestions however they should not tell you how or what to do.
3.
A coach will allow you to lead the discussion, as each session is about what you bring to the table.
There should be no defined instruction from the coach as to what each session will involve.
4.
A mentor will listen to your business needs to recognise how they can help you progress.
5.
A mentor will ask questions to pinpoint the reasons to obtain as much as they can to formulate a plan to help you.
6.
A mentor will offer advice and strategies to help you improve your business, using their own personal or external business knowledge and experience.
As you can see there is a fine line to differentiate a coach and a mentor.
However depending on your personal or business circumstances, it is important to distinguish between the two to determine the right approach to suit your individual needs.
Remember a coach asks and a mentor advises!
As a trained coach and mentor, part of my training involved learning and understanding the difference between being a coach and being a mentor.
So what is it that makes coaches and mentors different? Before you decide to work with a coach/mentor here are a few things you should know: 1.
A coach will listen to you and adopt a questioning style approach to encourage you to make self discoveries and your own choices as to how you progress yourself or your business.
2.
A coach acts as a guide/facilitator and may make suggestions however they should not tell you how or what to do.
3.
A coach will allow you to lead the discussion, as each session is about what you bring to the table.
There should be no defined instruction from the coach as to what each session will involve.
4.
A mentor will listen to your business needs to recognise how they can help you progress.
5.
A mentor will ask questions to pinpoint the reasons to obtain as much as they can to formulate a plan to help you.
6.
A mentor will offer advice and strategies to help you improve your business, using their own personal or external business knowledge and experience.
As you can see there is a fine line to differentiate a coach and a mentor.
However depending on your personal or business circumstances, it is important to distinguish between the two to determine the right approach to suit your individual needs.
Remember a coach asks and a mentor advises!
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