Do I Need a Coach, a Mentor, or BOTH?

This material is being provided for education purposes only. Recently I have noticed some posts concerning mentors here on the Wealthy Affiliate (WA) Platform. In today’s hustle bustle business lifestyles, I have seen the two words coach and mentor used interchangeably within conversations, which is incorrect, and it clearly appears many are confused as to what each can do for them.

It is to every business owner’s advantage to know what the differences between the two are. Additionally, you should know how each would offer their assistance to you as their trainee, or mentee when asked for their guidance.

Yeah, But I thought WA does not provide mentors for its members!

Well, instead of mentors, each referral is provided a WA Coach when they first join WA as a starter member, and they retain that same coach when, and if, they upgrade to a Premium, and then again if they upgrade to the Premium Plus membership

Each referral is assigned according to the member’s affiliate link that you used to join WA. This does not mean that the assigned WA coach is actually qualified to offer advice to other novice or veteran members; because that WA coach assigned to you could be very new to Affiliate Marketing themselves and not that knowledgeable of digital online marketing .

Sometimes you get lucky and join under a veteran marketer, a WA Super Affiliate; and sometimes you get a very inexperienced (green) marketer as your referrer. However, the uniqueness of the WA platform allows those that fall under the latter category of referrals the opportunity to utilize the WA community and use the entire WA community and platform as their coach, which also applies to any member, while on the WA platform: as a starter, Premium, or Premium Plus member you are assigned a WA coach, however, those member can use the community too, in times of neediness.

So does WA provide mentors?

Technically no!

But I’ll explain that in more detail later within this blog.

WHAT IS A COACH AND WHAT IS A MENTOR

Here is where, I think, things can get a bit confusing for people the two are so close in their job performances that many believe they are the same and this is simply not true at all!

Moreover, depending on whom you ask the specifications of each vary slightly. Thusly, coaching is more about performance related skills or issue (a certain job), and mentoring is more about overall development (career oriented) moving with you as you advance to the next level of overall performance not just a single skill.

Another big difference between coaches and mentors is coaches teach skills that are presently needed to be improved upon. Meanwhile mentors teach skills that are not necessarily needed at the moment, but will definitely be needed in the future as the trainee improves and develops overall

In differentiating the two Mentoring is about development while coaching is about performance. After reading through about 20 different scholarly papers seeking a specific or well defined explanation of what each does, I have come to the conclusion that basically:

A COACH:

This is a person that talks to their trainees about the goals or steps that will be needed to achieve and reach certain or specific skills and abilities. They offer help to set up identifiable progress levels or goals. This is done through tasks or assignments which are required to be accomplished and completed with a specified time frame. This relationship is generally considered as ephemeral or a short lived relationship; the trainee learns the skill, from the coach, expert, or specialist, to an explicit and precise specified level; then both parties move on.

1. Go to Site Rubix and start a free website by Friday.

2. Start your Facebook Group Page by the end of the month.

3. Create a profile page, this allows other’s to easily communicate with you, so finish it ASAP.

These are tasks much like the training has here at WA, although the tasks here at WA are not necessarily development or skill related, nor do they include a time frame of completion (the training here is self-paced), yet the lessons here at WA are task oriented.

Coaching can be mandatory (you have to learn these skills prior to employment); assigned (such as how WA assigns a coach to every referral), or voluntary (I want to learn this skill so I can make more money online). In most cases, coaching is structured for a formal and measureable end result. In other words, after the session has terminated by the trainee’s completion of certain tasks or responsibilities, geared more toward improvement of only those specific tasks or responsibilities. The trainee’s abilities are then evaluated to assure the coaching was indeed successful in improving the specific skill the coaching was focused on to improve.

ON THE OTHER HAND:

A MENTOR:

Is a successful, experienced, and trustworthy advisor that provides suggestions, recommendations, and guidance on a long term bases (open-ended that can literally last many decades) mentors talk with their mentees to determine what new expectations of both are to be achieved. On a quick side note a female mentor of a female mentee is actually called a femtor but in this article, for simplicity reasons, I will use the term “mentor” to mean both a mentor and/or a femtor.

In essence the mentor is a role model for their mentee by improving and developing the mentee as a whole person and not so much as one concentrated skill. Since the mentor’s teaching is based on their own personal experiences the mentoring will often change as the needs of the mentee changes or as the mentee moves into different responsibilities.

Unlike a coach, this bond between the mentor and the mentee can be a formal or informal relationship. Thusly giving the mentor more freedom and a boarder range of how their knowledge can be presented to the mentee. By providing knowledge through experience, support, and feedback to provide consultant, counselor and cheerleader leadership, that is directed by continuous long-term development and enhancement of the mentee’s overall potential.

1. I think it might be wise to study how the operations department gets things done.

2. In my experience it takes over 40 hours a week, the first year, to gain a website’s traction to become profitable.

3. If you’re going to use YouTube to promote your website let me give you some tips before you start.

With this relationship being a much longer lasting one, mentoring is focused on the overall performance development rather than just a skill or ability development. This can be on a professional level only, or it can also include personal development as well because a mentor again unlike a coach can and in most cases often includes interpersonal skill improvement too, providing vision and direction as an entrepreneur encounters challenges along their journey toward success.

Mentoring has been used for many years within the office structures of many large business and corporations, the mentor teaches their mentee to do their position’s responsibilities. This enables that when the mentor retires and mentee can step up into their position without the need for extensive training because they have received that training over a long period of time from the mentor.

SO WHEN WOULD I NEED A COACH'S HELP?

Anytime that you feel that your performance is not up to standard, or if are going through something new and untested; or you are confused by how doing a task can improve their abilities. To have a skill is one thing but to understand what or how that skill helps you might not be clear, and a coach’s help can help show you in more of an in depth process

Anytime concepts or tasks needed for your business for changes to occur and you derive that you need to improve on a skill to adapt quickly and effectively with the change.

When you want to improve on a certain skill or ability (promoting your website on Instagram, because currently you are not experiencing great results) that you think will be beneficial to you and your business.

Coaching is needed when, you are looking to sharpen a specific skill or ability, quickly, so that you can implement it almost immediately to benefit from or delete a current situation or dilemma you are facing

AND WHEN WOULD I NEED A MENTOR'S HELP?

When you want to set smart goals a mentor will be more than happy to assist you in accomplishing this task. Also, mentors are great to have around when you get lost or stuck and not sure in which way you should proceed.

Whenever you are seeking additional information or knowledge in how to budget, handle daily operations, designing a new marketing plan, or even creating a long term strategic plan for your company a mentor provides their experience to guide you in making those sort of business decisions (long term business objectives).

Most mentors are experienced enough to also provide help when you are trying to self-analysis yourself to see what you need to work on to help you achieve the goals that you have set for yourself and/or our business. This reminds me of what George Lucas, the famous Hollywood movie director of Star Wars was quoted as saying, “"Mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults that we would like. It's the only way we grow."

Their constructive criticism may not be what we want to hear but if they truly wants what is best for the mentee they will be as honest and truthful with you. Often times it is the mentor that encourages the mentee to keep both motivated and inspired to move in a forwardly direction.

Mentors can find ways of stimulating your personal and professional growth that allows the mentee the opportunity to create themselves. This is done by the mentor sitting back sometimes, not directly involved, and giving the mentee the liberty of failure to see if they can learn from their mistakes. Thusly the mentoring reduces the learning curve for most tasks or skillsets that the mentee wants to acquire, for personal or professional growth.

Many mentors freely passing down there vast knowledge gained through many years of experience to help their mentee along their path to success, by guiding the mentee around major pitfalls made by beginners that could literality destroy the mentee’s ambitions and willfulness to excel above the norm.

Mentors allow their mentees to use them as a white board, or in other words, bounce ideas off of the mentor to see what they think of the idea, remember a mentor is not in completion with you they are to help compliant or complete you, by being your trusted advisor.

Naturally anyone looking to improve upon themselves in every category of personal and professional development should seek out the help from a mentor.

WHEN WOULD I NEED HELP FROM BOTH?

Don’t think you can only use one or the other, because there may be a time in your life that you actually need both. In those cases don’t choose one or the other get help from both. No matter where you are in life or your career as an entrepreneur, both mentors and coaches can be valuable resources. Here is how you can tell if you need both a coach and a mentor.

The thing about coaches and mentors is they can serve a purpose for you at many different stages of your life, your career, or business endeavors. You may find yourself in need of additional motivation or inspiration coaches and mentor can prof vide this though their instruction guidance whether that leadership be professional or strictly on a personal level, depends on which you decide to utilize their wervices to your advantage.

While an entrepreneur in the early stages of a new business venture that they know very little about should seek a mentor. However if you can actually pinpoint a certain skill that you need to improve such as: writing of blogs, researching material for blogs, time management skills, or even promoting your website on a social media platform, a coach will serve you better. Moreover, if all of the skills are needed then a mentor and a coach may help you out immensely.

After reading this article and you suddenly discover or become aware that you might be interested in hiring a coach or mentor’s help let me leave you with some helpful tips.

1. Trust and Respect. Remember either instructor holds valuable information that will help you!

2. Do diligent research on the instructor or company you are looking to hire. (Make sure they are legitimate).

3. Self-Assessments. You must be able identify your areas of needs, even if it requires some else to do the evaluation for you; to figure out your needs (a mentor or a coach can also help with this)

4. Heed the advice from the people that are at the level you want to succeed to (profitable senior business owners).

5. Shoot for the stars (or the moon). There is no reason why you can’t accomplish; whatever it is, you set in your mind, to achieve.

6. Establish grounds rules and agenda ambitions or expected outcomes. This is the when, where, why, and how of the agreement.

7. Don’t be judgmental, expect the unexpected at all times - Leaving your mind open and your heart close by produces the opportunity for the junior mentee to learn great amounts of wisdom from the senior mentor.

8. The key is to arrangement is the mentee’s ability to enter into the relationship whole heartedly, being taught from someone who has far more experience than you do; is a tremendous gift and should be appreciated. Trying not to be too hasty or judgmental in your decisions can help the relationship last a very long time possibly decades.

Now here is the one that really baffles most people when you tell them coaches and mentors are two different people!

9. Coaches often take on roles as mentors in informal settings; mentors often relate back to a coach. The two are so close in comparison, I think, that might be what creates the most confusion that is caused when thinking they are one of the same.

Whether you go with a mentor or a coach, finding the right one is critical in reducing the learning curve of any business model or endeavor. Additionally, their instruction (coach) and/or advice (mentor) alone can help you avoid and or even minimize setbacks that you may encounter.

USING THE WA PLATFORM FOR HELP OR ADVICE

Regardless if you have an experienced or inexperienced coach you can always use the search box feature, in the WA toolbar just to the right of the middle of the new navigation menu.

It might surprise you at just how much information is stored in the data banks of WA. Doing your own diligent research can reveal many blogs and/or training, created by other members, on just about any topic that’s involved in online digital marketing and is extra additional guidance beyond what the training offers.

Furthermore, by doing the research yourself you learn more skills as you progress through your daily researches, while also building your self-esteem and confidence too. Equally important, there are a couple of ways that you can ask the community a question if necessary. Many of us are lazy by nature so we are accustomed to ask a question rather than go and seek the answer on our own, and for those people (including me) it is quicker, and saves huge amounts of time.

Therefore, we have the 24/7/365 member’s chat room, this is only available to premium members or starter members during their first 7 days (the free trial period).

Secondly, you can post a comment (question) by scrolling down to the end of any training lesson and you’ll find the discussion thread located there, the problem with the discussion threads is not all members check all the discussions threads when they offer help to other members.

Then you have the option of posting a question by clicking on the “Help” in the main navigational menu. Then in the upper right-hand corner of the new window pop-up click on “Ask A Question” and crate a title for the question then ask the question in the box provided then “Choose a Classroom” to pick the thread your question will get posted to, or you can select “The Wealthy Affiliate Platform” and it will appear on the main blog roll on the homepage/dashboard. Of course that is after you click on the “Submit your Question” button.

This brings us to another option for posting questions; you simply go to your profile picture in the man navigational menu click on it then click on “View Profile”. Once there, at the top of your profile page (just under the WA main navigation menu) there is a menu on your profile page. On that menu, you will find, in the center, a tab labeled “Question”, click on it and post your question. By clicking on “Ask a question, it’s easy”. After submitting your question through that feature, your question will appear in the classroom of your choose or you can elect “The Wealthy Affiliate Platform this again allows your question to be viewed by all on the main blog roll (in the New Questions section or card). This will allow the entire WA community when viewing the homepage/dashboard to be able to see it and provide you with an answer if they so desire.

OH YEA, ALMOST FORGOT, MENTORS AT WA?

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. WA does have mentors tucked within its members; however these mentors can if they decide to take on a mentee under their wing and teach them all the little secrets that they have learned over the years of digital marketing. This is not required of any WA member to take on this additional responsibility, and if a member does decide to provide mentorship it is solely their decision to do so.

I was asked about three weeks ago if the Ambassadors of WA where mentors or not? Unfortunately, the ranking system here at WA does not indicate knowledge but rather time spent on the platform that can and often includes simply socializing and not providing years of experienced based knowledge at all.

Furthermore, many of the experienced members that have reached certain levels of success are fully capable of being mentors. The elite Super Affiliates that have over five years of digital marketing are more than capable of teaching any mentee the ins and outs of the Affiliate Marketing business model.

I would also include any member that is consistently making 5k US per month or more for more than five years would also have the knowledge to be a confident mentor. This, by no means, means that any member here at WA can or does not posse the mentoring skills.

(This is strictly my own opinion, there are no exact qualifications to becoming a mentor, and the numbers quoted above are what I think would be required from a WA member prior to them trying to become a mentor for any mentee on the WA platform or otherwise).

Besides, if you think a member has the knowledge and has reached a success level that you yourself would like to reach then that member could very well be your mentor: if the two of you decide that this is what you would like to do.

I have no right as a simple paying customer of this platform (as we all are) to say otherwise! Just please, do some diligent research prior to reaching or agreeing to such a unique opportunity!

CONCLUSION

Okay, so by now after reading this blog, you should have a good understanding of what a Coach or Mentor is.

So do you feel that you need either?

Why when you have the entire WA community has your back?

A coach helps with your development of a particular skill(s) or development of skills to certain levels: while a mentor provides advice and guidance of overall development through experience based knowledge. Both are instructors and teachers, one is long term while the other is short term.

I encourage other members for their input of additional knowledge on this topic, the more informed our community can become, the more it can grow!

ON A SIDE NOTE

I would like to inform members that there are members here that do provide mentorships, but you need to contact those members through outside sources of WA; because some of them require payment for such services. If you contact these individuals through the WA platform this would be a direct violation Carson and Kyle’s rules of no self-promoting within the WA platform.

Additionally, the WA community strives to follow the co-founder’s rules. Making and keeping the WA platform one of the best platforms online today, in my humbled opinion. Also, to teach this business model to anyone worldwide that wants to truly learn how to create a passive income stream that will provide financial assistance for a long time coming.

If you think I left something out, please don’t hesitate to add your two cents: all comments are appreciated as we all learn together how to improve our businesses!