Revealing the Difference Between a Coach and Mentor

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I have noticed that people tend to use the words coaching and mentoring interchangeable. Having had the opportunity to have had both during my lifetime and also being both I thought I would set the record right. That is not to say that people won’t continue to make the mistake, but at least we at Wealthy Affiliate (WA) will have a good idea.

I was a Certified Coach in Canada, Level One. That means I took the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). The program has changed and I am yet to re-certify. There is a Theory part to the program that is generic to most sports and then there is a Technical part that is sport specific. The theory is focused on the fundamentals of any sport (e.g. daily practice/instructions, the responsibilities of a coach and planning).

What you will notice about the coaches you have encountered, whether in sports or in the working world is they are task-orientated, they are responsible for you on a short term basis and they are performance orientated. When I did competitive sports my coach would make either mental or written notes about my overall performance, my skeletal-muscular performance and my skills development. In the workforce, my coach was the supervisor I was assigned. Again his responsibility was to make sure the organization received maximum output from me in terms of skills development and working independently. Their responsibility was short term, once I was at peak performance that responsibility diminished.

In the Japanese cultural there are two terms used to depict a mentoring system. There are Sempai (Senior or older member) and Kohai (Junior or younger member). There is a Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes movie “Rising Sun,” that sort of explains the relationship in the martial arts. In Japan, the mentoring system is in education, business, social organizations and other activities.

In the martial arts, if you take on a Sempai, you are taking on the responsibility for the long term development of your Kohai. You both take on the technical and character development of your Kohai. In the workforce, the mentor and mentee develop a relationship that is based on a plan that will lead the development of the Mentee’s career, the specific areas that they will work on. The purpose and strategic direction of the relationship and the outcomes of the relationship. The relationship is both in the workplace and outside.

In summary the following are the main differences:

Coaching

  1. Skills orientated
  2. Short Term
  3. Performance Orientated

Mentoring

  1. Long Term
  2. Relationship Focused
  3. Wholistic Deveopment
  4. A Shared Long term plan

So which are you ?

Have you been either a coach, mentor or both? Love to hear from you and if you enjoyed the blog, leave a like.

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Recent Comments

64

Thanks for the ok insight, Harvey! Great read!

You are welcome Kimberly

Hello Harvey, I have worked as both in the past but do neither now.

Derek

Thanks for sharing Derek

you're welcome

Hi Harvey, thanks for sharing the detailed differences between both.

In the workforce I am both and for personal it's mentor alone :)

That is how it rolls sometimes Patsy. I have both rolls as I develop the athletic side of my martial art and the overall developement of the students in the program.

So true, Coach Brown!

I have been a mentor for most of my students after they graduated from my program here in agricultural economics at an HBCU. I have been mentored by a handful of slightly older colleagues in the profession through the 32-year career. And interestingly enough, it looks as if, as I get older, a couple of my old students are moving into the position of mentoring me back!

My coaching experience is limited to me being a student-assistant coach for the girls' volleyball team in the early 1970s "back home" in DRC, and coaching my daughter's soccer team in the 1990s here in the US. it was all about skills and did not last but a few seasons in both instances.

Needless to say that I will be looking for both coaches and mentors in this venture called WA!

I enjoyed your post very much.

Ntam

You are welcome Ntam. From what I understand the new User Experience (UX) will give you the opportunity to find both.

Good post, food for thought. You can be both depending on the circumstance, long versus short term.

Very true Rick.

Very interesting. I never realized there was a difference either. I have had mentors in the past but never a coach.

I did not until I had to put a workplace mentoring program in place. When you are a competitive young athlete, the coach appears to be like a father figure, what you don’t realise is that that role ends once you return home and until the next training session. A mentor is in there at work, and your personal life because you spend so much time in and out of the workplace.

That's very interesting

Thanks for sharing.

Not a problem Paul

This is awesome Coach Harvey.
Thank you for highlighting the difference.
I learned something new today...

:)
Joe

Totally my pleasure Joe

How interesting, Harvey. I did not know these distinctions but they make so much sense now. Thanks for clarifying.

Thanks Lauren, most of us use the words interchangeably.

This is a great explanation of the difference between the two. I used to train mentors to be mentors in the workplace so I guess my leaning is towards mentor but can happily fulfil the coaching role too.
With Grace and Gratitude
Karen

Thanks Karen, I also ran a workplace mentoring program and thoroughly enjoyed the interaction. My coaching is on going with my students.

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