Differences Between Coaching And Mentoring

Introduction Coaching and Mentoring are popular tools used in leadership development and sometimes the terms are used interchangeably. Still, many of us are unclear what these words mean or when to use them, or how to identify the differences between these two approaches. A coach is “the act of training staff in business or office practice” whereas a mentor is “the practice of assigning a junior member of staff to the care of a more experienced person who assists him in his career” (Collins, n.d.). Thus, it is safe to say that coaching can be viewed as object-related where the individual comes up with the solution to the problem based on the guidance that was given whereas mentoring is more focused on the personal development that is on the …show more content…
This process is result driven, and tapping into the right objectives will allow the coachee to personalize your suggestions to come up with the solution for the task he or she is trying to resolve; thus, increase awareness of the objectives and outcomes. Being aware of your actions can have a profound impact on the situation because it allows you to educate yourself on your shortfalls. Once you understand these deficiencies, you can educate yourself on concepts and tools that would help the other person, whether or not you are the coach or …show more content…
According to Kouzes & Posner (2010), we have to make things happen and to do that we need to have a plan or goal. Thus, goal-setting is a useful way to develop a solid foundation, and it allows you to concentrate on those areas we are at our weakest. By setting goals, we increase of chance of being more efficient at completing the task with the desired outcome, and a less likely to be stressed out during the exercise. Furthermore, setting goals improves making a decision because we develop SMART objectives that will make to process more successful. By incorporating these SMART goals, we are more likely to make a rational decision. If we don’t set goals, we are more prone to making irrational ones. According to Ariely (2008), we make irrational decisions because we don’t know what our preferences are well enough to make sound choices. He went on to say that we are limited by our cognitive ability, and this will further affect making decisions. Goal-setting and decision-making were crucial to this exercise because it allows you to define the problem and gather the information and resources that help formulate a plan to get that desired