How to choose between coaching or mentoring?
What is the dilemma?
Every person has different needs and ways of displaying interests. At work, as well as in life, knowing what drives people, can help determine where they are heading, or would like to. It is no surprise that nowadays, HR departments place a special focus on why people made certain decisions. After all, intrinsic motivation is the most descriptive element of why people do what they do. That feeling of need for self-development comes from the inside, and it is that intrinsic motivation that we shall observe first.
The need for development or self-growth can sometimes absorb us and push us to explore new ways to fulfil them. This can either be at a personal or professional level filling our knowledge gaps through further education, formal courses, workshops, informal learning, watching tutorials on YouTube (or other streaming platforms) and on the job.
No matter which way (or ways) we decide to choose, the roles of coaching and mentoring can help you curate the choices of format and accelerate the curve of learning.
Analysing the differences between coaching and mentoring from different standpoints
Duration
The first question that we should ask ourselves is: is my goal short-term or mid/long-term?
Coaching is more ephemeral if compared to mentoring. The goal is more precise and less broad, challenging you on a more tactical level to achieve it. Using this solution is commonly found when there is a need to obtain results rapidly. Often, it is used to develop vital skills like problem-solving, time-management, strategic thinking, project management, among others.
Mentoring, on the other hand, expands its relationship through time. One main focus that we shall highlight first is providing support and asafe system to the person. By building this safe zone, a beacon of trust, we are setting as a foundation a secure area to share personal and professional insights.
Motivation
Coaching could be defined as the platform to upgrade our subject’s knowledge or abilities while mentoring creates room for further development through a long-term trust relationship.
Coaching is skill-oriented. It aims to support coachees improve their performance by setting up new goals or reformulating existing ones using a framework as guidelines (e.g.: SMART goals, GROW model, etc.). Through coaching, we support the development of new or existing skills, serving as an incubator, until the coachee develops autonomy and can continue developing it on their own.
Mentoring is development-oriented. It focuses on a more holistic approach rather than stand-alone skill development. The relationship is buildable and the sense of growth grows exponentially. The more you work together, and the more tangible development you can see, the better are the chances to stir motivation to take the next step. Based on trust and focused on the future, mentoring has also a positive impact on the work-place: It minimises conflict.
Involvement of management
The function of the coach can either be directly connected to the in-line manager of the coachee or even be the manager himself. There is a significant connection between both entities. The manager, either being a coach or not, shall be a critical factor in the coaching process, providing input feedback to further develop the coachee in the focus areas of development.
The role of the mentor could be indirectly connected to the direct manager of the individual. Suggestions could be provided, especially in the corporate set-up; however, the manager should not be in the same reporting structure of the mentor in order to avoid micromanagement or conflict of interest during the development process. Feedback and suggestions from management are optional (and appreciated), but not decisive or necessarily must influence the mentoring process.
What makes coaching and mentoring stand-out?
By analysing personal and professional performance in any area or sector, you might encounter one constant in the equation: the existing role of a coach or a mentor that has helped accelerate their development. For this reason, it is more and more frequent that both corporate and academic entities start incorporating these roles in their organisations.
The impact of coaching and mentoring goes beyond personal/professional development. It has a positive outcome in the workplace too. Out of growth, you can see results. From the coach/mentor side, the satisfaction of seeing the individual reaching their goals. From the other side, the contentment of observing their achievements being acknowledged and celebrated within the organisation.
It equals more self-esteem, therefore, more employee satisfaction. This leads to lower employee turnover and improved performance and productivity. You maximise the chances of achieving desired targets, enhance and improve the quality of the communication within the organisation and more sustainable and efficient use of the staff.
Conclusion: why choosing when you can use both?
Incorporating coaching or mentoring to your development strategy brings benefits both on short and long-term. While coaching offers great solutions for professional development, mentoring elevate the results from a more philanthropic standpoint.
Both solutions will help facilitate the exploration of needs, wishes or skills -among others;- through a process to achieve results in life. Coaching and mentoring have been proven efficient in creating action-plans to identified areas of development (current weaknesses or further development of strengths).
Creativity is possible (and essential, in my professional opinion) with both formats. It will help you personalise the development experience and tailor it to the needs of each individual. One-to-one meetings, workshops, group counselling, networking, training sessions; any of these solutions could be implemented in coaching and mentoring.
They share the same core: encouraging the spirit of commitment to action, being accountable and raising the awareness of self-development on both personal and professional level.
On an organisational level, promoting coaching and mentoring equals investing in your staff. It sends the message: “I believe in you. I trust you. I see what you can do and your potential development. I want you to feel happy in the organisation because I value you. I will help you develop so you do not need to find what you need elsewhere. ” Long-story-short: higher engagement, lower turnover rate.
Coaching or mentoring are both powerful solutions. It is up to you to determine which one is the most suitable in each situation.
Do you agree? How have you seen this done? I would like to hear more from you in the comments.
