Coaching and Mentoring What are the differences and which one to choose?

Coaching and mentoring have been characterized as two almost similar terms related to developing the skills of an organization’s employees.
While they share similarities, they are not exactly the same, but there are fundamental differences between them. Want to know what they are? Keep reading!
Since the lack of knowledge on the part of organizations when choosing a strategy is very high, it is very important to know what the terms mentioned consist of and how to learn to differentiate them from each other.

What is coaching?

According to the International Coach Federation, coaching is defined as a process of thoughtful and creative accompaniment of clients who have the desire to maximize their personal and professional potential.
So, if you decide to implement business coaching techniques, it will bring you great advantages and benefits in the business world. So you want to know how to develop it? Below we show you everything you need to know.
Talking about coaching is talking about leadership training and communication skills that are responsible for fostering self-awareness.
And it is that, mainly, it takes into account the contact of people with the environment. In addition, coaches or trainers are people who take you from one point to another. They accompany you along your journey and are responsible for improving your experience, making it more comfortable, faster and safer.

What is mentoring?

Mentoring is defined as a relationship that is created with experienced and successful people. This is to be a guide and advisor to enrich your personal and professional level.
In this sense, it is known as one of the totally personalized professional tools where qualified people share their experiences, skills, knowledge, among others.
Generally, it is known in cases where the workers of a company can be guided very easily.
In short, it can be defined as the relationship that can exist between students who are guided and advised by successful and experienced people. That is to say, by mentors who will take care of enriching them in a professional and personal way.

What are the differences between coaching and mentoring?

Both techniques tend to share common spaces, tools and processes. Sometimes coaches can act as mentors to their coachees and the same is true for mentors.
However, there are points that can help you differentiate between them, such as those mentioned below:

Purpose: Coaching generally focuses on achieving results for different specific tasks, such as more effective team management. In addition, there are differences in public speaking with greater creditability.
In contrast, mentoring focuses on the relationship that can be generated between the mentor and mentee. Therefore, the objective is to try to transcend the work part, achieving goals such as the balance between personal and professional life.

Timing: coaching involves a short-term relationship between coaches and mentees. It may only take a few sessions to get results and end the relationship.

Mentoring, on the other hand, requires long-term relationships that generate the trust necessary for individuals to share their concerns and doubts with their mentors.

Goals: When we talk about coaching, we think of immediate results in the short or medium term. Mentoring, on the other hand, is focused on the personal development of individuals, for their current job or for jobs they may have in the future.

Relationship with individuals: In coaching, there can be a professional and task-oriented relationship. Mentoring, on the other hand, deepens the relationship and creates emotional connections.

Program: Mentoring focuses on strategic programs that take charge of the relationship. Whereas in coaching, this will not be necessary.
These are some of the differences that can be mentioned between coaching and mentoring. It is therefore important that all companies take them into account when implementing them in their organizations.
The truth is that the final success of the company will be influenced by the choice of one type of strategy or another depending on the needs.

A mentor or a coach, which should I choose?

The choice of one or the other depends on the strategic objectives of the companies and the way to achieve them. Even business coaching is recommended if you intend to work towards the right goals.
Coaching is a tool for continuous improvement of people to achieve excellence, and aims to develop new and better skills by focusing, above all, on the skills and behaviors of the company’s employees.
At the management level, this type of training is indicated to strengthen and improve leadership skills; and even to improve the performance of the company’s employees and intervene in the conflict resolution process.
As far as mentoring is concerned, it is usually very effective, especially when there is a situation in which it is necessary to work on another front. As we have already mentioned, it helps to develop the professionals as well as the employees, contributing to the satisfaction of the workers for a better development of the activities.
But, it does not focus on the here and now, but rather on change as a slow transformation process. And on continuous improvement in all areas of people’s lives, including the present as well as the future.

Who is learning and teaching?

In mentoring, the mentor teaches in all directions, including giving advice and recommendations. At the same time, questions tend to be asked by both and a knowledge transfer situation is generated.
In coaching, the guidelines are given by the mentee. The coach does not recommend or advise, but helps guide people to find their own answers.
In conclusion, the differences between mentoring and coaching are very important, so both are very important techniques because, as we have already mentioned, they help employees to improve.
In this article we have shown you the benefits of both practices, but if you still have doubts about how to apply them in your company or if you want to know how to take the first step, do not hesitate to contact us.
At TAS Consulting, we have a team of experts in the legal, tax and accounting fields to advise you and help you achieve all your goals.