Definition Of Coaching And Mentoring

Coaching and mentoring use the same skills and approach but coaching is short term task-based and mentoring is a longer-term relationship.

A coach or mentor can help to give guidance and support as challenges are faced, assisting staff in negotiating challenging situations with increased confidence.

I feel this is the fundamental difference between Coaching on one hand & Mentoring on the other. Coaching has a more structured nature & needs regular planned meetings, (unless engaging in ‘corridor coaching’ which is a different but still an effective & useful approach). Coaching is usually aimed at shorter term development of an individual or in overcoming specific areas of issue. A coach does not always need an in-depth knowledge of the client’s occupation in general coaching practice, however as a Manager / Coach involved in developing

Bluckert, P. (2005). Critical factors in executive coaching- the coaching relationship. Industrial and Commercial Training, 37(7), 336-340. doi:10.1108/00197850510626785

Mentoring: is the process of a more experienced person advising and guiding a less experienced (and usually younger) person, typically a colleague.

The main difference between a Coach and a Mentor is that, the mentor has a deep personal interest, personally involved for example a friend who cares about the person and the long term development. Whereas a coach develops specific skills for the task, like challenges and performance expectations at work.

Watt, L. (2004). Mentoring and coaching in the workplace: an insight into two leading leadership

This report will determine the value of coaching and mentoring; highlight some factors to consider when developing coaching and mentoring and show models and methods

but at the same time a coachee will need a push to reach and achieve

There are a number of definitions to what coaching is; I feel that I can personally relate to the following definition:

Mentoring is influencing somebody by virtue of one’s manners and expertise. Mentoring involves the influence of a person in terms of his character and knowledge on the life of another person. Mentoring is permanent. Each and every member of the team can have a separate mentor. Coaching is teaching somebody by virtue of one’s experience. A’ becomes the coach of another person ‘B’ when he teaches the nuances of an art or science to ‘B’. Coaching is not permanent. Coaching is normally given to teams as well such as sporting teams. If I were to set up a coaching program, I would advise the CEO to make sure that all mentors are at least two levels above the employee; have a broader experience in the company and the ability to place them into assignments

The chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in the UK (CIPD 2009) reports that 79% of survey respondents are using coaching within their organisation and that 77% say coaching has been increasing in recent years. It is therefore no surprise that the large UK-based customer facing organisation, where I am hypothetically working as a human resources manager, has made a commitment to deliver coaching and mentoring to improve performance over the next two years. The aim of this report is to highlight how coaching and mentoring differs from training, and to also explain how the use of coaching can

Coaching is the art of facilitating another person’s learning, development and performance. Through coaching people are able to find their own solutions, develop their own skills and change their own behaviors and attitudes.

According to Coaching & Mentoring International (CMI), coaching is establishing with the client what their reality is today and then clearly defining what are the client's aims or intentions for the future. A plan of action will be worked on by the coach and the client can follow it with confidence. While Downey 1999 defined coaching as the art of facilitating the performance, learning and development of another. Bringing out the best in an individual to be effective in a team is one goal of coaching.

What is coaching? Coaching is a powerful tool that can help you to make changes in your business or career, improve your performance, enhance your relationships with others or develop specific skills. (http://www.personal-coaching-information.com/what-is-coaching.html). Also it can be defined as “… unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance. It is helping them learn rather than teaching them" (Whitmore, J, 2009)