In the field of employee development, an area that creates much confusion is the differences between business coaching and business mentoring. This confusion often causes companies to opt for mentoring or coaching without understanding that they serve a different purpose and follow different paths to employee development. A failure to understand these differences often leads to disappointing results and the (understandable) mistake of blaming coaching (or mentoring) rather than realizing that the company created the wrong system. At Management Mentors, we’re often asked to explain the differences. This brings us to the purpose of this white paper. We hope to provide you with a better understanding of coaching and mentoring and a process for determining which approach is best suited for your organization’s specific needs. At Management Mentors, we’re often asked to explain the differences. This brings us to the purpose of this white paper. We hope to provide you with a better understanding of coaching and mentoring and a process for determining which approach is best suited for your organization’s specific needs. At Management Mentors, we’re often asked to explain the differences. This brings us to the purpose of this white paper. We hope to provide you with a better understanding of coaching and mentoring and a process for determining which approach is best suited for your organization’s specific needs. At Management Mentors, we’re often asked to explain the differences. This brings us to the purpose of this slide deck. We hope to provide you with a better understanding of coaching and mentoring and a process for determining which approach is best suited for your organization’s specific needs. Before we begin, we’d like to offer one caveat. Though mentoring and coaching are distinct, they do share common elements. It is often a difference in emphasis and outcomes that creates the distinction. Also, there are some coaches who have the ability to act as mentors. Likewise, there are mentors who, in some instances, act more like coaches. What we’re seeking to accomplish in this slide deck is to articulate general differentiators that may not apply in all cases but that apply in most.

1. Coaching vs.
Mentoring
25 Ways They’re Different

2. Which approach is best suited
for your organization’s specific
needs?
Here’s a side by side analysis of
the two methodologies…

3. Coaching
² Task
Oriented
Mentoring
² Rela/onship
Oriented
Differentiator #1

4. Coaching
² Short
Term
Mentoring
² Long
Term
Differentiator #2

5. Coaching
² Performance
Driven
Mentoring
² Development
Driven
Differentiator #3

6. Coaching
² Can
be
done
as
needed;
no
design
necessary
Mentoring
² Program
design
needed
to
create
effec/ve
program
Differentiator #4

7. Coaching
² Manager
directly
involved
Mentoring
² Manager
involved
only
indirectly
Differentiator #5

8. "I
am
not
a
teacher,
but
an
awakener.”
-Robert Frost

9. Coaching
² More
easily
evaluated
and
measured
for
ROI
Mentoring
² Less
easy
to
measure
for
ROI
Differentiator #6

10. Coaching
² Reliance
on
performance
management
systems,
e.g.
reviews,
360’s
etc.
Mentoring
² Not
dependent
upon
performance
management
systems
Differentiator #7

11. Coaching
² Feedback
by
coach
to
manager
about
progress
in
development
Mentoring
² No
feedback
by
mentor
to
manager
Differentiator #8

12. Coaching
² The
Coach
is
paid
for
services
Mentoring
² Mentor
receives
no
compensa/on
Differentiator #9

13. Coaching
² Coach
operates
independently
Mentoring
² Mentors
operate
with
assistance
from
the
Mentoring
Program
Manager
Differentiator #10

14. Coaching
² No
training
of
coachee
needed
Mentoring
² Mentors
and
mentorees
trained
Differentiator #11

15. Coaching
² Focus
is
more
on
business
issues
than
personal
Mentoring
² Focus
is
on
personal
and
professional
development
Differentiator #12

16. The
delicate
balance
of
mentoring
someone
is
not
crea3ng
them
in
your
own
image,
but
giving
them
the
opportunity
to
create
themselves.”
-Steven Spielberg
”Image
Credit:
Steven
Spielberg
Cannes
2013
3"
by
Georges
Biard.
Licensed
under
CC
BY-­‐SA
3.0
via
Commons
-­‐
hJps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Steven_Spielberg_Cannes_2013_3.jpg#/media/

17. Coaching
² Lower
ini/al
investment
cost
Mentoring
² Higher
ini/al
investment
cost
(lower
over
/me)
Differentiator #13

18. Coaching
² Lends
itself
to
online
soPware
Mentoring
² Management
of
the
mentoring
program
lends
itself
to
soPware
but
not
the
rela/onship
itself
Differentiator #14

19. Coaching
² Coaches
leave
organiza/on
when
done
Mentoring
² Mentors/mentorees
remain
in
the
organiza/on
&
can
provide
ongoing
mentoring
to
others
Differentiator #15

20. Coaching
² Done
by
inside
or
outside
content
expert
Mentoring
² Mentors
are
normally
within
the
company
Differentiator #16

21. Coaching
² Can
be
done
for
remedial
purposes
Mentoring
² Never
remedial
Differentiator #17

22. Coaching
² Internal
poli/cs
not
usually
affected
Mentoring
² Internal
poli/cs
a
considera/on
in
program
design
Differentiator #18

23. Coaching
² Corporate
cultural
change
may/may
not
occur
Mentoring
² Mentoring
is
transforma/onal
and
affects
the
corporate
culture
Differentiator #19

24. “Tell
me
and
I
forget,
teach
me
and
I
may
remember,
involve
me
and
I
learn.”
-Benjamin
Franklin

25. Coaching
² Diversity
may
or
may
not
be
included
Mentoring
² Diversity
is
a
component
of
mentoring
Differentiator #20

26. Coaching
² Coaching
done
1-­‐on-­‐1
Mentoring
² Mentoring
most
oPen
is
done
1-­‐on-­‐1
but
other
models
may
be
used
as
well
Differentiator #21

27. Coaching
² Content
exper/se
more
important
in
coaching
Mentoring
² Interpersonal
skills
more
important
in
mentoring
Differentiator #22

28. Coaching
² Manager
can
be
coach
of
own
employee
Mentoring
² Mentor
is
outside
mentoree’s
direct
supervisory
line
Differentiator #23

29. Coaching
² Coaching
is
one-­‐direc/onal
Mentoring
² Mentoring
is
bi-­‐direc/onal
Differentiator #24

30. Coaching
² Coaching
is
focused
on
the
business
person
Mentoring
² Mentoring
involves
the
whole
person
Differentiator #25

31. Coaching
is
about
a
behavioral
transforma3on.
Mentoring
is
about
a
personal
transforma3on.”
-Rene Petrin
Fo unde r & CE O
Manage me nt Me nt o r s

32. Want to know more about the
differences between mentoring
and coaching?
Download our FREE
white paper now!

33. We’ve
been
helping
organizaSons
worldwide
implement
successful
corporate
mentoring
programs
for
over
25
years.
Decades
of
experience;
innovaSve
e-­‐mentoring
soYware.
P.O.
Box
67291
Chestnut
Hill,
MA
02167
617-­‐789-­‐4622
Email
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