Coaching Vs Mentoring: The Key Differences

The Coronavirus Pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the best of us, these are hard times when everyone is struggling to make ends meet. As everything is now gradually opening up, ideally one can expect cut-throat competition in almost any field they choose to pursue. Entrepreneurs are facing tough challenges, especially in these times of uncertainty.

In these tough times, you are the one who decides where your career trajectory will go and for that everyone needs guidance. The guidance can come in different forms. Coaches VS Mentors. A common tug of war question which every entrepreneur deals with, so it is very important to understand the key difference between coaching and mentoring.

The concept of Coaches though is mainly used in the Sports industry however, almost every field today has a wave of coaches coming in and presenting the world with extraordinary talent. People often get confused between coaching and mentoring. There are dedicated coaches and mentors who have given their hearts and soul to earning their titles. In this article, we will talk about the difference between coaches and mentors and who you need for your business.

Who Is a Coach?
Why Do You Need a Coach?
How Do Business Coaches Help You?
Who Is a Mentor?
Why Do You Need a Mentor?
How Do Mentors Help You?
Coaching vs Mentoring: What Do You Need?

Who Is a Coach?

A coach is someone who helps you imagine a greater possibility for yourself and then supports you to achieve it. They help their clients to dream big and help make those dreams come into reality. We all need people who give us feedback and help us work on our constructive criticisms. That’s how we improve.

One thing that people always fail to do is self reflect or in layman's terms see themselves the way others do. Coaches do help to overcome this dogma. Coaches really guide you and let you know if you’re on the correct path. Every famous dancer, athlete, or actor always had someone, a dedicated coach to guide them and help them achieve the goals that they once deeply desired.

Why Do You Need a Coach?

Everyone needs a coach, the greatest too. People might often expect you to do things on your own, however, they do not realize that many problems arise when you're figuring out your ways. Sometimes you’re not even aware of the problems holding you down and sometimes you don't know how to fix them and this resorts to you stopping your improvement.

Coaching helps you to be self-aware on a whole another level as you’re been looked upon with a completely different set of experienced eyes. They become your external eyes and ears and give you a much more accurate picture of your reality. They help you break down your actions piece by piece and build them up again. They don’t care about how good you are right now, they care about how good you are going to be.

How Do Business Coaches Help You?

• Business Coaches help you identify your shortcomings and provide ideas to fill the gaps that you have on the road to achieving your goals.
• Business coaches help you in planning your goals and achieving them step by step.
• Teaches you to communicate with your investors so that you can convince them to invest in your business.
• Train you to tackle any kind of situation in your business.

Who Is a Mentor?

A mentor is a person who has walked down the same path you’re walking right now and will help you get where you want. They believe in you, trust you and prepare you not just for yourself but to make the world a slightly better place.

Mentors are a bit hard to find. They aren’t set up in a traditional institute. To find a mentor you have to work on yourself in the beginning and earn the trust of the person you want to be mentored. One cannot simply knock on an institute’s door to find a mentor one has to rather keep going on their own journey and find their mentor. Once you do, you cherish them forever. They provide you with their knowledge and wisdom and help you achieve your goals.

Why Do You Need a Mentor?

Mentoring lives up to a lifetime and it does not just help you get better at your business but also get better at life. Being a mentee means getting constantly grilled for improvement with critical feedback based on the path you've chosen to walk upon. One can have multiple mentors in their lifetime.

How Do Mentors Help You?

• Mentors are actually the one who gives advice according to their personal experience, so they what step to take to solve the problem.
• Having a good and experienced business mentor means helps in creating a good reputation for your business.
• Mentors not only help with business-related stuff but also provides advice on how to tackle pressure and burnout.
• They also help in developing contacts which can make the business better.

Coaching vs Mentoring: What Do You Need?

Mentoring is purely based on trust, some would consider their mentors as their third parent. A mentor is someone who has already been there and done that. They develop the potential in you and help you grow as a person.

Coaching is structured and is based upon you getting results while mentoring is based on your live performance and growth. If you wish to get good at chess you’d probably need a coach but if you wish to play your life as skillfully as chess and win the game in the end, you do need a mentor.

Both the coach and a mentor encourage your self-improvement and in increasing your confidence. At the end of the day, it is your requirement and your business requirement that decides whom you need on board, a mentor or a coach.

Conclusion

In the tug of war of Coach vs Mentor, nobody actually wins. You need to invest in yourself through them. It is tough to find people who guide you through this cruel world but if they’re with you, you need to hold tight and extract all their wisdom. They will be there to advise you and guide but the last call will always be yours in your business.

FAQs

What are the three types of mentoring?

The three types of mentoring are:

• Traditional one-on-one mentoring
• Distance mentoring
• Group mentoring

Is a mentor free?

Most of the time mentors provide advice for free to the new entrepreneurs.

How much does a business coach charge?

On average a business coach charges $115.