Mentoring or Coaching, and how to reach Corporate Excellence

13-09-2019

Carlos Soriano

In the field of professional relationships, both Mentoring and Coaching serve to develop personal and professional skills. But, if they have the same goal, why do they go by two different names? The big difference lies in the methodology used and the path that is developed until reaching the progress desired by each interested party.

If we stick with an academic definition, we could say that:

Mentoring is a professional relationship in which a successful, experienced person aids another in the development of specific skills and knowledge. This influences personal and professional growth (an expert, the mentor, helps someone less expert, the mentee). Mentoring is oriented towards the long-term.

Coaching is a professional relationship in which an experienced person (the coach) seeks to bring another person (the coachee) to a higher/different skill level. This happens by learning new skills and acquiring new knowledge. Coaching, according to the International Coach Federation, is defined as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” Coaching is task-oriented and is usually short-term.

The choice of one relationship or another can only be made depending on the moment and what one is looking for. These two practices can be complementary.

When to consider Coaching:

When a company seeks to develop specific skills in its employees, using performance management tools and involving the hierarchical superior.
When a company has several talented employees who are not meeting expectations.
When a company is introducing a new system or program.
When a company has a group of employees (5-8) who need greater skills in specific areas.
When a leader or executive needs help acquiring a new skill as an additional responsibility.

When to consider Mentoring:

When a company is seeking to develop their leaders or a group of talent as part of the succession plan.
When a company seeks to develop various employees to eliminate their barriers to success.
When a company seeks to develop its employees beyond the acquisition of specific skills and/or knowledge.
When a company seeks to conserve, for future generations, their internal experience and the experience that resides in their employees.

In the following table, let’s analyze the differences that we can highlight between these two concepts::

Mentoring	Coaching
Relationship-oriented. Seeks to provide a safe atmosphere for sharing any problems that affect personal or professional success. While learning specific goals or skills can be used as a basis for creating the relationship, the focus goes further than these areas to include such things as work/life balance, self-confidence, self-perception, and how the personal influences the professional.	Task-oriented. Attention is focused on concrete issues: how to manage more effectively, speak more clearly, and learn to think strategically (develop these skills).
Bidirectional. Both participants mutually teach and learn.	Unidirectional. It is the coach who resolves the issues of the coachee and not the other way around (the coachee will always be the one who learns). It is irrelevant that the coach learn something from this relationship, as long as the coachee manages to solve their needs.
Mid- and long-term. Success requires time in which both parties can learn from each other and establish a climate of trust that creates an environment in which the mentee can feel safe sharing the real problems affecting their success. Successful mentoring relationships last from nine months to a year.	Short-term. Short period of time, perhaps only a few sessions. It lasts as long as necessary, depending on the purpose of the relationship.
Facilitates personal development and transformation. The purpose is to develop the individual not only for their current job, but also for the future.	Facilitates the transformation of behaviors and/or skills. Improves individual performance at work. This implies improving current skills or acquiring new ones. Once the coachee successfully acquires the skills, the coach is no longer necessary.
Business and people. The hierarchical superior is indirectly involved. They may offer suggestions to the employee on how to put experience to better use, but they do not have a link or any communication at all with the mentor (this helps to maintain the integrity of the relationship between the mentor and the mentee).	Experience in a specialized area. The immediate superior of the coachee is a critical partner in coaching. They provide the coach with information about the areas where the employee needs training.
Design of a work plan. It requires a design phase to determine the strategic purpose, focus areas for the relationship, specific mentoring models, and concrete components that will guide the relationship, especially the matching process.	No program required. Can be done almost immediately on any subject.

Mentoring

Coaching

Relationship-oriented.

Seeks to provide a safe atmosphere for sharing any problems that affect personal or professional success. While learning specific goals or skills can be used as a basis for creating the relationship, the focus goes further than these areas to include such things as work/life balance, self-confidence, self-perception, and how the personal influences the professional.

Task-oriented.

Attention is focused on concrete issues: how to manage more effectively, speak more clearly, and learn to think strategically (develop these skills).

Bidirectional.

Both participants mutually teach and learn.

Unidirectional.

It is the coach who resolves the issues of the coachee and not the other way around (the coachee will always be the one who learns). It is irrelevant that the coach learn something from this relationship, as long as the coachee manages to solve their needs.

Mid- and long-term.

Success requires time in which both parties can learn from each other and establish a climate of trust that creates an environment in which the mentee can feel safe sharing the real problems affecting their success. Successful mentoring relationships last from nine months to a year.

Short-term.

Short period of time, perhaps only a few sessions. It lasts as long as necessary, depending on the purpose of the relationship.

Facilitates personal development and transformation.

The purpose is to develop the individual not only for their current job, but also for the future.

Facilitates the transformation of behaviors and/or skills.

Improves individual performance at work. This implies improving current skills or acquiring new ones. Once the coachee successfully acquires the skills, the coach is no longer necessary.

Business and people.

The hierarchical superior is indirectly involved. They may offer suggestions to the employee on how to put experience to better use, but they do not have a link or any communication at all with the mentor (this helps to maintain the integrity of the relationship between the mentor and the mentee).

Experience in a specialized area.

The immediate superior of the coachee is a critical partner in coaching. They provide the coach with information about the areas where the employee needs training.

Design of a work plan.

It requires a design phase to determine the strategic purpose, focus areas for the relationship, specific mentoring models, and concrete components that will guide the relationship, especially the matching process.

No program required.

Can be done almost immediately on any subject.

Why has the CEDEC Group opted for Mentoring to reach Relational Excellence?

We have been betting on it since 1965, although only recently has it come to be called Mentoring.

Since our beginnings, the CEDEC Group has accompanied business owners for a period of 12 months to consolidate the works conducted during the development of the projects contracted. During this year, we seek:

1. To provide a safe atmosphere for sharing any problems that affect personal or professional success related to the works conducted, and any new issues that may arise during this period.

2. To learn, both parties, each from the other.

3. To reach the objectives established in the work conducted with the Project Manager, which in turn are the goals set by the business owner, at a personal and professional level. In family companies, the goal is not always a task; rather, relationship goals tend to be much more important.

Mentoring raises us up, together with the business owner, step by step, progressing towards Corporate Excellence. It allows us to establish a foundational organization, leading to sustainable development and anticipating changes.