In the pursuit of personal and career growth it is good to have a guide. Whether you’re reaching for a promotion, refining your leadership skills, or navigating a career change, having the right support can make all the difference. Two powerful tools in this journey are mentoring and coaching, and while these terms are often used interchangeably, they offer very different approaches to development. Understanding the differences between mentoring and coaching can help you determine which sort of relationship is best suited to your goals.
Mentorship is an informal, personal relationship between colleagues in the same domain who are at different points in their career. A mentor is usually a role model who is one or two steps further along your chosen career path. They offer advice or 1:1 training to help you navigate your immediate challenges. The relationship can be super focused on a particular project, or can be a long-term development partnership that continues for many years.
The goals of a mentorship relationship can be hard to define because they are broad and of a general developmental nature. A mentor is usually not in a position to advance your career directly (like a sponsor), but can use their knowledge and experience to help you choose the right path.
If you are looking for technical guidance or advice on navigating your current job and employer, you should consider reaching out for mentorship.
Coaching is a more formal, short-term relationship focused around helping you move in their direction of your goals, whether you are looking to learn specific skills, enhance your performance, or work towards a promotion. Unlike a mentor, a coach does not need to have any specific knowledge of your domain or your company to be effective. Your coach will ask open-ended questions to prompt self-reflection and to notice possibilities.
The goals of a coaching relationship are more focused and well defined. A coach doesn’t need specific industry experience to help you uncover ways that you are stuck and to create plans for making forward progress.
If you are looking for targeted support to achieve a specific outcome, or want to develop deeper self-knowledge, you should consider finding a coach. When you are looking for a coach, be sure to take note of their training and certifications, and ask them about their approach.
I have enjoyed very rich mentorship relationships throughout my career, and having the guidance of my peers and managers enabled me to level up my technical skills, navigate difficult conversations, and to help me define how I wanted to grow in my career. As I became more senior in my field, I began to understand that what got me here (mentorship, following someone else’s path) won’t get me there.
To chart my own course into leadership I needed to develop different skills and tools. For this I turned to a coach, who helped me to see myself more clearly, to understand how I was standing in my own way, and to break down habits of thought that were holding me back. I leveled up faster in that year of working with my coach than I would have otherwise done, and I am tremendously grateful for the insight I have today.
I still rely on my mentors to share different perspectives on challenges I am facing, but I turn to my coach when I need to consolidate these perspectives and find my own way through.
Because mentorship is an informal relationship, you don’t need to approach it with any ceremony. Here is a great talk about how to get mentorship from someone without a formal conversation. It includes some great resources for how to approach people who are outside your orbit. Look for mentorship communities among your sub-culture or domain. For example, for women in tech, there is the Women in Tech network, or The New Club. For folks in the film industry there is Women in Film.
Finding a coach that fits can be challenging because there are so many different types available depending on your goals: life coaching, executive coaching, sports coaching, etc. Some platforms like BetterUp offer questionnaires that help connect you with someone attuned with your needs. If you are new to the concept of coaching, most coaches will offer you a free introductory session where you can both determine if it is a good fit.
If you are curious and interested in getting started, connect with me for a free discovery session!