Mentoring and Coaching do share some characteristics:
- Both require a high level of commitment from the mentee/client.
- Both are focused on improving the future prospects of the mentee/client (as opposed to counseling, for example, which aims at resolving past situations).
- Both require high levels of personal interaction.
- Both involve providing feedback and advice.
There are also significant differences:
| Mentoring | Coaching | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Up to the participants | Achievement-based |
| Scope | Focuses on building a trust relationship and an improvement cycle | Focuses on achieving a specific goal (but trust is also important) |
| Approach | Dependent on the mentee | Dependent on the goal to achieve |
| Nature of the Relationship | Mutually beneficial | Strictly professional |
| Openness | Confidential | Can be open or confidential depending on the format. |
| Direction | Mentee selects | Both can select |
| Formality | Generally informal | Uses a formal structure |
| Subject Matter Expert | Mentor | Client |
| Process Expert | Mentor | Coach |
| Expectations | General skill development | Achieving a level of performance |
| "Speech Distribution" | Mentor speaks more than Mentee | The client speaks much more than the coach. |