The Breakthrough Difference Between Coaching And Mentoring
People often ask me, “Say, what’s the difference between coaching and mentoring?”
Well, in my view, here’s the essential distinction: MENTORING is where I talk and you ask questions; COACHING is where you talk and I ask questions.
“MENTORING is where you ask questions and I talk; COACHING is where I ask questions and you talk.”
Barry Zweibel | www.leadershiptraction.com
So there will be some things that I’m simply not qualified to mentor you on. But as a Master Certified Coach – the Gold Standard of coach credentialing from the International Coaching Federation, and a distinction that fewer than 2% of all coaches, worldwide, have achieved – I can pretty much coach you on anything!
Of course sometimes clients prefer more of a hybrid-like approach – some questions, some answers, some talking, some listening – not like an interview or formal Q&A session, but more like a (hopefully) engaging, relevant, and insightful conversation.
So if something’s been bugging you, let’s see which approach gets you the most traction, yes?!
Post Script
I hope this post has helped you learn something about yourself. If so, please make a point to share your insight with others as a way to "lock in" your learning.While you're at it, I'd also appreciate you telling them about LeadershipTraction and the resources available, here, on-line, at www.leadershiptraction.com including:
• my other blog posts
• my leadership tutorial downloads
• my newsletter archives
• the curated content on my LeadershipTraction Facebook page
• and, of course, my book, Leadership Haiku
Thanks.
- bz
P.P.S. If you have a question or comment about this post, just let me know. I'll do my best to get back to you, straightaway.