MENTORING
What is mentoring ?
Most commonly in a professional setting, mentoring is used – when requested by the client – to transfer experience, expertise from a mentor (usually senior and experienced) to a mentee (the client).
Most businesses, medium sized and larger, will have mentorship programmes. However, many clients find it more fulfilling to have a mentor outside their organisation – independent from their employer.
Mentoring tends to be informal, focused on the needs of the client. A mentee client sets the agenda whereas a coachee client co-creates it with the coach.
Mentoring vs. Coaching
Coaching is a co-creative process.
A coachee client co-creates the agenda with the coach.
My coaching is focused on co-creating choices and paths that are within the client, but seldom conscious. It is about helping clients getting unstuck and making conscious choices.
Mentoring is driven by the client’s needs and choices.
It tends to be informal, focused on the needs of the client. A mentee client always sets the agenda.
Most importantly, mentoring centres around a transfer of experience, or expertise. The client shows up with a problem, a goal, a wish. The mentor offers various solutions. The client choses one.
Coaching is a co-creative process.
A coachee client co-creates the agenda with the coach.
My coaching is focused on co-creating choices and paths that are within the client, but seldom conscious. It is about helping clients getting unstuck and making conscious choices.
Mentoring is driven by the client’s needs and choices.
It tends to be informal, focused on the needs of the client. A mentee client always sets the agenda.
Most importantly, mentoring centres around a transfer of experience, or expertise. The client shows up with a problem, a goal, a wish. The mentor offers various solutions. The client choses one.
Coaching aims at immediate tangible results. Mentoring at longer term development.
Mentoring is longer term, usually measured in years, where coaching usually lasts only weeks or months.
Mentoring tends to look at long term development (Coaching looks for immediate performance enhancements). In that sense it is strategic and far reaching. In professional contexts one might be looking at long term career development and the steps required. In business situations it may be akin to strategy consulting but at a personal level.
The ICF, which is the international coaching body, insists coaching outcomes are quantified and measured. This is of course the result of the coaching agenda being tightly defined around a quantifiable, measurable result that can be attained in a short period of time if certain obstacles are overcome. Mentoring on the other hand focusses on long term personal development, it has no short term deliverable and no timetable.
Coaching aims at immediate tangible results. Mentoring at longer term development.
Mentoring is longer term, usually measured in years, where coaching usually lasts only weeks or months.
Mentoring tends to look at long term development (Coaching looks for immediate performance enhancements). In that sense it is strategic and far reaching. In professional contexts one might be looking at long term career development and the steps required. In business situations it may be akin to strategy consulting but at a personal level.
The ICF, which is the international coaching body, insists coaching outcomes are quantified and measured. This is of course the result of the coaching agenda being tightly defined around a quantifiable, measurable result that can be attained in a short period of time if certain obstacles are overcome. Mentoring on the other hand focusses on long term personal development, it has no short term deliverable and no timetable.
Coaching is structured.
Coaching requires a set calendar and typically involves homework between sessions. I meet coaching clients every other week.
Mentoring is flexible.
Mentoring sessions are driven by the client – on a need to meet basis. Mentoring does not require a set calendar although most clients seem to benefit from some sort of structure. I am very relaxed when it comes to mentoring conversations and can make myself available as little or as much as requested by the client.
Coaching is structured.
Coaching requires a set calendar and typically involves homework between sessions. I meet coaching clients every other week.
Mentoring is flexible.
Mentoring sessions are driven by the client – on a need to meet basis. Mentoring does not require a set calendar although most clients seem to benefit from some sort of structure. I am very relaxed when it comes to mentoring conversations and can make myself available as little or as much as requested by the client.
In coaching, I help you find your own solutions. In mentoring, I bring my own and the final choice is yours.
One other area of clear difference is that as a mentor I am free to dig into my own experience to share learning examples with my clients. Competing ideas are offered but the choice is yours!
This is not at all available in the coaching tool kit where the focus is on making sure clients release their inner resources, find their own solutions within themselves. The coach’s past experience does not show up in good coaching.
It’s almost as if the relationship is reversed : as a mentor I expect my client to ask me tough questions. I expect to have to dig deep into my own experience and expertise of a particular area to provide relevant case studies and a menu of solutions from which my clients will chose. In coaching, it’s actually the reverse and my clients should expect powerful questions which will make them open doors and think deeply – perhaps (hopefully!) provoking aha moments!
In coaching, I help you find your own solutions. In mentoring, I bring my own and the final choice is yours.
One other area of clear difference is that as a mentor I am free to dig into my own experience to share learning examples with my clients. Competing ideas are offered but the choice is yours!
This is not at all available in the coaching tool kit where the focus is on making sure clients release their inner resources, find their own solutions within themselves. The coach’s past experience does not show up in good coaching.
It’s almost as if the relationship is reversed : as a mentor I expect my client to ask me tough questions. I expect to have to dig deep into my own experience and expertise of a particular area to provide relevant case studies and a menu of solutions from which my clients will chose. In coaching, it’s actually the reverse and my clients should expect powerful questions which will make them open doors and think deeply – perhaps (hopefully!) provoking aha moments!
Where can I mentor you ?
A few examples of areas where I can offer mentoring :
Entrepreneurship – Management – Strategic Development
Project Management – Personal Development – Time Management
Over my years in business, venture capital, media and advertising, I have successfully mentored individuals and teams alike. For instance around succession planning at Board level, life/work balance in a new very demanding job position, leveraging cultural diversity at work, visualising long term personal career development.