COACH OR MENTOR – WHICH DO YOU NEED

COACH OR MENTOR – WHICH DO YOU NEED

❏ Today, I’m speaking on Coach or Mentor: Which do you need to help you succeed? Most people mistakenly believe that a business coach and a business mentor are the same. They are not! You will discover the distinctions between the two today, enabling you to select the best option—or both—for yourself.

As a business coach for executives, I assist founders in getting the correct support when needed. Most early-stage businesses, called build-stage businesses, require either a mentor, a coach, or both. In this post, I will discuss the differences between a mentor and a coach. By the end of this article, you will know the distinctions between a coach and a mentor, and you will be able to make an informed decision.

The Distinctions Between a Coach and a Mentor

Mentors put the individual, their career, and their support for personal development and maturation first. A coach is performance-driven and job-focused. With the help of a coach, you can acquire specialized skills for jobs, obstacles, and performance standards.

What Does a Mentor Do?

A mentor is concerned with the person’s career and guides personal development and maturation.

A good mentor helps you become a better “you” by concentrating on the “you.” Mentors will spend time asking you questions about your life goals, your strengths, and your weaknesses. They will check out your posts on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and who you follow. Mentors will ask about your interests and guiding principles. They will investigate “who you are” and determine “who you want to be,” to put it briefly.

You can prepare for the shift from “you” to “advance” with the aid of a mentor. Planning could change how you present yourself to others. Modifications to clothing, makeup, and hairstyles are on the list. Perhaps you are just shy. Deciding to force yourself to go to gatherings, parties, or even speeches could be a necessary adjustment. Are you seeking a spouse with a solid moral foundation and a stable career path? Hanging out at the local bars will probably not work for you. Are you in your late 20s and still partying in college and posting drunk pictures on Facebook? It’s probably not going to get you that big of a promotion. A great mentor will guide you through these life transitions that can affect you personally and professionally.

What Does a Coach Do?

A coach is job-focused and performance-oriented. A coach works with you to develop specific skills for tasks, challenges, and performance expectations.

Having a coach when you’re at your first or fifth job and not advancing as fast as your peers would be best.

Whether you’re “just out of school” or starting your first role as a manager or VP, you need a coach. You’ve heard the old saying, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” You need a coach if you’re in a new role or have been “stuck” in the same role for too long.

A coach will sit down and help you learn the responsibilities of your role. They will outline a series of tasks you need to take first to determine the “basics” of that role. A great coach helps create a set of metrics to measure your progress in performing your role. They will teach you how to “stand out” positively. They will guide you to rise through the ranks faster than your peers. A coach will teach you what you can do to “go the extra mile.” They prepare you for the next step on the responsibility ladder. They will help you learn how to become all but “termination proof” in any bad times at the company.

Many of us start our businesses. We need a coach more than most professionals. If we’re starting a company for the first time, there are so many things we don’t know. Hiring, firing, financing, methods of incorporation, customer acquisition, and so much more! A good coach is a “must” for helping us identify the specific skills we need to be successful.

So, Business Coach or Mentor?

So, do I need a business coach or mentor? Determining if you need a mentor or coach is not the right question. The reality is that you most likely need “both.”

Mentors focus on the person, their career, and support for individual growth and maturity. A coach is job-focused and performance-oriented. A coach works with you to develop specific skills for tasks, challenges, and performance expectations. Most seeking to improve their value at work usually need help improving themselves “as a person.”

I’ve been fortunate to have my coach and mentor appear when I needed them most. In reality, I could have done better at improving “me” by getting help from a mentor “sooner.”

My career may have moved forward faster had I reached out for a business coach “sooner.”.

Some organizations, such as Vistage and The Inner Circle, provide excellent coaching help at reasonable prices if you’re a business owner or CEO of a company. If you’re new to management or have risen to the VP level, look for a local coach on LinkedIn with a proven management track record. You can often find mentors inside your current company. You can also seek them out at local meetups or industry events.

Conclusion

I hope this article, Coach or Mentor: Which Do You Need to Help You Succeed? has educated you on the critical differences between mentors and coaches. Hopefully, you’ll agree that we need them throughout our lives for maximum personal and business success.