What are the Key Differences Between a Coach and a Professional Mentor?
The use of coaching and mentoring is becoming increasingly popular, but there are some subtle differences which will impact on the outcomes achieved. Coaching and mentoring are both ‘helping’ activities, employed either as distinct interventions or together as part of a package of personal development. The differences in the application of these processes are naturally reflected in the outcomes. <><> A coach is a person who teaches and directs another person via encouragement and advice. The use of the term coaching (as in the art of coaching people) has its origins in English traditional university “cramming” in the mid 19th Century. In the US, most college sports team employed coaches as well as managers and by the 20th Century, non-sporting coaches were emerging. Professional Mentoring Mentoring, on the other hand, refers to a developmental relationship with a more experienced ‘expert’ and a less experienced protégé. The term ‘mentor’ has been around for centuries, originally derive
