Mentoring focuses more on creating an informal relationship, while life coaching is usually a more structured and formal approach. Choosing between a life coach and a mentor is truly a personal choice based on your needs and expectations. But at the end of the day, both are there to contribute to your success. Therapists focus on healing and resolving past trauma; coaches are much more future-oriented and focused on achieving a successful outcome or goal.
The mentor shares their life and work experiences, and discussions will focus on the future personal and professional development of the trainee. Use the stage you are at in your career goals as a basis for deciding if you need a coach or a mentor. Now you should have all the necessary information about a coach or mentor to help you make the right decision. Depending on their relationship, objectives, expectations and evaluations, there are significant differences between the coach and the mentor. While mentoring can increase and decrease in strength throughout professional life, it can remain intact and trainees should feel that they can contact a mentor after a while.
In training, coaches provide clear and intentional feedback and regularly monitor your performance on tasks. If you're already on your way, but need a push or specific help to move to the next level, a coach is for you. In this case, the business advisor focuses more on getting a company to where it needs to be within a certain time frame and taking smaller steps to achieve those objectives. A coach is your partner, your equal, who will guide you to discover your own solutions that are best for you.
Business advisors for individuals will work with their clients to understand what they have done in the past and what can be achieved in the future. While it's common to work with a coach for 3, 6, or 12 months, sometimes even longer, a therapist usually works with someone for an even longer period of time. Or you may know that you need a coach now, but you may later connect with someone who could be a great mentor. A coach and a client meet at the beginning of the agreement and set goals, and agree on ways to evaluate themselves against those goals. A coach focuses on short-term development, with an emphasis on improving current skills or acquiring new skills.
