My agency had a raging debate not too long ago. Okay, maybe it wasn’t all that raging, but it sounds a lot cooler to say it that way. Anyway, the debate centered around mentoring versus coaching. In my agency, we devote a lot of time to coaching our newer employees, but we labeled it as mentoring. We were using those words interchangeably, but the reality is that those two words just are not the same thing. It’s a simple mistake with a really easy fix, but we were mislabeling our practices. In the grand scheme of things, it didn’t really make a difference. We were devoting time working with staff to make sure they were doing things properly, which is a good thing. However, it wasn’t an accurate summary of how we were actually working with people.
Ultimately, we came to realize that coaching is centered around cementing training practices. Repetition, much like a sports coach does in practices. Mentoring, on the other hand, was more about professional development. Contrary to coaching newer staff, we needed to mentor our leadership staff to give them more tools to work with their teams. Looking back, it was such a simple error. A no-brainer, really. Having clearer definitions of the two has made our efforts even more intentional and direct.
I was recently invited to be a mentor for APPA’s Ninth Leadership Institute. I provided my application and identified areas of strength that I could offer to a potential mentee. I was lucky enough to be paired up with a great professional from Arizona. I got to spend some time with him, learning about his goals and how I can assist, and I’m really looking forward to working with him over the course of the next year.
Now that I know the difference between coaching and mentoring, I’m excited to share what I have to offer. So coach like your team depends on it, and mentor like you mean it. I know I plan to.
How do you define mentoring versus coaching? What do your practices look like? How do you invest in your team members, colleagues, and organization? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
CK Coaching 