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What's the difference between mentoring and coaching?
Mentoring and coaching are both forms of developmental relationships, but they have some distinct differences.
Mentoring is a relationship in which an experienced individual, the mentor, provides guidance, advice, and support to a less experienced individual, the mentee, to help them develop their skills, knowledge and professional network. A mentor can help the mentee navigate their career, set goals, and make decisions. A mentor also shares their own experience and knowledge, and can offer a different perspective on different situations. Mentoring relationships often focus on the long-term development of the mentee, and may last for several years.
Coaching, on the other hand, is a relationship in which a coach helps an individual or a group to develop specific skills, achieve specific goals, and make meaningful progress. A coach can help an individual to identify and overcome obstacles, create action plans, and hold the individual accountable for achieving their goals. Coaching can be focused on a specific topic or set of skills, and can take place over a shorter period of time.
In summary, mentoring is a more general and long-term relationship, where a mentor is guiding a mentee in navigating their professional development, while coaching is more specific, goal-oriented and focused on skill development and progress over a specific period of time. Both mentoring and coaching can be valuable in helping individuals to develop their skills and achieve their goals, but they are different approaches to development.