Whom would you choose? Mentor or coach?

Since quite some time, mentoring has been a popular practice in personal development. Why has coaching lost its charm?

There’s nothing wrong about either idea. But we may have misunderstood mentoring for what it could do. If so, it’s time to substitute it with coaching.

A mentor is more a distant adviser than a close guide to his protégé. As a patient listener, he gets a good idea about his protégé’s aspirations and talents. It is only then that he offers suggestions.

A coach is a trainer. He instructs his trainees, repeatedly, and oversees their development till they acquire sufficient ability to act, skillfully. He is closer to them and their successes, than a mentor and his protégé could ever be.

The mentor addresses a larger canvas of issues. The coach’s concern is limited to a smaller but better defined problem area. A mentor’s typical work is, for example, to help select which cycle to buy and which shop to buy it from. The coach directs the learner to ride the cycle, ably.

A coach is a tough taskmaster, and would not rest till his trainee’s learning is complete. He assumes responsibility for his trainee’s performances. The mentor may be a distant father figure, quite often, unaware of his protégé’s acts - and will distance himself from the results, if they were damaging.

Is mentoring more in demand than coaching because of its emotional appeal? Is coaching more rigorous, and therefore, less attractive to users?

Here are some thumb rules. If you are not sure what to do, find and ask a mentor. Don’t like his advice? Ignore it.

If you want to solve a problem but don’t know how, a coach can do it for you. He’s a pro, and will charge you for his services – so, do as he tells you.

The world’s best sportspersons depend on their coach. What about you?