A COACH OR A MENTOR - WHAT DO I NEED?

I just don’t know what I need? A Coach or a Mentor?

Across the world, thousands are calling themselves a ‘Coach’ with not experience, knowledge or understanding of what this means. Unfortunately, there is a lack of regulation so very few understand the actual experience, coaching ethics and core competencies needed to be adhered to as a coach. In my studies with The Coaching Academy and research of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), it has become clear that professional coach demonstrates a thorough understanding of these in their own business and whilst working with their clients.

I wonder if you are you unclear on what help and support you need at this moment in time to make progress and move forward?

Is it coaching, training, mentoring, therapy or counselling?

Hopefully this can shed some light on the differences to help you decide and take action?!

First of all, when you work with a counsellor or therapist, they will often help you to look back in life to get to the root of specific pain points which you examine so you understand how you can move forward. They will examine the rewiring of how you process your thoughts and feelings to take a different action in the future.

As a mentor at The Coaching Academy, I was reflecting recently on the question that comes up from students often;

“How do I empower someone without mentoring or leading the conversation?" 

It’s a great question and I always answer the same;

“A coach moves someone from A to B quicker than if they were to be on that journey on their own. They help the client to move forward and close the gap by feeling empowered to take action on the right goals whilst remaining accountable themselves.”

The coaches is always the expert and the coach has the privilege of asking some great powerful questions that provide the client with the space to explore, be curious and reflect on where they are at and want to be. To say to a client, “there was a shift in your energy there or I think that sounds a great idea” could be seen as leading but back it up with a question to get them to reflect on this is key. For example I may say… “That sounds like a great idea - what does it feel like now you have this in mind?” puts the onus straight back onto the client.

One of the reasons I became a coach was because I met a coach who started asking me questions that completely changed my perspective and helped me reframe things in life. One of my strongest skills is listening to others and I noticed at the time whilst I felt I was a good communicator, wow did I definitely have some development steps to take myself!

Mentoring, meanwhile is an experience where you work with someone who is a master in their field and in short has been there, done that and can share what worked and didn’t work well. They will have experience of proven strategies, ideas and will help you accelerate your growth to achieve your goals.

In essence - both are useful but this may not help you still know what is right for you?

The truth is, both have equal value. 

 A coach can have you reflecting and unlock your thinking and a mentor can give you an experienced perspective. Personally, I know it is something that my clients like a blend of. They want to be able to progress at pace and know what others found to be a struggle so they can adapt their ways of working and businesses to not face these challenges and achieve success sooner rather than later. 

The key really is that you take action with clear clarity on the steps you need to take at the right time for you and your business.

In summary, the role of the coach is not to give you the answers but to questions and facilitate a trusted and safe environment for you to reflect, challenge your perspective and come to your the answers on your own because you need to trust that the answers are within you. It is key to set small steps to move forward with consistency on your journey.