Do I Need a Mentor or a Coach?

Many articles are posted daily about the need to get some outside help to get you to tat next proverbial level, or sometimes just to help you get un-stuck. Few of these ever really explain the difference between the two, or why you should choose on method, or person, over another. Let us see if we can shed some light on this confusion.

Mentors

A mentor is an individual with more experience in business, or merely in life than the person they are trying to help. They may help an entrepreneur hone her or his skills and talents, while advising them on navigating fresh challenges. In short, a mentor is an experienced and trusted adviser.

A mentor may be an advantage to an entrepreneur in a broad array of scenarios. They may be able to give pointers on business technique, bolster your networking crusades or act as confidantes when your work-life balance becomes more distorted. But, the first thing you need to know when seeking out a mentor is what you are seeking from the arrangement.

Learning From Others

What can your mentor do for you? Determining what type of resource(s) you require is an imperative first step in your mentor hunt.

1. Beginning with a list is a good opening. You might want somebody who's a great listener, someone socially connected, someone with expertise in the areas of your interests. You need someone who is accessible.

Ideally you may find a mentor with all of these characters, but the reality is you will have to make a few compromises. After you count the characteristics you are looking for in a mentor, split your list into wants and needs.

2. Do an informational interview with several candidates. Then go back to your standards, your lists of needs and wants, to begin culling the candidates. In this way you will not be overwhelmed by chemistry or charisma. It is important that you remain focused on your business or personal reasons for needing a mentor in the first place. By judging a combination of the qualitative and quantitative properties of each of your likely mentors, a prime candidate will rise to the top.

3. You may need more than one. Keep in mind that it may be advantageous to have more than one mentor. If you think that you will be monopolizing too much of your mentor's time, or that they may not have adequate time, then several mentors may be the answer.

The benefits of having multiple mentors is that you are able to get a lot of assorted viewpoints and when you have many mentors at a time, if they're seated around a table, the synergy between the mentors truly helps move your thinking along.

How to unearth a mentor

1. Begin with loved ones and friends. When seeking a mentor, begin close to home. Really close to home. Sometimes you are able to speak with your own relatives or friends, individuals who you trust, who you know, who you are able to sit and say something like, 'Gee, what do you feel about this?'

2. Think about those in your broadened network. If your friends and loved ones provide you enough unsought advice already, and you probably do not believe that is an appropriate route for you. You other options are people who do not know you as well or do not know you at all, yet.

How do you ask for such a huge commitment from a virtual stranger?

1. Check your network. The opening move is to get in touch with your network of contacts. A positive word from a common acquaintance will go a long way toward getting a mentoring relationship off to a great start.

2. Go slow. Additionally, you should not settle on a mentor overnight. You should keep your antennae poised to pick up on likely mentors at conferences, trade shows, and so on. Meeting with a future mentor in person helps build a rapport. You will want to wait until that connection develops further before tossing out the 'big' question.

3. Think about total strangers. Maybe none of the individuals in your network seem like a great fit for you. Start doing a little research.

• Profiles of business owners in magazines and papers may key you in to someone who matches your style and desires. But, when you have a few prospects go forward delicately.
• Discover as much as you are able to about the likely mentor and try to schedule a brief interview by telephone saying you have a few particular questions or simply generally wish to pick their brain.

4. You should plan to travel to them. Particularly at first, you need to make the process as simple for them to help you as you are able. At the end of your beginning interview, if it appears to be going well, you may broach the idea of speaking once again. This can be by telephone or in person.

5. In time, if they feel receptive, you may bring up the idea of a more conventional mentoring relationship with more specific parameters and goals.

6. Think about the rivalry. Well, not your direct rivalry. Think about issues that are similar, potentially collaborative, while not competitive.

• For instance, if you are in retail selling windsocks, somebody selling kites is not in direct rivalry with you but may still be able to offer insights into the outdoor product industry.
• If you have a brick and mortar store, you may even call somebody who does precisely what you do in a far away location. If, for instance, you are in New York City, there is little harm in speaking with someone in Arizona about similar issues.
• The web, however, is increasingly placing retailers even on different continents in rivalry, so step lightly. A different hint would be to seek out counsel from somebody at a business larger than yours who may be less likely to view you as a potential threat.

7. Tap your field. Look to your suppliers, your local chamber of commerce, and relevant trade publishings as great sources for possible mentors. These are all great places to come by knowledgeable individuals. But, you are still left with the question of how to find someone who matches your personal flair? Look for a mentor the same way that individuals seek medical professionals, get solid recommendations.

8. Pay for mentoring. What if you have an awesome idea that you want to get off the ground rapidly, and you need a fast jolt of expertise? Great informal mentorships are cultivated bit by bit and may frequently last for years. If what you think you need a crash program instead, it may be time to bring in the consultants or coaches.

Coaching

Coaching is a training or development process via which an individual is supported while achieving a specific personal or professional competence result or goal.

Individuals at all stages of professional evolution need coaches to help them. CEOs often utilize coaches to bounce ideas around. Entrepreneurs utilize their coach to help them think strategically about the business. And coaches help other people sort out important career decisions.

Think about the affect that you are able to have by offering to coach your partners, employees and customers. You are able to be a coach to the individuals around you and help them to accomplish their goals faster and simpler.

Reasons to seek a Coach

People seek coaches for two basic reasons:

• A few individuals seek coaches to help them figure out a balance between their personal and professional lives.
• Others want coaches to help them become more productive in their businesses or help step-up their business.

Individuals are no longer looking for speedy or quick-fix answers. They are seeking ways to produce lasting changes in themselves, their lives and their businesses. The traditional consultant does not truly bring about lasting change. A coach is a kind of consultant who works with customers to come up with their own changes that are lasting.

1. Coaching is the next evolutionary stage of consulting. Coaching is often a blend of of business, finance, psychology, philosophy, transformation and spirituality. The process helps individuals get more of what they wish out of life, whether it concerns business success, fiscal independence, academic excellence, personal success, physical wellness, relationships or career planning.

2. Coaches are soundboards, support systems, cheerleaders and teammates all rolled into one. Bottom line; the job of a coach is helping other people realize their total potential.

3. Coaches utilize questioning skills, listening and motivational strategies to help individuals build the skills, knowledge and confidence required to better their professional and personal lives.

4. A coach is a collaborative partner who helps you achieve things. Coaching is not a replacement for personal responsibility and personal alteration or choice.

Why YOU Might Need a Coach

• Your business is not performing as well as you would like.
• You feel as though you are working harder and feeling less gratified by it all.
• Your business is doing well, but you cannot find the balance you seek.
• Your company is downsizing and you need help coping with your new work environment.

Once you have determined what your goals are, and where you want to end up in life, you can begin to make a decision about which situation can help you best. Are you looking for the ins and outs of making good connections and learning how to move forward in your own field? Or, are you thinking of branching out into something more entrepreneurial and need a sounding board? Mentors and coaches serve different, but often overlapping, functions.

Take your time. Get the help you need. Press on to your desired success.

To your continued success!!

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