Coaching for results - coaching versus mentoring
When I first began my coaching journey , I was surprised at the number of people who call themselves coaches and mentors . Coaching is a very different process from mentoring and people often use them interchangeably although they are such different roles .
A mentor is usually a subject matter expert and typically offers advice and expertise on how to complete a specific function and/or acquire a new skill. He/she then quietly stands by and observes while you try out your new skill. The mentor would then swoop in and offer suggestions and tools to help you improve or recognise your success and continue to help you expand your subject specific skills. The process continues until you have succeeded and may perhaps even be a position to mentor others .. voila that's it in a nutshell!
A coach however serves a very different role . They help you bridge the gap between where you are versus where you want to be , yes very much like a mentor but this is where the similarities ends. A coach allows you to expand your capacity by supporting you and driving you to find your way forward by allowing you to uncap your specific skills and utilising it fully. They help you look at things differently and open you up to seeing more possibilities and acquiring insights with no judgement or bias . A coach helps you identify and eliminate barriers to your effectiveness and smoothly shift gears so that you can move forward quickly and sucessfully .
For me the best part of being a coach is that you allow your client to fully experience permanent growth and shifts. No two brains are the same so my way of dealing with situations will not resonate with you and even work for you because it would be like an actor on the stage . You are wearing a mask ( say here my face is the mask) and trying to use skills that are not truly yours but that are rather mine and have worked for me because of my unique character and wiring . In the time of stress and drama the mask falls off and the real you under the mask is exposed . You are left with no clue what to do next because quite frankly you have not thought deeply about what you can and should do and acquired proper cognitive skills that will work naturally for you both under normal circumstances and for "abnormal" ones. The proper tapping into your potential and then using it allows you to be authentic and effective effortlessly and conscioulsy in all situations and scenarios.
So yes mentoring is absolutely wonderful if you want to learn an established process to say fix a water cooler on a Compressing line in a Manufacturing environment but to become an effective leader /manager or the best version of yourself and to truly resolve challenges and achieve real goal success, coaching is the way to go.
I use a very neurological based approach to ensure that your brain works with you and for you to truly optimise success. I love hearing my clients say : "wow this has changed my life,'" and actually believing them because I know that they have truly tapped in to their true abilities and potential and will be able to move forward using these skills.
If you would love to find out more about results coaching , do reach out . I am happy to share the actual nuances of the process and if you're keen , coach you to your onward success.
Much love
Pumani Ayer
Kinsana HR Solutions