Do you know the difference between "coaching" and "mentoring"?
Most people don't. As a matter of fact, most
people use the two terms interchangeably as if
there is no difference. Well, there happens to be a big difference.
You could go to Webster's Dictionary but I don't think you'll find much help there.
As a matter of fact, just in case you're curious, I went to the dictionary for you, and
here's what I found:
Coach - A private tutor; a person who instructs.
Mentor - A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.
You see? Not a lot of help. It's nice to see that a coach should act as a private
tutor, but shouldn't he also be a wise and trusted counselor like a mentor? A mentor
should be a wise and trusted counselor, but
shouldn't he also teach? The two terms sure do
sound alike, but there is one, key difference.
I would have been in the dark on this issue if I were not involved in a deep
personal coaching and mentoring experience of my own. When I was twenty-one I coached
my first basketball team. It consisted of a group of boys who were, then, about five
years younger to me. I made my mistakes, but we became a good team, won most of
our games, and those around me embraced me as a good coach. I also, accidently became
a mentor. |
