Having been in the privileged position this year (2020) to be simultaneously both a mentor and a mentee I have been reflecting on what these roles mean, and the value they both can bring to your career… If done right.
I’ve seen first hand what happens when expectations for the roles are not met by both parties. The frustrated mentee who schedules her mentor like a teacher only to find her meetings declined and the annoyed mentor who can’t get her mentee to take the initiative on owning her learning, never mind the meeting agenda.
In response to these often interchangeable terms I put together a simple matrix to make the different dynamics clear.
Don’t seek a mentor when you need a teacher, and don’t try to mentor when its clear your mentee needed a coach.
Some of the most important differences between coaching and mentoring are:
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