Why are we talking about mentors?
Annabel Venner, the former CMO of Hiscox was delivering one of TMM’s webinars about how to use research to build great campaigns.
During this webinar (which has some great takeaways on nailing market research), the subject of mentorship came up, and its safe to say the chat kind of, well, exploded!
The words ‘mentoring’ and ‘coaching’ were both used, often interchangeably, but we realised after a little investigation they’re very different.
This is why we’re talking mentorship – what it is, what it isn’t, and how you can go about seeking one if you feel it’s right for you.
What is the difference between a mentor and a coach?
If you use a popular search engine (cough, cough, *Google* cough, cough, others are available) to look up the differences between mentoring and coaching you’ll find a huge range of articles to choose from covering mentoring, coaching and sometimes even counselling and training too.
While definitions and opinions vary, some key differences between coaching and mentoring pop up regularly:
|
Coach |
Mentor |
|
Tends to be task/skill oriented |
Tends to be relationship-oriented |
|
Does not need to be in a similar role |
Does need experience in the same sector |
|
Normally shorter term |
Normally longer term |
|
More formal |
More informal |
|
Usually, performance focused |
Usually, development focused |
|
More direct |
More reciprocal |
Despite the differences, it’s easy to see why coaching can be confused with mentoring as both can have the same end objectives, and some coaches may also fulfil the role of a mentor too!
A great video about the difference between the two can be seen here, but in a nutshell, the purpose of mentoring is ‘to support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be.’ whereas coaching ‘aims to produce optimal performance and improvement at work by focusing on specific skills and goals, although it may also have an impact on an individual’s personal attributes such as social interaction or confidence.’
How do we define mentorship?
We view mentorship as a relationship where one individual (the mentor) enters the scenario with more experience beyond the other (the mentee). The mentor enters willing to share their knowledge – the mentee comes in keen to learn.
Mentorship for us isn’t about job title or seniority as much as it is knowledge transfer – there is an assumed level of inequality in knowledge. The inequality of experience is not just measured in years, it could be measured by skill or sector. (To use a stereotypical example, a 22 year old exec could mentor a seasoned marketer on TikTok strategy.)
Just because one person may know more about a specific topic, it doesn’t mean they are simply going to deliver this knowledge and walk away, the mentor can also gain a great deal from the relationship. Being a mentor helps give something back, and also helps the mentor discover more about themselves and their effect on others. It’s a two way street.
In terms of how the mentorship is conducted from a practical perspective, it helps to put parameters around what to expect, which is why we have set out a code of conduct for our mentor program (see here).
What isn’t mentorship?
If you look at the differences between coaching and mentoring, you’ll notice coaching conversations look to guide the person receiving knowledge to answer their own questions; coaching typically requires minimal, controlled sharing of experience and knowledge.
A mentor can of course provide solutions and suggestions, where appropriate, but these are offered based on life experiences and knowledge to help mentees, rather than being directive.
Mentoring is not training – while you may identify through discussion an area of training you think may help you develop, you will usually seek this training elsewhere.
Neither is it counselling – there is an assumption mentees are well enough to engage in and manage their own learning. Again, if the mentee is seeking help with emotional difficulties, it maybe they need a trained counsellor to provide them with support in addition to a highly trained mentor, or will simply need counselling.
How do I find a mentor?
There are lots of reasons why having a mentor may be the right choice for you. indeed recently published an article that gives you ten reasons why you need a mentor, and there are countless TED Talks and YouTube videos (a favourite one below) about the power of mentoring. Every person we have asked about mentoring have found it to be a positive learning opportunity, even if the experience has varied.
Matt McKie, Head of Marketing for The Olympic Games said (in another of TMM’s webinars you can watch here), sometimes you may have identified a mentor and they may be completely unaware they are being looked up to as such!
However, if you wish to create a more formal mentorship you should make sure the mentor is a good fit. Be direct about the problem or area you want support with and ask if they can help you. As Annabel agreed in her conversation with Joe, if you have a network of people you know, most people would be flattered to be asked, but it is up to YOU to drive it.
If your network is coming up short there are a number of organisations and websites you can visit (see list below). If you would like to take part in our mentor programme, either as mentor or mentee, see here.
Mentoring resources:
- mentorsme.co.uk – Britain’s first online gateway for businesses looking for mentoring services
- https://www.peerpioneers.com/