It’s understandable that you might think that a mentor and coach are the same, but in actuality they are not. So what is the difference if both are advocates for career development and support personal and professional growth?

A mentor is someone who acts as an advisor and role model. They are successful people who share their personal hard-won wisdom to giveguidance and insight to a mentee who may face the same challenges as they journeythrough on their career path. This mentor connection is open-ended and addresses specific issues as they arise. Mentors can leverage their connectionsto introduce you to influential community leaders that you wouldn’t otherwisehave access to. Mentoring is development driven and focuses on the individual’spersonal growth and career development for their future.

A coach is someone who is brought in to anticipate and proactively tackle challenges. They often are in the same line of work as the people they are helping and are usually trained and certified coaches who possess strong management and leadership skills. A coach actively strategizes to develop people’s strengths over a period of time to achieve a successful outcome. Coaching is performance based and addresses specific targeted areas of focus at work.

Whether you are looking for a mentor or a coach, reach out to the YPN Alumni for valuable life experience and advice. They will challenge you to elevate your skills to the next level and achieve higher purpose and personal fulfillment. As Zig Ziglar, famous leadership coach, stated, “A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone elsethought they could.”

Applications will be opening next week for the Mocha with Mentors Mentoring Program. Click here for more information. 

Author: Angil Wanner, Mocha with Mentors Program Leader