Leticia Keith Mentoring vs coaching – learn the 5 key differences
27 November 2020
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People who want to work on their personal development often come across the term coaching and mentoring. These methods of personal development are usually confused with each other because the differences between them are minimal (but they do exist!). Both forms of personal development work are used in the business sector. How to distinguish between them?
Basic differences
Mentoring and coaching are methods intended to contribute to personal development. Although both forms are intended to help develop an individual, they are slightly different from each other
The basic differences between these methods are presented in an accessible way in the table:
| coaching | mentoring | |
| goal | focus on the short-term goal | focusing on long-term consequences, beyond the goal |
| methods | moderation, observation, stimulation to independent action | giving concrete advice and hints |
| methods of working with the client | listening, asking questions and observation | telling about own experiences |
| main features of a teacher | empathy | experience |
| determination of goal achievement | on the basis of the mentee’s mental capacity | on the basis of other people’s knowledge |
Mentoring, or what?
Mentoring is a form of partnership between a “master” and a “student”. Through this relationship, the “student” discovers and develops the potential of their personality. The mentor, on the other hand, plays the role of a teacher who is an expert helping to find the right path. Mentoring as a method of development focuses on providing guidance and assistance in creating success.
Benefits of mentoring:
- is very flexible, so it can be tailored to individual needs,
- increases the involvement of the “learner”,
- does not exclude other forms of training,
- it is individual oriented,
- it is relatively cheap.
Types of mentoring
The increase in interest in personal development has given rise to different types of mentoring that can be tailored to individual needs. Some of the most popular include mentoring:
- corporate (in business) – found especially in larger corporations, where the mentor is an advisor and guide to his or her “student” at various stages of their career,
- industrial – a mentor is a person responsible for training which is necessary to obtain appropriate professional qualifications,
- social – refers to support for people who are in a difficult life situation and need advice and mental support when making important decisions
A few words about coaching
Coaching is classified as a psychological method, it is a process of realizing oneself under the supervision of a coach, in order to increase one’s effects and achieve desired goals. The role of the coach is to direct the thoughts of the “student” in such a way that he/she comes up with an idea to solve his/her problems. During a session, a coach asks a lot of different questions to show the “student” the world from a different perspective. The coach usually has knowledge of psychology and effective motivation.
Benefits of coaching:
- increases motivation,
- stimulates creativity,
- increases flexibility of action,
- helps in taking up new challenges independently,
- is a support for the career,
- allows for skillful balancing of time between work and personal life.
Types of coaching
In coaching, several types can be distinguished, taking into account the spheres of life, the improvement of which is focused on. We distinguish coaching:
- personal – focusing on building the student’s own “I”,
- life – concerning personal life and interpersonal relationships,
- medical – involves working with patients and medical staff,
- professional – focused on development and career of the trained person,
- executive – involves working with staff who manage a company,
- investment – includes activities in the field of widely understood investments,
- business – which aims to help develop a business
- group – meetings are held in groups with similar “challenges”.
Despite the differences, both coaching and mentoring are great ways for personal development. When choosing a particular method, it is worth taking into account your own predispositions, the nature of your work and your abilities
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What is a proactive mindset and how do you enhance it?
In life, some people go with the flow and some people choose their own path. These two attitudes are called reactive and proactive.
Proactivity is considered one of the elements of productivity and the key to achieving success and harmony. Proactive people do not need external guidance, they make their own decisions and actions and are willing to take responsibility for them. In contrast, reactive people blame others for their failures and take a passive approach to problems and change. Therefore, it is the proactive attitude that is desired in every area of life. So how to develop it?
What is proactivity?
In humanistic psychology, the term proactivity means a conscious reaction of a person to stimuli from the external world. In other words, it is a conscious desire to influence the events, phenomena and processes occurring around him. A proactive person is able to choose for himself how to react to this or that event or situation. He or she does so on the basis of analysis and careful evaluation rather than impulse and emotion.
Proactivity is not easy – it requires the ability to anticipate and consider different options for events, to make important and informed decisions, and to take responsibility for one’s entire life.
In his book “7 habits of effective action” Stephen Covey points out that external factors in the life of each person can be divided into two spheres, the so-called circles – the circle of influence (internal) and the circle of interest (external). The former defines those factors over which we have influence and the latter those that are beyond our control. A proactive person focuses on accomplishing the tasks in the circle of influence, while a reactive person devotes more attention to complaining about those factors that they cannot change.
The benefits of a proactive attitude
Being proactive in any area of life significantly increases our performance and leads to success. Going with the flow is much easier than struggling, but it is through struggling that we can achieve what we want and realize our dreams.
Stephen Covey considers proactivity as an essential skill of highly effective people. In his book, the author lists such advantages of a proactive attitude as:
- the ability to set goals and achieve them;
- a responsible approach to one’s life;
- understanding that no matter what happens, we have a choice;
- awareness of one’s own free will;
- developing creative thinking and imagination in finding solutions.
How to develop a proactive attitude?
Proactivity is a definitely desirable trait and characteristic of successful people. Fortunately, you can work on it and develop the right habits. Here are some tips on how to achieve it and what to pay attention to.
Act within your circle of influence
If you want to become more proactive, you should think about what is in your circle of influence. Don’t waste valuable time with anger, resentment and other negative emotions. Instead, ask yourself, can you make a difference? If you can, think about how. Do this every time you encounter a problem. You’ll quickly notice that you approach them more calmly, all your efforts directed toward finding solutions.
Analyze thoroughly
Try to assess each situation from different perspectives, try to predict the development of events and assess what you can do at the moment and with your current resources. Also analyze your own reactions and thinking. Draw conclusions from your own experiences, learn from your mistakes and ask questions that will lead you to solutions.
Manage your time properly
If you want to be more proactive, set yourself smaller and bigger goals and define what you need to achieve them, then achieve them. Plan ahead and organize your time so that you waste as little time as possible on unimportant and unnecessary things.
Prevent problems
On a blank piece of paper, write down which areas of your life are most important to you: family, health, career, finances, etc. Now think of possible problems in each of them. Once you identify them, try to figure out how you can protect yourself from them.
If it’s health, get a medical checkup in a timely manner. Change your nutrition, play sports. Devote enough time to sleep and rest. In the financial realm, the ability to budget comes in handy. Set aside a portion of each paycheck to have savings for emergencies and unforeseen circumstances.
Make informed decisions
Understand the implications of your decisions and make them thoughtfully rather than impulsively. Your actions should be the result of analysis and planning, not emotion and chance. If things go wrong, you are responsible for them, no one else.
Feel positive
Throw out of your vocabulary: “impossible”, “can’t do”, “can’t do”. Instead, focus on what you can and can do, and do it. Keep a positive attitude and believe in your abilities. It’s also not worth wasting time on complaining and negative emotions that won’t produce any results and won’t change anything.
A proactive person in anything and everything will always find the right way out and a productive solution. Remember that your life belongs only to you and only you can change it for the better. Your decisions are the basis of all positive and negative changes, so don’t be afraid to take responsibility for them and become the master of your fate.
Main photo: Brooke Cagle/unsplash.com
Predispositions for the profession of psychology. Check if you have them!
Psychology is a field that is developing very quickly. To become a real professional and succeed, you need to have certain qualities and predispositions. What are they? We will tell you about it in this article. Check it out!
Professional and personal portrait of a psychologist
Let’s start by reviewing the key qualities that help and hinder the work of a psychologist.
| Helpful qualities | Disruptive traits |
| Mental and emotional balance | Mental and emotional imbalance |
| Unconditional love and interest in people | Contemptuous attitude toward people or certain groups |
| Openness to others | Secretiveness and shyness |
| Empathy | Lack of empathy and indifference |
| Respect for boundaries, rights, freedoms of oneself and others | Authoritarianism and lack of respect for others |
| Objectivity and consistency in judgments and thoughts | Subjectivity and inconsistency in judgments and thoughts |
| Calmness and patience | Impulsiveness |
| Autonomy and self-sufficiency | Dependence on other people |
| Willingness to help others and ability to ask for help | A tendency to self-affirmation at the expense of other people |
| Positive attitude | Pessimism |
| Activity | Passivity |
The main tool of a psychologist is his personality. To become a good specialist, you need to invest time, effort and finances in your development.
The qualities that every psychologist needs are sensitivity and empathy. It is impossible to function in such a job without sincere sympathy, tolerance and interest in the patient’s story. The ability to feel other people’s pain is a trait that is given by nature. The ability to deal with one’s own feelings is a professional skill that a psychologist can learn.
Motives
Experts at the Institute of Applied Psychology conducted their own research and, based on interviews with students, identified several reasons why people want to be psychologists:
- they want to help others and change the world;
- they want to earn a better salary;
- they themselves have experienced trauma and crises, and therapy has helped them, so now they want to help others.
The most important things in the work of a psychologist are interest in the case, love for people and a sincere desire to help. With this approach, you can become a true and good specialist.
Professional qualities and skills of a psychologist
In addition to the right personality, a psychologist must also have certain professional skills that will help him work with people. Fortunately, most of them can be mastered with systematic study and practice. Here are some of the most important skills that a psychologist cannot do without.
Communication skills
A good psychologist should have developed communication skills. After all, his main task is to establish contact with the patient, to gain his trust. The entire psychological assistance session is based precisely on communication. A competent psychologist knows how to choose the right words, when it is better to speak and when it is better to keep silent and listen. It is also important for him to be able to communicate with different types of people, since each patient is unique and reacts to the psychologist in his own way.
Emotional intellect
A psychologist must have a well-developed emotional intelligence. In psychology, it is understood as the ability to recognize the emotions of the interlocutor, correctly understand his motives and desires, and manage his own emotional state. Emotions play an important role in psychology and communication.
Insight
Many people are skeptical of psychologists and do not believe they can help. Such people come to the session “fully armed” and build a wall around themselves. Therefore, a psychologist must be able to penetrate this wall – for this purpose a sense of keen observation and the ability to quickly assess the other person are useful.
main photo: pexels.com/cottonbro
