Building on my previous post, I got a friend who asked me about the difference between a Mentor, a Coach and a Consultant. She seemed confused about which one should she call on one of the projects she’s leading, so I thought why not share it with the world as well.
Mentor: Someone who has a considerable amount of experience in a specific field, topic, industry and uses it to guide others, to show them where to look, sheds light on the dark spots they are not seeing.
Coach: Someone who has the skills and know how of asking the right questions to people to extract ideas, concerns and decisions from them. So the coach actually works through the other person to get results rather than show them the way or guide them into a solution.
Consultant: Someone who has the knowledge and expertise in a certain field, topic or industry along with the skills of how to facilitate discussions and ask the right questions to be able to give you the best solution for a specific issue or problem you are facing. So if you want you can consider a consultant as a meeting points between Mentor and Coach, yet doesn’t full engulf both.
So in a simplified manner, a Coach helps you come up with what you want and what your goals are, a Mentor shows you the way to get there, and a Consultant gives you the means and tools to actually get there.
I personally have had all three and I’m thankful for my Coaches, Mentors and Consultants for helping me in being where I am today 🙂
Other interesting posts:
Afif's 