Question

How do you distinguish mentoring and coaching in a professional setting? If you were to mentor someone in a professional setting, what are 3 or more agenda items that you believe are important to talk about during your first mentoring meeting?

The Subject is Evaluation, Coaching and Mentoring

Answer 1

Mentoring is defined as a long term process that is created on trust and respect. Coaching, on the other hand, is defined as a short term process that is created on professional relations. Mentoring is focused on creating an informal association with the mentee while coaching follows a formal and structured approach.

There are the following three agenda items that would be important to talk about during the first mentoring meeting.

1. The first and foremost agenda would be knowing basic things about the mentee as it would make him open for an informal discussion. These basic things are where he resides, who else is in his family, what he likes and loves, etc.

2. The second agenda would be telling him about myself so that he knows who he is talking to. It would include the basic details he can connect and relate to.

3. The third agenda would be knowing his strengths and weaknesses. It would include what he is good at, what he is afraid of, what he does not like, and what makes him angry or frustrated. It is to know his strengths and weaknesses so that he can be guided and helped accordingly.