What mentoring is, and which model to choose
Step 1 / 4·Three things often miscalled mentoring
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Learning objectives — after this module you will:
- Distinguish mentoring, coaching and sponsorship
- Know the four common mentoring models
- Choose a model based on the programme objective
Three things often miscalled mentoring
Define it clearly before designing anything.
A great many mentoring programmes fail at the definition stage: the organisation calls it mentoring but actually expects coaching, or expects sponsorship. These three differ in purpose, in who leads the conversation, and in what the participant receives.
Three concepts, three purposes
| Mentoring | Coaching | Sponsorship | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Share experience and give long-term career direction | Help the person find their own way through a specific problem | Use your standing and relationships to create opportunity for someone |
| Who talks more | The mentor talks a fair amount — experience is what gets shared | The coach says very little — questions are the main tool | The sponsor talks to OTHER PEOPLE about the person they back |
| Expertise required | The mentor must have walked the same path first | The coach need not know the field at all | The sponsor needs relational capital and credibility |
| Time frame | Long — months to years | Can be a single session, or a short series | Happens outside the meetings, where decisions get made |
The most common definition mistake
An organisation launches a mentoring programme but really wants to accelerate promotion for a group — that is sponsorship. The result is a mentee expecting to be put forward, a mentor who thinks sharing experience is the job, and both disappointed six months later. Say clearly, from the start, which kind this programme is.
Key takeaway: Mentoring shares experience, coaching asks questions, sponsorship creates opportunity — say which yours is.