By Jeremiah T. Pampolina
In understanding the meaning of a word, one of my mentors always asks me what the meaning of the word is first. By definition by Merriam-Webster, a mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person while a coach is a person who teaches and trains an athlete or performer in achieving a specific personal or professional goal.
Which one would you prefer to have in your life? A mentor or a coach?
Mentoring
For me, I have many mentors in life. I have a mentor in my work, in my business, in my teaching, in my family life and in my spiritual life. Who says you can only have one mentor? Mentoring is an experienced person guiding a less experienced person. By sharing one’s life or expertise in that particular field that he or she is, I am learning which can be applicable to improving my mindset and how I am getting better as a person with different roles in life.
Coaching
On the other hand, I also have had coaches in different parts of my life. I had a coach for the sports I played such as taekwondo (when I was in college), tennis (during my first few years of working) and recently golf. I also had a coach in my business and my work that drives me to achieve a certain goal. Coaching in my experience is a more tangible and specific method in teaching and unleashing the potential of a person to achieve his or her goals. For sports, it is to win the game. In work, it is about achieving financial results, expanding one’s network or creating value for customers with a deadline.
Which one is better?
According to an article in Forbes by Pradeep Chakravarthy, “Both mentoring and coaching have their use in the leadership interventions of organizations, but leaders need to be clear about what they are doing, what the other person needs and what the situation needs.”
For me both are better. Who says one can only be achieved by being one or the other? I say we can be both and more. A wise and experienced educator for 35 years that I had the privilege of knowing, would even go to boldly state that useless is one without the other. We look for our mentors and coaches in life as they will not be looking for us. This is our life. Also, when we do find our mentors and coaches, let us cherish and value their time by being prepared when we meet them as their time is precious. Finally, let us pay it forward by being mentors and coaches to the next generation as well. One of my international mentors and coaches used to say, “Focus out.”
Focus Out
What does this mean? It means the moment we start helping, guiding, growing, coaching, mentoring and leading others… the more we get back in return, the more we expand, the more we grow ourselves and our country. For those looking for mentors or coaches, keep looking and keep asking. For fellow mentors and coaches, let us keep expanding and engaging. Life is more than just about achieving our own goals for our families and ourselves but it is about helping others and other families achieve their goals as well.
Jeremiah T. Pampolina is a part-time faculty at the Management and Organization Department of the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University, where he teaches Strategic Management. He is also a Vice President of Strategic Planning and Investor Relations of a real estate company and a business development consultant.
The views expressed above are her own and does not necessarily reflect the official position of De La Salle University, its administration, and faculty.