Coaching and mentoring gets a lot of publicity, to the point that one could believe success is not possible without a personal coach or mentor.
The word ‘mentor’ comes from Greek mythology. In Homer’s Odyssey, Mentor was a friend of Odysseus. When Odysseus went off to the Trojan Wars, he left his son Telemachus in the care of Mentor whose role was to raise and educate the boy as if he were his father.
This is the origin of the word ‘mentor; a trusted friend, counsellor and teacher. It is usually an older and wise person, someone who takes a long term and broad interest in the development of a younger person, the protégé or mentee. It would be rare for someone to have more than one, or maybe two, mentors in a lifetime.
Coaches have long been used to assist sports men and women reach levels of performance they would not have been able to achieve on their own. Now coaching is also an integral part of executive and personal development. It may be carried out by specialist consultants, by senior managers in an organisation, and by the line managers of the people being coached.
As in the sports field, coaching focuses on specific aspects of performance and career development, using feedback, training and a host of personal development and motivational techniques. It may be formalised in organisations or left to develop along lines of personal relationships.
Finally we have life coaching. Life coaching is virtually mentoring by professionals. It helps people reach their full potential in all aspects of their lives. Top business people, politicians, actors and Olympic athletes all use life coaches.
It’s not that one cannot be successful on one’s own, but in the most complex and high stakes game you’ll ever play, it’s good to have an expert in your corner.