"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."

The difference between a mentor and a coach

A coach helps individuals or groups improve specific skills or achieve particular results. A career coach helps someone prepare for a job interview.

On other hand a mentor helps a person to develop their professional and personal life through a long term relationship. A senior executive mentoring a younger colleague on career development and leadership.

Why is mentoring important?

• Mentoring helps to reduce the learning curve of mentees.A mentor is an experienced person who has done the hard work in achieving success in a particular area, the mentee is a newbie. Now the mentee can take the help of the mentor to reduce the learning curve with his knowledge and experience.

• Clear solutions and Precise feedback to move forward. In the journey of learning there will be doubts and mentees may get stuck at certain times. Mentor can help overcome those situations.

• A mentor can give insight to details regarding the topic which normally the mentee will not be able to identify.

Let me give an example to illustrate these points

I asked a person whom I consider a mentor in toastmasters how to maintain good eye contact. He explained to me how he does that. Consider the audience has 10-15 people, sitting in three or four rows, start looking at a person in the left side of first row, then look at the center and then look at person a person in the right part in the second row and on. Then repeat the same process through out the speech. He continued explaining you don't have to look at every person in the room, this process will create an illusion that you are looking at every one.

Now let me contrast his answer with the points about the importance of mentoring.

• Reduction of learning curve He explained to me how he does that after years of experience. For me to learn the same may take years. But when he explained I was able to understand the point instantly. Precise feedback
• He gave me a clear answer. Didn't say something like you have to look at everyone or something generic. He explained in step by step what to do.
• Nitty gritty explanation When we are mentees we will not be able to see a lot of details. If I didn't ask him this I would never know how he does this.

Conclusion

• Mentoring is important because it reduces learning curve of mentees
• Good mentors are able to take forward mentees when they are stuck with precise feedback
• Mentors will be able to convey detailed stuff Which otherwise you may miss.