Consultant, Mentor or Coach – What’s The Difference?

Kim Bryan Stoneking, CAE,  is President of Vantage Group and is part of Catalist Consulting. Providing business and life coaching as part of Catalist, he specializes in leadership and business development.  Contact him at stonekingkim@catalistconsulting.com  317-313-9522

Just last week I was speaking with a client describing how I partner with an individual or a business as a coach.  As I explained the difference between a consultant, mentor and coach, they suggested I put the information in a blog.  That is what I will attempt to do in this brief post.  When you hear the terms consultant, mentor or coach what comes to mind?  Do you see the terms as synonymous?   Many people do, and it is also likely that your definition of these different professionals will vary greatly from someone else.  Take it from someone who must almost daily scale the pre-conceived mental hurdles built by some people in order to explain exactly how I partner with a client.

I am a coach.  Plain and simple.  I do not consider myself a consultant, and while it is my pleasure to mentor a number of individuals, I am not a “mentor” by profession.  So what is the difference between a consultant, mentor and coach? 

First, would you agree with me that there is a separation between an individual and what they believe is their full potential?  I’ve never met anyone that would disagree with this assumption, understanding that this distance will vary greatly depending on the individual. 

Assuming that you want to close that gap for yourself and reach more of your potential, a consultant will tell you exactly how to do it.  They may provide excellent directions, recommend a couple of good books to help you, and throw in some powerpoint slides for good measure.  In short, a consultant usually gets paid for their advice.

The help of a mentor would likely consist of them explaining their own experience, what they did to reach more of their own potential, and then would conclude with encouraging you to follow a similar path.  Often, their advice is experiential and personal to them.   As with the consultant, this process can work albeit with limited success.

As a coach, I do not build a bridge from where you are today across to your potential and then proceed to drag you across.  I will however travel the road with you helping you discover for yourself where you want to be in future – providing encouragement, guidance and support all along the way.

Think back to when you learned to ride a bike.  A consultant could have explained to you how to ride a bike while explaining the act of pedaling, forward motion, and balance while a mentor might hop on your bike and ride around illustrating for you just how to ride.  These styles might have worked for you, but my guess is that you learned to ride through the support of a “coach” while you experienced trial and error.   As you got back on the bike and started to pedal, there was your “coach” running along side providing balance, encouragement,and  support as you gained more and more momentum and eventually…..SUCCESS!

No, there is no easy way to learn to ride a bike and coaching is not a “quick fix” process either.  As a coach, I am that person in my client’s corner partnering with them as they discover their full potential, reach greater success (both professionally and personally)and discover solutions to any challenge confronting them.