Mentoring & Coaching, Mentoring or Coaching, Mentoring vs. Coaching

I was talking with one of my clients today about mentoring and coaching. What I know to be true is that mentoring should be a time-limited, extremely professional WORKING relationship wherein the mentor guides, advises, and introduces the mentee in the ways of their world.

Oftentimes what happens in these relationships is that the mentee starts doing work for the mentor so it is critical that this relationship is time-limited because the mentee has to be pushed out of the next before resentment sets in.

Coaches are not mentors because their working relationship isn't necessarily time limited and the focus is on the client's entire life, not simply introductions and best practices for a particular career. Of course coaches and clients don't share workloads either so there's not the challenge of resentment.
Here is a wonderful summary of the amazing benefits of coaching.
And:
Here is a wonderful summary of the amazing benefits of mentoring.
Enjoy.