The two are often thought to be interchangeable – but they are not.

Coaches help executives or individuals anticipate and tackle specific industry challenges. They’re prescriptive and proactive by nature, actively participating in strategizing and co-creating successful outcomes with their clients.

A mentor/mentee connection is open-ended and can span long periods of time, the more formal coaching relationship is used to address specific issues — and after a challenge has been addressed, both parties typically move on.

A hybrid scenario can sometimes develop in which the coach/mentor role blurs. Certain issues are handled in a coaching construct, but the relationship is so strong that both parties opt to continue working through long-term challenges and opportunities.