What to Look for in a Business Mentor or Coach

Research & Sources / Mentorship & Sounding Boards

If you were about to climb a serious mountain, you would choose your guide carefully. Not by the colour of their jacket or the size of their website, but by what they have done, how they lead and whether you trust them with your safety. Choosing a mentor or coach deserves the same care. You are trusting them with your direction.

Mentor or coach?

A mentor shares their own experience: they have walked a path similar to yours. A coach helps you find your own answers through questions, feedback and structure. The International Coaching Federation describes coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that helps them reach their potential.¹ Many good advisors combine both roles, but it helps to know which one you need most.

Does it work?

The research is encouraging. A meta-analysis by Tim Theeboom and colleagues found that coaching in organisations had positive effects on performance, well-being, coping, attitudes towards work and goal-directed self-regulation.² A randomised study by Anthony Grant and colleagues found that executives who received coaching made more progress on their goals and showed more resilience than a comparison group.³ Mentoring also shows career benefits, especially on satisfaction and commitment.⁴

But averages hide big differences. The right person makes all the difference.

Six things to look for

1. Relevant experience. Have they worked with people in situations like yours: your stage, your industry, your kind of decisions? They don’t need to have done your exact job, but they should understand your world.

2. They ask more than they tell. In a first conversation, notice whether they mostly talk about themselves or mostly ask about you.

3. They are willing to challenge you. A guide who agrees with every route you suggest is not much of a guide.

4. Clear structure. How often do you meet? How long? What happens between sessions? How will you know it is working?

5. Confidentiality. What you share must stay private.

6. Chemistry and trust. You need to feel safe enough to be honest. Without that, even the best method will not work.

Questions to ask before you start

• “Who do you usually work with, and on what kind of questions?”
• “What does a typical engagement look like?”
• “How do you handle it when a client disagrees with you?”
• “How will we know whether this is working?”
• “When would you tell me that you are not the right person?”

Warning signs

• Promises of guaranteed results.
• One method for every client and every problem.
• Pressure to sign up quickly or for a long time.
• More talk about their success than about your situation.

What this means for you this week

• Write down the one question you most want help with.
• Decide whether you need mainly experience (mentor) or mainly thinking support (coach).
• Talk to two or three candidates before choosing.
• Agree on how you will measure progress from the first session.

Choose the guide you would trust on the steepest part of the mountain.

Sources

1. International Coaching Federation. About ICF (definition of coaching). coachingfederation.orgCoaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process” to maximise personal and professional potential.
2. Theeboom, T., Beersma, B. & van Vianen, A. E. M. (2014). Does coaching work? A meta-analysis. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(1), 1-18. doi.orgCoaching improves performance, well-being, coping, work attitudes and goal-directed self-regulation.
3. Grant, A. M., Curtayne, L. & Burton, G. (2009). Executive coaching enhances goal attainment, resilience and workplace well-being: a randomised controlled study. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(5), 396-407. doi.orgCoached executives made more progress on goals and showed more resilience and well-being than a comparison group.
4. Allen, T. D., Eby, L. T., Poteet, M. L., Lentz, E. & Lima, L. (2004). Career benefits associated with mentoring for protégés: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(1), 127-136. doi.orgMentored people report more career satisfaction and commitment; effects on pay and promotion are positive but small.