Coaching and mentoring programs help build stronger and more successful organizations. Many professionals use the terms coaching and mentoring interchangeably. While it is an easy mistake to use them to mean the same thing, mentoring and coaching are very different in the business world. “Mentoring refers to a relationship in which someone within the company assists another person”, while coaching “is a formal relationship between a leader and a coach” (Underhill, 2007). To further understand the similarities and differences, one must examine each in greater detail. Both mentoring and coaching are relationships in which help develop a professional and work to achieve their desired results. The underlying values and beliefs of mentoring and…show more content… Many of the basic fundamentals and themes of both coaching and mentoring are similar, but that is where the similarities end. Scott stated, “If you want advice and help, go to a mentor. If you want to develop your own solutions, go to a coach” (Scott, 2009). Mentors tend to be someone the person selects, and generally has no agenda. Coaches, however, come with the job, and have very specific agendas. Since a mentor is generally self-selected, they tend to be more in favor, or biased, towards the person, where coaching is impartial and solely focused on…show more content… Mentors are chosen by the mentee because they are someone they respect and look up to. Mentors do not need to specialize in a specific area, have certain certifications or qualifications, or be considered an expert. Because of this, “mentoring often looks a lot like teaching, advice counseling, or feedback” (Underhill, 2007). Unlike mentors, coaches must be skilled professionals. They are chosen to help an employee based on their skill set and the objectives of the employee. Because of these differences, mentors generally do not get paid for their time. It is possible it could be reflected on their performance review as a positive skill, but monetarily, they do not receive anything. A coach gets paid for their time. It is a formalized program, in which the coach is given a set of objectives, and paid for the time it takes to coach the