I taught a webinar recently as part of the missional coach training process. Because this particular webinar had to be pre-recorded—and therefore not as interactive as I usually prefer—I asked for written insights from those who attended. The idea was not for them to feed back to me what I had said, but to see what new understandings the webinar triggered in their own thoughts.
One attendee, David Davenport, made what I see as a helpful distinction between a coach and a mentor: “It seems to me that the biggest difference between a coach and a mentor is that in a mentor relationship we celebrate the mentor’s wisdom, knowledge and guidance; in a coaching relationship, we celebrate the victories and achievements of the coachee.” He’s right: the focus of the celebration makes a substantive difference.