What is the Difference Between a Mentor and a Mentor Coach?

The launch of the new ICF Competencies and ICF Code of Ethics has put a spotlight on the topic of mentor coaching. Coaches considering applying for an ICF credential find themselves wondering, do I need a mentor coach? What is the difference between a mentor and a mentor coach?

There is certainly some confusion in the marketplace, especially since the term ‘mentor’ is used in a variety of contexts to describe several differing roles. Here’s a quick primer.

What is a Mentor?

When you think of a mentor, many of you will envision someone who has been there and done that. A person who is perhaps a role model for you. Someone who has been where you want to go in your career (or your life) and who can share advice, wisdom and lessons learned.

It is said that one of the most famous mentor relationships in history was between Plato and his student Socrates. So significant was this mentorship, according to the history books, that Socrates went on to mentor Aristotle, who went on to mentor Alexander the Great.

A mentor could be someone who you talk with often in a formal or informal mentoring relationship or someone you admire from afar.

A mentor can be a senior leader in your organization, a high school guidance counsellor, or the stay-at-home mom next door. What they each have in common is experience with something that you want to learn more about. Although you may have several mentors throughout your coaching career, a mentor coach performs a different role.

What is a Mentor Coach?

A Mentor Coach is someone who mentors coaches. Mentor Coaching is a term that is widely used by the International Coach Federation to refer to a methodology for encouraging reflective practice in coach development. A Mentor Coach is someone who has acquired coach education and a track record of success in the field of coaching and who is deeply immersed in the understanding and integration of the International Coach Federation Coach Core Competencies as they relate to each ICF Credential level. The ICF Mentor Coach is an individual who is in the role of helping other coaches grow in the understanding and application of the ICF Coach Core Competencies.

Why Do You Need Mentor Coaching?

There are a number of reasons that you may need Mentor Coaching, particularly if you are an ICF member planning on earning ICF credentials. As I mentioned in my last post, How to Plan for the Changes to the ICF Competencies, participating in mentor coaching is a critical step in the process.

You will need to sign up for a mentor coaching program if you:

1. Have participated in coach training and you want to build your skills through practice and feedback by working with a Mentor Coach.
2. Are planning to apply for an ICF ACC credential and you are ready to start acquiring the 10 hours of Mentor Coaching required by the ICF.
3. Are renewing your ICF ACCcredential and you are ready to start acquiring the 10 hours of Mentor Coaching required by the ICF.
4. Are planning to apply for an ICF PCC credential and you are ready to start acquiring the 10 hours of Mentor Coaching required by the ICF.
5. Are planning to apply for an ICF MCC credential and you are ready to start acquiring the 10 hours of Mentor Coaching required by the ICF.

What Else Do You Need to Know About Mentor Coaching?

• Until 2021 when the new ICF Competencies and Code of Ethics are integrated into the assessment process, the current competencies are used
• All coaching assessments and mentor coaching will be based on the new ICF Competencies and Code of Ethics beginning in 2021.
• The 10 hours of mentor coaching required by the ICF can be completed in a combination of group and one-on-one mentor coaching sessions.
• Seven hours of the 10-hour mentor coaching requirement can be completed in a group.
• At least three hours of the 10-hour mentor coaching requirement must be completed one-on-one with a mentor coach.
• The 10 hours must be completed in no less than 3 months.
• All credentials renew on December 31st, three years from the date you acquired a credential.
• Renewal of an ACC credential requires ten additional hours of mentor coaching.
• Your Mentor Coach must have a credential at or higher than the credential you are applying for.
• If you are applying for an MCC credential, you must work with a different mentor coach than you did when acquiring a PCC credential.
• A PCC credential is required before applying for an MCC credential
• When applying for an ACC credential, your mentor coach must have held an ACC credential for at least one renewal cycle (3 years)
• If you are renewing a credential, your 10 mentor coaching hours also count as 10 Continuing Coach Education hours (CCE’s)
• Your mentor coach must provide you with an official Letter of Verification for submission to ICF on completion of your mentor coaching
• Mentor coaching must be focused on coaching skills not coaching on business-building, or topics not related to developing the coach

I’ve created a checklist to make it a bit easier to understand exactly what the requirements are for each ICF Credential. You can click the button below to download.

Send me the ICF Credentials Checklist

In the meantime, if you are thinking about Mentor Coaching, check out my Mentor Groups. 

Get the Next Mentor Coaching Group Details Here