When I first entered senior leadership, I assumed that development followed a linear path: training programs, mentoring relationships, and then years of experience would gradually shape my abilities. I attended workshops, participated in leadership courses, and was fortunate to have mentors who generously shared their wisdom. Yet, despite all this, I sometimes felt stuck, unsure how to navigate complex decisions, uncertain how to grow beyond operational responsibilities, and aware that my leadership impact could be deeper.
It was only when I began working with an executive coach that I truly began to understand the difference between coaching, mentoring, and training, and the unique value each brings. Through reflection, I’ve realised that coaching offers something distinct: a space for discovery, self-awareness, and intentional growth that goes beyond instruction or advice.
Training: Learning the “What” and “How”
Training was the first approach I encountered in my leadership journey. It is structured, formal, and focused on acquiring knowledge or skills. In healthcare, for instance, I attended programs on conflict resolution, budgeting, regulatory compliance, and team management. The training provided concrete tools and frameworks, along with practical knowledge that I could immediately apply.
However, training often felt transactional. It gave me the “what” and the “how,” but rarely addressed the “why” or the deeper questions of leadership identity. For example, I could learn the mechanics of leading a cross-disciplinary team, but I struggled with aligning my approach to my personal values or adapting it to the unique culture of my organisation. Training informed my actions but didn’t always guide my reflection or help me understand my patterns and assumptions.
Reflecting on this, I realise that training is necessary, especially in early leadership roles, but it is only one part of the developmental puzzle. It equips you with skills, but not necessarily with the self-awareness or strategic insight required to lead with authenticity and impact.
Mentoring: Guidance from Experience
Mentoring was the next stage of my growth. I was fortunate to have experienced leaders who took the time to advise me, share lessons from their careers, and offer guidance on navigating organisational politics. Mentoring is deeply valuable because it draws on real-world experience. A mentor can answer questions, suggest solutions, and provide perspective that comes from having “been there before.”
Yet, reflecting on my experience, I realised that mentoring has its limitations. Mentors naturally guide based on their own experiences and worldview. While their insights are invaluable, they can sometimes unconsciously impose their assumptions or preferred approaches onto mentees. For example, I was advised to follow a particular strategy during a departmental restructure because it had worked for my mentor years earlier. While useful, it didn’t necessarily account for my leadership style, the dynamics of my team, or the specific challenges we were facing.
Mentoring is a directional process; it offers guidance and advice. Coaching, by contrast, is an exploratory process. It creates a space where I could examine my own decisions, motivations, and challenges without relying solely on another person’s experience. This distinction became clearer to me as I engaged in coaching sessions that encouraged self-reflection and personal insight.
Coaching: Facilitating Self-Discovery and Growth
Executive coaching felt different from the outset. My coach didn’t tell me what to do, nor did they provide solutions. Instead, they asked questions that challenged my assumptions, prompted reflection, and encouraged me to explore possibilities I hadn’t considered. Questions like: “What would you do if you weren’t afraid of failure?” or “How might your team respond if you led from your values rather than past habits?” encouraged me to look inward and develop my own answers.
This reflective approach was transformative. I began to understand not just what I was doing as a leader, but why I was doing it and how it affected others. Coaching helped me identify patterns in my behaviour, recognise my blind spots, and experiment with new ways of leading. Unlike mentoring, which often draws on the mentor’s experience, coaching empowers the individual to generate their own insights and solutions. Unlike training, which focuses on acquiring skills, coaching fosters self-awareness, intentionality, and long-term growth.
A Reflective Example from Healthcare Leadership
One situation illustrates this difference vividly. During a care home restructuring, I was under pressure to make rapid decisions while maintaining team morale and service user safety. A mentor might have suggested a course of action based on their experience. Training might have provided frameworks for change management or communication strategies.
Coaching, however, created space for deep reflection: “How do you want your team to feel during this change?” and “Which of your behaviours will support the culture you want to create?” These questions encouraged me to align my actions with my leadership values and consider the unique dynamics of my team. I felt empowered to make decisions rooted in authenticity, rather than simply replicating a model or following advice. The result was a more engaged team, a smoother transition, and a personal sense of integrity in my leadership approach.
Key Differences: Coaching vs. Mentoring vs. Training
Reflecting on my journey, I’ve identified several distinctions:
1. Training equips with knowledge and skills but often lacks personalisation or reflection. It answers the “what” and “how.”
2. Mentoring provides guidance based on experience, offering insight and direction, but it may reflect the mentor’s perspective more than the mentees.
3. Coaching facilitates self-discovery, reflection, and personal growth. It helps leaders align actions with values, develop awareness, and navigate complexity independently.
In essence, coaching is less about instruction or advice and more about empowerment. It is collaborative, reflective, and tailored to the individual’s context and aspirations.
The Transformative Impact of Coaching
Engaging with a coach has changed the way I lead. I am more self-aware, intentional, and resilient. I consider how my decisions impact staff, people, and the wider organisation. I pause to reflect before acting and experiment with new approaches while remaining accountable for outcomes. Coaching has not replaced training or mentoring; rather, it complements them by deepening understanding and translating learning into authentic, impactful leadership.
In healthcare, where the stakes are high, coaching provides a confidential space to explore challenges, develop strategic thinking, and cultivate the emotional intelligence required to lead complex, multidisciplinary teams. It has helped me transform pressure into purpose and uncertainty into opportunity.
Conclusion
Reflecting on my leadership journey, I see that coaching differs fundamentally from mentoring and training. Training teaches, mentoring guides, and coaching empowers. Coaching is not about telling you what to do or providing solutions; it is about enabling leaders to discover their own insights, develop self-awareness, and lead with authenticity.
For any senior leader, particularly those in high-stakes environments such as healthcare or corporate leadership, understanding this distinction is crucial. Embracing coaching can help you move beyond skill acquisition or advice-seeking to intentional, reflective leadership that inspires teams, drives impact, and aligns actions with values.
Coaching, mentoring, and training each have their roles, but the reflective and empowering nature of coaching has made the most profound difference in my leadership journey. It is not just a tool for improvement; it is a pathway to discovering who you can be as a leader, how you want to lead, and the legacy you want to create.