This week, I share my experience with innovation coaching and innovation mentoring in response to questions from a recent blog post. Over the years I've mentored and coached hundreds of executives, teams and entire companies. Each one is unique and different and I walk away learning something from each and every one.

Over the years, I've talked about and posted many times on mentoring and coaching. Without my early mentor, Bob Davis, I'm convinced by career would not have turned out the way it did. So what is the difference between coaching and mentoring?

A coach provides specific instruction regarding how to improve your performance. For example, a baseball coach will help his team members improve specific functions, like pitching, catching or batting.

A mentoring relationship is less specific and looks more at the big picture. A mentor becomes more of a trusted adviser in areas that can cross personal and professional lines.

Based on my experience, everyone should invest in finding a mentor that can act as that adviser across personal and professional boundaries. The time to look for a mentor is not when things get tough. My advice is to find a mentor before you need them.

Here are the links mentioned in the show:

Innovation Mentor vs. Innovation Coach: Which Do You Need

* Innovation Coach: 4 Questions You Should Ask Before Selecting One

As I mentioned in the show, I'm thinking of starting an Innovation Mastermind Group targeted at “innovators” – people who are actively taking ideas and transforming them into breakthrough innovations. If this sounds like something you would like to hear more about, then add you name to the list of people interested.

Listen to this weeks podcast: Valuable Secrets From Innovation Coaches and Mentors S11 Ep52