Coaching and mentoring

 Often employee coaching is confused with employee mentoring.

While they both are career development programs and both are needed for your employees at different stages, the differences are very important to understand.

In coaching, the Coaching relationships are typically shorter and coaching is used to achieve very specific goals that revolve around employee productivity and performance.
Preferably the coaches are hired from an outside source and it is considered as coach's responsibility to drive and sustain the relationship by setting tasks for the coachee to complete.

Mentoring is an ongoing relationship that is developed between a senior and junior employee.

Mentoring provides guidance and clear understanding to the junior employees, how the organization is going to achieve its vision and mission.
Informally, the immediate manager can be a mentor.