Competency-Based vs Transformational Mentoring – What’s the Difference and Which Should You Choose?

When we think of mentoring, we often imagine two people: an experienced mentor and a mentee eager to learn. Yet mentoring is far from a single, uniform approach. It’s more than the transfer of knowledge and experience — it’s also about mindset, values and the way we approach growth.

In practice, this means there are two main approaches: competency-based mentoring and transformational mentoring. Both bring great value, but they differ in depth, purpose and the kind of change they enable.

Competency-Based Mentoring — knowledge and skills

This approach can be summed up in a single sentence: “The mentor shows how to do something.”

Competency-based mentoring focuses on developing professional knowledge, skills and behaviours. The mentor: – shares their experience, – gives guidance and advice, – demonstrates proven solutions, – and offers feedback based on observable actions.

For example, if you’re learning how to manage projects, a competency-based mentor might walk you through the planning process, demonstrate best practices, and warn you about the pitfalls they once faced.

This approach works best when the mentee wants to master a particular skill — whether that’s presentation techniques, managerial ability or technical expertise.

Transformational Mentoring — discovering potential

Transformational mentoring takes things a step further. It’s no longer just about how to do something — it’s about who you want to become.

Here, the mentor supports development on a deeper, more personal level by: – helping uncover strengths and talents, – exploring values and beliefs, – encouraging mindset shifts, – and guiding the search for new perspectives and possibilities.

For instance, if you’re leading a team and feel stuck, a transformational mentor won’t hand you a ready-made formula. Instead, they’ll ask questions that help you understand why you react as you do — and how to shape your own authentic leadership style.

This approach is especially effective when the mentee is seeking more than a skill — when they’re looking for growth in identity, awareness and presence.

Which approach should you choose?

There’s no single right answer. Competency-based and transformational mentoring don’t exclude one another — in fact, they often intertwine.

If you want to strengthen specific skills quickly, start with competency-based mentoring. If you’re seeking deeper change, new perspective or a redefinition of direction, transformational mentoring will be a better fit.

The most effective mentors move fluidly between both worlds — sharing experience when needed, then stepping back to ask the question that sparks reflection and self-discovery.

Summary

Mentoring is more than a transfer of knowledge — it’s a process that can both support day-to-day practice and inspire long-term transformation.

Competency-based mentoring teaches you how. Transformational mentoring helps you understand why — and who you want to become.

The most lasting results appear when these two paths meet — when practice and reflection, skill and awareness, work hand in hand.