Among the participants that attend my trainings, I see a range of leadership roles. Though some clearly identify themselves as coaches for example, at times during group sessions or masterclasses they offer, they are actually wearing a trainer hat.

If you identify yourself as a trainer in the first place, during a training you are often also the facilitator and specific moments, support an individual better in your role as a coach.

The role of a trainer, facilitator, coach, consultant and mentor, are at times very close or similar. At other times there is such clear distinction, there is no way we would see ourselves wearing the hat of any of the other roles mentioned.

The reason why it is useful to understand the different purposes and focus of these roles, is that it helps you see which skills you employ to be the best possible partner to your participant, coachee, client or mentee. And that, provides you clues about what to ask and receive feedback from them. Subsequently their feedback is valuable information for you to celebrate or identify your learning edge. Which skills do you want to develop knowing that?

I captured these five roles on one page to create an overview and briefly write down the purpose and focus of each of them. My intention is to help you identify which hats you wear. You might take it a step further and reflect on when you step into these different leadership roles.

By no means I want to say this overview is a fixed truth, due to viewpoints and experience we might redefine some content if we were to converse about it. Neither is it a complete overview but an excerpt of a much larger overview I created.