The Coach and the Mentor: Building an In-House Development Program That Actually Works

Business is Good with Chris Cooper · Mar 14, 2026 · 22m

Most companies reward their best people by promoting them out of what they're actually good at. Your top salesperson becomes a sales manager. Your best developer becomes a team lead. And suddenly you're paying them more to do a job they weren't trained for — while they generate fewer results doing the job they were hired for.

There's a better way. And it starts with understanding the difference between a coach and a mentor.

In this episode, Chris Cooper breaks down the two-track system the best companies use to develop their people from the inside. Coaches help employees apply company…