Being a Coach is a very pleasant and rewarding experience, but it isn't easy, and it's not everyone's 'cup of tea'.

There seems to be a particular temperament that lends itself to successful coaching, one which is compatible with that of the outstanding manager. It's main characteristics are personal maturity, tolerance, patience and resilience.

The leader / manager who is intensely driven, highly focused, results oriented and persuasive / compelling, is going to find the coaching process frustrating. The substitution of 'inspirational leadership' often works but only with those who are already extremely well motivated to succeed.

The ideal Coach needs to have a 'strategic view' of things too, capable of seeing the big picture, open minded and responsive to input from diverse sources. There are no 'right' answers for the good Coach, just 'appropriate' ones.

A talent for active listening will make the job so much easier and the results more enduring. One needs to remember that the Creator gave us two ears and one mouth, and we should use them in proportion.

Careful and considerate listening will assist us to see the relationships between cause and effect, and the vital link to potential consequences. This is essential if we are to help the individual explore those consequences of behavioral options which could affect performance quality.

To keep the process moving forward, and also to cement in the options that could have value in the final solution, the effective Coach knows how to use the power of positive reinforcement - a little encouragement will go a long way to promoting the constructive movement towards desired results.

Clarity is secured by repeated summarizing and focusing interventions. This directive feedback is the best available confirmation that the process is working, and therefore worth continuing effort. Many small successes are infinitely more compelling than a few larger ones.

The final skill lies in being able to assist the negotiating process that is evoked by the selection of precise change behaviors. Helping an individual to come to terms with, and to reach a point of commitment to adapted behaviors, is critically important - it's an implied contract that binds Coach and Subject together for the protracted implementation period that follows. Success is not assured until the adapted behaviors become the 'norm'.

There's your 'tool bag'. All items are essential to success, and adeptness in use should never be taken for granted. Can you put them to work? Are you one of the select few who can leverage success through coaching others? Why not try out the case study and aptitude test on the Andros website. The rewards are phenomenal.