How to cultivate qualities that drive business success

Tools & Resources

Key learnings

The Leadership Presence Profile is a framework that identifies the qualities that a strong leader demonstrates.
You can embrace visionary thinking by identifying emerging trends, envisioning possible scenarios and use storytelling to energise people about the future.
Focus on personal growth and empower others by creating self-directed teams.
Try to exemplify company values in every action to cultivate a culture aligned with the organisation’s mission.
Clarify and translate the strategic direction into actionable goals, while holding yourself and your team accountable for results.
Build your understanding and empathy with your customers, and nurture strong internal and external networks.

How do you become an even better business leader than you are today? Whether you’re newly appointed or well-established in your leadership role, there’s always room for development. Here, Kirsty Waite, CEO and Founder of The Ethical Coaching Company shares her Leadership Presence Profile, a framework to help you cultivate the qualities that drive business success.

At the Ethical Coaching Company, we believe that true leadership is defined by presence—a combination of vision, influence, and the ability to build meaningful relationships.

The below Leadership Presence Profile is designed to help leaders at all levels, from the newly appointed to the seasoned, cultivate the qualities that drive business success. This framework focuses on four critical pillars: shaping the future, building the company, delivering high-value outcomes, and creating extraordinary relationships.

These pillars offer a frame of reference for a leader presence profile that, when delivering these attributes well, define and transform the leadership of your business. 

1. Shape the Future

Leaders who shape the future are visionary thinkers, capable of defining a clear view of what lies ahead. They use connected thinking to weave together diverse perspectives, fostering an environment that encourages innovation and experimentation. They inspire their teams to embrace the future with enthusiasm and purpose.

Defines a view of the future 

Identifies emerging trends 
Envisions possible scenarios and their implications 
Uses storytelling and simplification to energise people about the emerging future 
Continually evaluates and understands what’s important to our customers, markets and competition to develop insight into our positioning

Uses connected thinking 

Creates and sustains an environment that supports experimentation, rewards risk-taking and reinforces curiosity 
Collaborates to drive interaction, exploration and iteration 
Accommodates diverse perspectives 
Applies ideas across disciplines to yield unexpected positive results

Creates emotional resonance 

Tells stories in a way that inspires people to think differently 
Helps audiences understand themselves and their worlds  
Helps audiences reach for their potential and find meaning, conveys a higher purpose 
Describes something the audience knows to be true in a way they’ve not thought of before

2. Build the company

Building the company requires a commitment to personal and professional development. Leaders must not only grow themselves but also empower others by creating self-directed teams.

Exemplifying company values in every action, they cultivate a culture that aligns with the organisation’s mission and fosters high levels of engagement and performance.

Develops self and others 

Helps others to grow by providing coaching, feedback, assignments and guidance 
Actively focuses on their own development areas 
Leads and shapes the business culture

Builds self-directed teams 

Creates an environment to support and sustain highly motivated teams working to achieve common goals 
Knows when to bring people together for a common purpose and goals 
Exemplifies the values of the company in all aspects of behaviour

3. Deliver high-value outcomes

To deliver high-value outcomes, leaders must be able to translate the company’s vision into actionable goals. They must demonstrate executive presence, make tough decisions, and hold themselves and their teams accountable for results.

Effective communication and a strong personal brand are essential for inspiring others and driving the organisation forward.

Translate the vision for others 

Clarifies and translates the strategic direction into priorities, goals/objectives and metrics 
Inspires the team and helps them understand clearly the part they play as individuals related to and meeting the business strategic intent

Displays and lives executive presence 

Is a good senior representative/role model for the external world, clients and internal colleagues 
Demonstrates confidence, inspiration, appearance, drive and comfort among other executives

Delivers Results 

Rigorously drives self and others to achieve high levels of individual and organisational performance 
Consistently sets and manages expectations clearly 
Holds self and others accountable for results and commitments 
Can surface and resolve conflict  
Makes tough decisions

4. Create extraordinary relationships

The ability to create extraordinary relationships is crucial for any leader. This involves understanding and empathising with customers, building strong internal and external networks, and nurturing personal connections. Authenticity and positive intent are the hallmarks of leaders who excel in this area.

Stewards ultimate customer and colleague value 

Learns each client’s unique situation: their industry, context, business, challenges and opportunities 
Reframes their view from the perspective of the audience 
Develops senior level relationships with clients and works with them to create a mutually beneficial relationship  
Leverages the full capabilities of the business in a long-term and recurring way developing sustainability

Nurtures personal connection 

Is open, approachable and listens 
Initiates and works at building rapport with others 
Demonstrates awareness of, and manages own strengths, limitations and emotional tendencies 
Demonstrates empathy for others 
Acts with authenticity and positive intent

The Leadership Presence Profile is a comprehensive framework that guides leaders in shaping the future, building the company, delivering high-value outcomes, and creating extraordinary relationships. Whether you are a newly appointed leader or a seasoned executive, these pillars offer a pathway to not just manage, but to inspire and transform your organisation.

Kirsty Waite is the CEO and Founder of the Ethical Coaching Company, which is committed to helping leaders cultivate these attributes, ensuring they lead with integrity, impact, and lasting influence.

If you want to take your learning further, you can check out the book Kirsty has co-authored – Small But Mighty: The Business Leader's Guide to Growth, People and Performance – or get even more support from Kirsty and a group of likeminded business owners with the Go Further Group Programme.

Next steps…

Evaluate your current leadership style against the Leadership Presence Profile and see what areas you could strengthen.
Take a look at our article on strategic frameworks to help you with your identifying emerging trends, envisioning what opportunities and threats they may present, and making decisions about what to do about them.
Check out the book Small But Mighty: The Business Leader's Guide to Growth, People and Performance, or the Go Further Group Programme – learn at your own pace and get dedicated support from Kirsty and a group of likeminded business owners.
Watch Kirsty’s webinar on avoiding common mistakes when scaling your business.