Part 2 of 2 with Amanda Jones from Leadership Shapers
In Part 1 of our conversation with Amanda Jones from Leadership Shapers, we explored the mindset shift business owners need to make as they move from founder, operator, or technical expert into true leadership. In Part 2, we take that conversation one step further.
This week, Liam Bailey from O’Brien Palmer and Amanda Jones discuss a real-life example of what happens when a business stops treating leadership as a “nice to have” and starts recognising it as one of the most important drivers of performance, culture, productivity, and profit.
The case study focuses on an accounting firm that became far more productive and profitable after working on its leadership, team culture, and internal communication from the top down. And the lesson is simple:
When leadership improves, the business improves. The business might not be broken, but it is stuck.
Like many professional services firms, the accounting business had good people, loyal clients, and technical capability. But something was not working as well as it should have been.
The team was busy, but not always productive. The partners were carrying too much. Communication was not always clear. Accountability was inconsistent. And the business was not performing at the level it could. This is a situation many founders and business owners will recognise.
From the outside, the business may look fine. Work is coming in. Staff are employed. Clients are being serviced. But underneath the surface, the owner knows the business is harder to run than it should be.
As Liam explains: “A business does not need to be in crisis to need better leadership. Sometimes the warning signs are quieter – low productivity, poor communication, frustrated staff, or owners who feel like everything still depends on them.”
That is often where the real opportunity lies. Not in working harder or pushing the team further. But in changing how the business is led.
Culture starts at the top
One of the strongest messages from Amanda is that culture is not created by posters on the wall or values written in a handbook. Culture is created by behaviour and it starts at the top. How leaders communicate and make decisions. How the leaders handle pressure and give feedback. How they deal with conflict and how they set standards.
Amanda puts it simply: “The team will always take its cues from the top. If leadership is unclear, the team becomes unclear. If leadership is inconsistent, the team becomes inconsistent. But when leadership becomes intentional, the whole business can shift.”
In the accounting firm case study, the improvement did not come from one dramatic change. It came from a series of practical leadership shifts with clearer roles, better conversations stronger expectations, more trust and more accountability. There is also more honest communication between the leaders and the team.
Over time, those changes created a business where people knew what was expected of them, felt more engaged in their roles, and were better equipped to do their best work.
Good leadership improves profit
Leadership is sometimes seen as a “soft” business issue. But there is nothing soft about the commercial impact of a team that is confused, disengaged, unsupported, or unclear. Poor leadership costs money. It shows up in missed deadlines, rework, staff turnover, client dissatisfaction, low morale, and owners who are constantly dragged back into the day-to-day.
Good leadership does the opposite. It creates focus. It improves decision-making. It helps people perform and gives the owner more time to lead instead of constantly fixing problems.
As Amanda explains: “When people understand their role, trust their leaders, and feel part of the direction of the business, performance changes. Productivity is not just about systems. It is about people knowing how to succeed.”
For the accounting firm, that shift translated into a more productive and profitable business. Not because the team suddenly worked longer hours but because they worked with more clarity, alignment, and confidence.
Founders cannot carry everything forever
For many business owners, especially in professional services, the business starts with personal effort. The founder wins the clients, they do the work, they manage the team, solve the problems and keep the business moving.
That might work in the early years but it definitely isn’t sustainable forever. At some point, the founder becomes the bottleneck. Liam sees this pattern often when working with business owners under pressure.
“Many founders are incredibly capable, but that can become part of the problem. They are so used to carrying the business that they do not always realise they are stopping the team from stepping up.”
That is why leadership development matters. It helps business owners move from control to trust. From doing everything themselves to building a team that can perform without everything sitting on the founder’s shoulders.
The human side of business performance
What makes this conversation so important is that it does not treat business performance as just a numbers issue. Yes, revenue matters, but behind those numbers are people.
Owners who are exhausted. The teams who need direction and to feel valued, managers who need support and clients who want consistency. When leadership improves, people feel it.
The business becomes calmer. Communication becomes easier. Decisions become clearer. The team becomes more confident.
Amanda says: “Leadership is about creating an environment where people can do their best work. When people feel clear, supported, and accountable, the business becomes healthier.”
It is about creating the conditions for people, and the business, to thrive.
If your team is underperforming, communication is poor, productivity low, if the owner is exhausted and still carrying everything, start by looking at leadership. Because the way a business is led shapes the way a business performs.
As Liam says: “Whether a business is growing, stuck, or under pressure, leadership is always part of the equation. Strong leadership gives people clarity, and clarity gives a business a much better chance of thriving.”
The accounting firm in this case study did not become more productive and profitable by accident. It improved because its leaders were willing to look honestly at how the business was operating, how the team was functioning, and what needed to change.
If your business is under pressure, feeling stuck, or relying too heavily on you as the owner, now is the time to step back. At O’Brien Palmer, we help business owners understand their position, protect what matters, and find the best path forward.
And if you’d like to get in touch with Amanda Jones, her details are below.
For a confidential conversation with the team at O’Brien Palmer, please contact us, or make contact from our details below:
O’BRIEN PALMER
(61) 2 9232 3322 
obp1@obp.com.au 
https://obp.com.au
LEADERSHIP SHAPERS
hello@leadershipshapers.com.au https://leadershipshapers.com.au/
Leadership Starts at the Top:
Why Founder Mindset Shapes Business Performance
Part 1 of 2 with Amanda Jones from Leadership Shapers
When a business is under pressure, most founders look first at the numbers. Revenue. Cash flow. Margins. Productivity. Staff costs. And those numbers matter. But behind many business performance issues sits something deeper: leadership.