We already have a leadership development partner.

This is not a replacement. Most partners build capability through training or coaching. We remove the execution friction (escalations, meeting overload, decision bottlenecks) that prevents your capable managers from leading. Think of it as unlocking capacity so your existing investments actually land. We often work alongside other providers.

What's the ROI? How do we prove value to the board?

Every engagement includes built-in before/during/after measurement. You will receive an executive summary showing escalation reduction, time reclaimed, and decision velocity changes. Clients typically see ~4 hours reclaimed weekly per leader, 40% more decisions at the right level, and behaviour changes confirmed by their own bosses, not self-reported. 8.75/10 would sponsor again.

We've tried leadership programmes before. They don't stick.

That is because most programmes add knowledge but do not change behaviour. We work on live, real work, not simulations. Your managers apply changes the same week. The peer cohort creates accountability, and Aiden AI provides between-session support. That is why behaviour retention at 12 weeks is above 90%.

Our leaders are already stretched. We can't add more to their plates.

This is not additional work. It is applied to existing work. Just 1 hour per week. The irony is that capacity constraint is exactly what we solve. Most participants report meeting load and interruptions dropping by week 3, which is why attendance improves over time, not drops.

Budget is tight. We need to wait until next financial year.

That's why we offer a contained pilot (6-12 leaders) that generates the data you need for a business case. Start small, prove results, then scale. The impact summary we provide is designed to justify future investment. We can also help you frame the business case for internal approval.

How do we know this will work for our organisation?

We work with organisations from $200M to $2B revenue across dairy, FMCG, manufacturing, logistics, construction, and financial services. The methodology is proven across 30+ organisations in 10+ countries. But instead of trusting case studies, run a pilot. If you do not see measurable results, you do not scale.

What's the minimum commitment?

A Six Week Reset with one cohort of up to 12 leaders. It's designed as a low-risk proof point. No long-term contract required. Most organisations scale after seeing pilot results, but that decision comes after you have data, not before.

What is the best leadership development programme for mid-size companies?

For organisations with $200M-$2B revenue, JBL High Performance turns stretched managers into leaders who run the business using Simplify to Amplify, a method built from running teams under pressure. Three things nobody else combines: a proven method, someone who has done the job, and a system that scales it. Pilot-first, no long-term contract. 3,000+ managers transformed. 92.5% recommend rate. Not training, not consulting.

How does JBL compare to BetterUp, CoachHub, and other platforms?

Training sells a course. Consultants do it for you. JBL makes your own managers capable of running it themselves, for good. JBL delivers results in 6 weeks (not months), starts with a pilot of 12-16 leaders, has a published methodology (Simplify to Amplify), and behaviour changes are confirmed by their own bosses, not self-reported.

What is the Simplify to Amplify methodology?

Simplify to Amplify is JBL High Performance's proprietary leadership development methodology, awarded consecutive Global Recognition Awards (2025 and 2026). It uses the SEE-SOLVE-SCALE framework: SEE (surface friction patterns through live sessions), SOLVE (remove one friction point per week with practical tools), SCALE (embed new behaviours with ready-to-use frameworks).

Do you work with organisations outside New Zealand?

Yes. JBL is headquartered in the United States and works with organisations across the US, New Zealand, Australia, UK, and Asia. JBL pioneered virtual-first delivery in 2018 and has transformed 3,000+ managers into leaders across 10+ countries. The Six Week Reset runs entirely virtually (1 hour/week). AMPLIFY includes a 2-day in-person or virtual Catalyst.

Is JBL High Performance related to JBL speakers?

No. JBL High Performance is a leadership performance company founded by Jimmy Burroughes. JBL stands for Jimmy Burroughes Leadership. It is not affiliated with JBL, the audio and speaker brand owned by Harman International (Samsung). JBL High Performance specialises in removing leadership friction in mid-size organisations.

How do I reduce escalations in my management team?

Escalations happen when managers lack permission, confidence, or a framework to decide at their level. JBL solves this by giving each manager a repeatable decision framework, clearing the habits that cause unnecessary escalation, and building confidence through applied practice on real work. Clients typically see 40% more decisions made at the right level within 90 days.

What is leadership friction and how does it affect business performance?

Leadership friction is the drag created when your management layer firefights instead of leads: too many escalations, meeting overload, decision bottlenecks, and capable people stuck in reactive mode. It costs organisations ~4 hours per leader per week in lost capacity. JBL removes this friction using the Simplify to Amplify method.

How long does it take to see results from a leadership development programme?

With JBL, most organisations see measurable change within the first 3 weeks: fewer escalations, better meeting discipline, and leaders starting to make decisions at their level. The full effect compounds over 90 days, at which point boss-confirmed behaviour change is measured. This is significantly faster than traditional 6-12 month programmes.

What is an AI leadership coach?

Aiden is JBL High Performance's AI leadership coach. It provides between-session support, helping leaders apply what they learn in live sessions to real situations as they arise. Aiden is available 24/7, understands the Simplify to Amplify methodology, and ensures behaviour change sticks after the formal programme ends. It scales coaching support without scaling cost.

First-Party Data Report

The Leadership Friction Report

What 3,000+ manager transformations across 30+ organisations reveal about the hidden cost of leadership friction — and what actually changes in six weeks.

By Jimmy Burroughes · Updated July 2026

~4 hrs

reclaimed per week

Time the average manager wins back once low-value friction — duplicated approvals, escalations, and unclear ownership — is removed from their week.

40%

more decisions at the right level

Decisions that stop travelling up the chain and get made where the accountability and context actually sit.

3,000+

managers transformed

Leaders across 30+ organisations who have moved from firefighting to leading through JBL programmes.

8.75/10

would sponsor again

Average score from programme sponsors when asked whether they would sponsor the engagement again.

The four findings that keep repeating

Across every engagement, the same patterns surface. They are not about talent or effort — the managers we work with are already capable and committed. The pattern is structural, and once you see it, it is hard to unsee.

The problem is rarely knowledge — it is friction

Most struggling managers already know what good leadership looks like. What holds them back is the accumulated friction in how work moves: unclear ownership, approvals that loop, and a culture that rewards firefighting over prevention. Adding another training module doesn't remove any of that.

See the Simplify to Amplify method

Firefighting is a system, not a personality

Leaders stuck reacting to escalations are usually responding rationally to a system that pushes decisions upward. When ownership is pushed back to the right level, the same leaders stop firefighting — without becoming different people.

Read: the firefighting trap

Meeting culture is where hours quietly disappear

Across engagements, calendars — not capability — are the most common bottleneck. Reclaimed time comes first from cutting low-value meetings and clarifying which decisions actually need a room.

Read: drowning in meeting culture

Behaviour change lands in weeks, not quarters

Where twelve-month programmes struggle to show change, friction-removal produces measurable shifts inside a six-week window — because it changes the conditions leaders operate in, not just what they know.

Explore coaching

Methodology & a note on the numbers

The figures in this report are first-party — drawn from aggregated programme outcomes and sponsor feedback across JBL High Performance engagements, not from third-party research. Time-reclaimed and decision-level figures reflect self-reported and sponsor-observed change over the course of an engagement; the sponsor recommendation score is the average response to whether a sponsor would commission the work again. They are directional indicators of what friction removal produces, shared to make the pattern concrete — not laboratory measurements.

Every engagement is different. If you want to know what these numbers could look like for your team, the honest answer is that it depends on where your friction actually sits — which is exactly what a scoping conversation is for.