Performance does not fail because people lack effort. It fails when capability is misaligned with context, expectations, and consequence.

We work with organisations to strengthen leadership and organisational capability in ways that improve real performance, not just activity. This service focuses on how people think, decide, and act when demands compete and conditions change.

What we do

We support organisations seeking to improve performance through stronger capability, particularly where:

• leadership demands have increased or shifted
• roles and expectations are no longer clear
• decision quality varies under pressure
• performance has plateaued despite effort
• growth, reform, or regulation has changed what “good” looks like

Our work links individual capability, leadership behaviour, and organisational outcomes.

Our approach

We approach capability as a practical, decision-centred discipline.

Rather than focusing on generic competency models or training programs, we examine how capability shows up in real situations. That includes:

• how leaders interpret complexity
• how trade-offs are managed
• how competing priorities are balanced
• how judgement is exercised under constraint
• how capability supports, or undermines, performance

Capability development is shaped by evidence, context, and consequence.

Specialist leadership expertise

This service is led by Dr Daniel Jess, Managing Director of Calder Reid.

Daniel is a specialist in organisational and leadership capability development, with more than two decades of experience across complex, regulated, and people-intensive sectors.

He holds a doctorate in performance and leadership and is currently completing a second doctorate focused on strategic ambidexterity and individual capability. His research examines how leaders develop the capacity to manage competing demands, balance short-term performance with long-term sustainability, and adapt judgement as context shifts.

This work directly informs how Calder Reid approaches capability and performance in practice.

How we work with boards and executives

Engagements are always individually tailored, but commonly include:

• leadership capability assessment and advisory
• executive and senior leader development
• capability mapping linked to performance demands
• support for leaders managing competing priorities
• advisory during growth, reform, or transition
• performance improvement grounded in decision quality

We work closely with leaders to translate insight into action that fits their reality.

When organisations engage us

Clients typically engage us when:

• leadership expectations have changed faster than capability
• performance outcomes are inconsistent
• growth or reform has stretched leaders
• decision-making quality varies across the organisation
• capability investment has not delivered expected results

Often, the question is not whether leaders are capable, but capable of what, and under which conditions.

What this work can deliver

This service helps organisations to:

• strengthen leadership judgement
• align capability with real performance demands
• improve consistency in decision-making
• support sustainable performance over time
• build capability that adapts as context changes

The focus is not short-term uplift. It is capability that endures.