About Caird Leadership

Leadership isn’t about titles or control—it’s about navigation.

Every organization faces storms: burnout, dysfunction, politics, fear. But the real test of leadership isn’t whether you can avoid them. It’s whether you can lead people safely through them.

That’s what the Caird Leadership Method was built for.

After two decades leading creative teams through red tape, bureaucracy, and crisis, Ryan Sailstad realized most organizations don’t fail because of bad people—they fail because of broken systems. He founded Caird Leadership to change that.

Named after the James Caird, the small lifeboat Ernest Shackleton used to cross 800 miles of Antarctic ocean to save his crew, the Caird Method teaches leaders how to build trust, create clarity, and protect people—even when conditions are chaotic.

We don’t sell buzzwords or performative culture change.

We build systems that actually work—because they’re grounded in human reality.

Every framework, workshop, and tool we offer is designed around one belief:

That’s what modern leadership requires.

Not perfection. Not control.

But courage, clarity, and care.

What We Do

• Leadership Systems & Workshops – Practical frameworks to build trust and decision clarity.

• Culture Repair – Diagnose dysfunction, redesign communication, and rebuild alignment.

• Speaking & Education – From NASA classrooms to boardrooms, real lessons from real leadership.

Why “Caird”?

Because leadership isn’t about steering a ship—it’s about keeping the crew alive long enough to make it home.

The Caird Method helps you do just that: lead with integrity when conditions are uncertain and the stakes are high.