National Life Group Proves That Innovation Starts with Leadership Alignment

Growing Organization Demands Leadership Consistency

National Life Group (NLG), a people-centered life insurance and financial services company, was evolving quickly: launching new products, expanding its services, and onboarding talent. But as growth accelerated, its learning and organizational development (L-OD) team realized that innovation couldn’t scale if their leaders weren’t aligned.

Rapid growth and innovation require scalability, and scalability requires consistency, especially among leaders.

Dr. Wendi Walker-Schmidt, AVP, Learning and OD, National Life Group

Originally tasked with strengthening middle management, NLG’s L-OD team discovered through assessment data that the challenge ran deeper. Inconsistent leadership behaviors existed across all levels. Each leader spoke their own leadership language, shaped by their unique backgrounds and prior experience, creating small but meaningful differences in how leadership was practiced across teams.

Armed with these insights, the L-OD team set out to strengthen their organizational culture by grounding it in a shared leadership language: the behaviors, competencies, and skills that define what it means to lead at NLG. This new foundation would align leaders across the pipeline and set the company up for its next stage of growth. They knew that true innovation required slowing down long enough to ensure every leader was moving in the same direction, guided by consistent expectations and core leadership capabilities.

Creating a Shared Leadership Language

The transformation began by standardizing how they defined, taught, and practiced leadership throughout the company. Partnering with DDI, National Life Group launched Creating the Same Leadership Language—a program designed to bring clarity and consistency to how leaders communicate, coach, and develop their teams.

But the goal wasn’t conformity. By developing leaders with the same crucial competencies and skills, NLG empowered them to lead with confidence and authenticity while giving their teams a clear sense of direction.

To identify which skills would make the greatest impact and where their leaders had gaps, NLG took a data-driven approach. Working with DDI consultants, the Learning and OD team analyzed results from surveys and group data from DDI My Pathway and Leadership Skills Insights assessments to pinpoint the four areas that mattered most: communication, trust, goal setting, and coaching.

In a fast-paced, performance-driven environment, delivery had to be practical, not disruptive. DDI designed the learning experience to address the four core skills in two efficient, four-hour sessions: Communication and Trust and Setting Goals, Reviewing Results, and Coaching.” This flexible format made it possible to reach more leaders while maintaining high engagement.

DDI certified NLG’s L-OD team as facilitators, allowing them to embed the program into ongoing development and add organizational context. The program blended instructor-led training with online courses, microlearning, and simulations—creating an engaging learning journey built to scale with the organization’s growth.

Leading Change from the Top

At National Life Group, aligning leaders started at the top. Executive leaders endorsed the initiative immediately because it aligned with one of NLG’s strategic focus areas, showing how learning and development directly advance organizational strategy.

With executive backing, the Learning and OD team prepared senior leaders to champion the new leadership language and cascade it across their teams.

The L-OD team offered classes monthly to reach all of their leaders, achieving 82% participation in both courses—exceeding the 70% goal. Clear communication, executive support, and relevant content kept leaders engaged and eager to apply what they learned.

This wasn’t a one-time rollout—it became part of what leadership means at NLG. To sustain the shared understanding of what it means to lead (and how), the Learning and OD team continues to offer both courses quarterly for new leaders.

And for first-time managers, NLG partnered with DDI to create a companion program: “Beginning Your Leadership Journey.” This three-month blended learning journey, anchored on Your First Leadership Job by DDI CEO Tacy Byham, brings the same leadership framework to new managers so they can lead effectively and in line with NLG’s leadership culture from day one.

Innovation Built on Alignment

When every leader had clear expectations and shared competencies, innovation and creativity accelerated, delivering measurable results for National Life Group.

Seventy-eight percent of participants reported higher team productivity. Engagement rose even as global benchmarks dropped by 33%. And turnover fell to 10%, outperforming the industry average. These numbers tell a story of a culture where people are inspired, energized, and motivated to do their best work while growing their careers with NLG.

Behind these outcomes were more effective, consistent leadership behaviors. Managers reported clearer communication, stronger coaching confidence, and improved feedback skills. They applied DDI’s Key Principles in their daily interactions. These new habits created ripple effects beyond people leaders to every level of the company.

I’ve used the skills I learned to provide better feedback on growth opportunities for my team. I can now offer constructive feedback in a way that’s both helpful and direct, and I’m much clearer in my delivery.

National Life Group employee and leadership development participant

The program also reinforced NLG’s servant leadership culture, helping leaders connect purpose to their daily responsibilities. By aligning leaders through consistent behaviors and expectations, NLG proved that leadership alignment can be a catalyst for performance. Leaders now spend less time clarifying direction—and more time coaching, collaborating, and innovating with their teams.

This leadership language continues to shape NLG’s culture and strengthen its foundation for ongoing innovation.

A Scalable Leadership Culture

National Life Group’s Learning and OD team used common expectations and competencies to unify leaders and create ideal conditions for future progress. As NLG continues to expand, leaders at every level are fueling performance and innovation through stronger communication, deeper trust, and more effective coaching.

By weaving culture into their long-term talent strategy, NLG is building a leadership pipeline ready to drive the company’s next era of growth.

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