Why DDI

The global leader in leadership development & assessment.

Leaders are overwhelmed with constant change. Pipelines are cracking under pressure. We help you build confident, capable leaders ready for every challenge.

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Top companies trust us. You can too.

Our Approach

How We Build Leaders Who Deliver Results

Leadership challenges have outpaced traditional solutions. Today’s leaders and talent teams struggle to make confident decisions without the insights they need. DDI changes that. When your leadership data connects across the entire lifecycle, from hiring through development to succession, you finally see the complete picture. You gain the clarity and confidence to make the high-impact decisions your business demands.

Predictive Insights

Elevate talent decisions from art to science.

HR teams that forecast talent like other business metrics produce 33% more high-quality leaders and achieve 24% higher success rates with high potentials. Their organizations are 2X more likely to be top-tier financial performers.

How we do it: We bring predictive insights to every stage of the leadership journey. Assessment data across hiring, development, and succession gives you and your business leaders the confidence to make science-backed talent decisions.

Integrated Strategy

Connect selection, development, and succession with insights.

Pairing assessment with development nearly doubles an organization’s chances of having a strong leadership bench compared to using development alone.

How we do it: We make your programs work together. Assessment results help you personalize learning, inform selection and development decisions, and guide succession strategies. Our experts work with you to integrate programs and leverage every data point, so you hire, retain, and grow the leaders your organization needs.

Behavior Change

Prove ROI with real business outcomes.

78% of HR leaders say behavior change is the most valuable impact metric for development. But executives expect proof in business outcomes like revenue, profit, and customer satisfaction. DDI’s programs deliver measurable results of both, producing outcomes like 46% reduction in safety incidents, 105% increase in sales volume, and $20 million in turnover savings.

How we do it: We design leadership initiatives around your real business challenges, embedding impact measurement from the start. You’ll have the data to prove performance and your influence on strategic priorities—all in the language of the business.

Continuous Adaptability

Evolve programs as fast as your business changes.

Organizations that combine assessment with development are nearly twice as likely to manage change effectively than those using development alone (59% vs. 31%).

How we do it: We map your business priorities to key competencies. Our solutions adapt to your leaders’ context with personalized development paths and flexible programs that evolve with your strategy, so your leaders are always ready for what’s next.

Strategic Partnership

We’re an extension of your team.

The #1 and #2 reasons clients choose DDI? Alignment to their business needs and consulting expertise and partnership.

How we do it: You gain a dedicated team of consultants, coaches, and facilitators with deep industry expertise. We deliver ongoing strategic advisory to help you forecast needs, measure impact, and continuously improve. With proven frameworks tailored to your unique business context—never one-size-fits-all solutions—we work alongside you as true partners.

How we stack up

Why DDI is Different

Not all leadership solutions are equal. DDI combines data, science, and expert partnership to deliver measurable impact that goes beyond learning. By connecting personalized assessment and development for leaders at every level—and tailoring every solution to your business—we help you drive behavior change that fuels results.

	Training Companies	Learning Content Library	Talent Assessment Firm	Coaching Providers
Alignment of leadership solutions to strategic business needs	Limited		Limited	Limited
Integrated solutions for selection, development, and succession
Delivers measurable behavior change tied to business outcomes	Limited	Limited		Limited
Proven, science-backed methodology	Limited
Solutions across all leadership levels	Limited	Limited	Limited
Objective, validated assessments for decision-making
High-impact live sessions with expert facilitators
Custom solutions		Limited	Limited	Limited
An expert team as your strategic partners and advisors	Limited		Limited	Limited
Commitment to research and innovation	Limited	Limited	Limited	Limited
Global reach and implementation	Limited			Limited

Discover how our leadership solutions turn these strengths into your results.

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Strategic Partnership

Amazing partners who help us think outside the box to strategically help our leaders. I've never worked with a vendor who has provided such proactive support in alignment with our organization goals.

Talent Development Manager at a Fortune 50 Company

Real-world impact

DDI provides the necessary expertise and resources for HR teams to drive continuous development and equip leaders with the skills and behaviors they need to thrive in their evolving roles.

2024 Forrester Total Economic Impact™ of a DDI Subscription

Awards

Don’t take it from us. DDI is consistently recognized for leadership innovation, proven solutions, and lasting results.

Featured Client Story: Commvault

For Commvault, leadership became its strategic advantage. By integrating leadership assessment and development, their L&D team built a program that improved effectiveness, elevated performance, and positioned leaders to drive competitive growth.

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AtkinsRéalis’ Success Story

AtkinsRéalis, leadership became the engine of transformation. Partnering with DDI, they launched a Senior Leadership Development Program that broke down silos, strengthened collaboration, and built executive-ready leaders.

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High Impact Areas

The Leadership Challenges Organizations Can't Ignore.

Across industries and geographies, organizations face leadership needs that determine success or setback. At DDI, we see these challenges every day and know exactly what it takes to close the gaps. Here’s what the data reveals about where leaders need the most support to deliver business performance.

Smarter Hiring Decisions

When organizations don’t use data for key talent decisions, less than half (49%) of their leaders feel prepared to take on new responsibilities.

Gut-based hires lead to mismatches that damage performance and erode trust. But when hiring is guided by data rather than instinct, organizations accelerate readiness from the start.

Leadership Skills in Demand

Only 22% of organizations prioritize development of key leadership skills.

Most leaders are overwhelmed and many lack the skills and support to succeed at their current level—let alone prepare for what’s next. Targeted development builds confidence and capability.

Leadership at the Speed of Change

Only 34% of HR professionals say their organizations manage change well.

Traditional programs can’t keep pace with disruption. But when organizations deliver programs that evolve with the business, they prepare leaders to meet today’s challenges and adapt to tomorrow’s.

Data That Drives Confidence

When organizations don’t use data for key talent decisions, less than half (49%) of their leaders feel prepared to take on new responsibilities.

Without access to the right data, critical talent calls are too often based on instinct. With reliable insights, leaders can predict performance and track growth to make smarter decisions.

Building a Ready-Now Bench

80% of companies lack confidence in their bench.

When organizations can’t fill leadership gaps, performance suffers. Building a strong pipeline means leaders are prepared when it matters most.

Strategy fails without the right leaders to drive it. Don’t wait for the next disruption to test your bench strength. Start building capable leaders today so your organization thrives, no matter what comes next.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What makes DDI different.

Why do top companies choose DDI for leadership development and assessment?

Top companies choose DDI because we build capable leaders who are ready for today’s opportunities and tomorrow’s challenges. Backed by decades of research, our predictive assessments, targeted development, proven methodology, and strategic partnership accelerate leader readiness and strengthen pipelines to drive business results.
How does DDI’s approach to leadership development deliver better results than traditional programs?

Traditional programs focus on training and participation. DDI focuses on transformation and behavior change. Our approach connects data and flexible development across the leadership journey, helping you identify potential, personalize development, and adapt programs as your business evolves.
What makes DDI different from other leadership development companies?

DDI combines what most providers only offer in parts. We integrate selection, development, and succession with solutions that span the talent lifecycle and every leadership level. Our science-backed assessments and expert facilitators drive measurable behavior change that translates into business performance. And because every solution is aligned with your strategy, your leaders deliver where it matters most.
How does DDI measure the impact of its leadership development solutions?

DDI builds measurement into every program from launch. We track behavior change and connect leadership development directly to business outcomes like profit, productivity, and customer satisfaction.

Ready to see what better leadership can do for your business? Our tem is here to help.

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