DDI Celebrates 2025 Customer Award Winners and Unveils Next Era of Leadership Development

At its annual Better Leaders Summit, DDI shared its Continuous Leadership Intelligence^SM roadmap and recognized six organizations exemplifying this holistic approach

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- DDI, a global, award-winning leadership company, hosted its annual conference, Better Leaders Summit 2025, from November 10-12. At the event, DDI introduced its new Continuous Leadership Intelligence^SM approach and announced the winners of its 2025 Customer Awards.

DDI's Roadmap for Continuous Leadership Intelligence^SM

Organizations are facing an unprecedented leadership challenge: building high-performing leadership pipelines that can adapt as fast as business strategy evolves. 71% of leaders feel overwhelmed since stepping into their current role, as they contend with burgeoning responsibilities and an increasing pace of change.

"In an era of rapid disruption, leadership challenges are exposing the limits of traditional approaches," said Verity Creedy, SVP of Product at DDI. "From poor hiring decisions to succession gaps, organizations can no longer rely on static assessments or conventional programs to prepare leaders for what's next. We're transforming how companies build continuous, data-driven leadership pipelines. Our approach anticipates future capability needs and mobilizes the right leaders exactly when the business requires them."

At the conference, DDI unveiled its vision for Continuous Leadership Intelligence, a holistic approach combining business priorities, trusted assessments, and high-impact development. This approach centers on five fundamental shifts that drive real results, based on DDI's five decades of research and thousands of client partnerships:

• From reactive data to predictive insights
  
  
• From fragmented solutions to an integrated leadership strategy
  
  
• From static programs to continuous adaptability
  
  
• From measuring activity to delivering business impact
  
  
• From vendor support to a strategic partnership

Six Organizations Receive Customer Awards

DDI's Customer Awards recognize organizations that embody the principles of Continuous Leadership Intelligence, demonstrating excellence in driving meaningful change. This year's winners include two organizations across each of the three categories:

1.    High Impact Award: Honors organizations that have proven the fundamental truth that strategic leadership drives real business outcomes. 

• Boulder Community Health: Leadership development and performance management upgrades drove a 10% reduction in patient complaints, double-digit gains in leadership competencies, and a drop in employee turnover from 29% to 20% over four years.
• GE HealthCare: Launched global leadership academies for over 800 emerging and frontline leaders that achieved a 99% retention rate among program graduates and an 18% estimated performance improvement.

2.    Rising Star Award: Spotlights organizations that launched a new initiative within the past year and are already seeing remarkable results.

• State Farm: Developed over 2,000 leaders with its new Leading with Purpose program, achieving a 28% increase in overall leadership skills, with 98% of participants saying the content would likely impact organizational outcomes.
• Arcosa: Advanced career growth and organizational effectiveness with its LEAD program, resulting in a 64% promotion or job change rate among participants and a 78% boost in productivity within the first year.

3.    Innovation in Action Award: Celebrates organizations that have taken creative approaches to leadership initiatives and delivered measurable impact.

• Astrion: Implemented the Elevate Leaders Program, combining executive-driven peer learning, real-world case study projects, and scalable development for all employees to boost engagement, retention, and leadership effectiveness.
• Caterpillar Inc: Scaled its partnership with DDI from one core Center of Excellence to four to reach over 11,000 leaders in three years, improving communication and conflict resolution, onboarding and retention, and leader preparedness for future challenges such as AI integration.

"As HR leaders grapple with limited resources and pressure to show returns, they need to apply the same rigor to talent decisions and strategies that are used across other parts of the business," said Tacy M. Byham, Ph.D., CEO of DDI. "This year's award-winning clients represent HR teams who are already taking this data-driven approach to cultivating leaders, partnering with business leaders to build impactful, future-ready programs. They are the strategic anticipators that organizations need."

Learn more about what makes DDI's approach to leadership development and assessment different at ddi.com/why-ddi.

About DDI
DDI is the global leadership company that helps organizations build the leaders they need today and prepare for tomorrow. For over 55 years, we've helped organizations hire, develop, and promote exceptional leaders. Across all levels from emerging leaders to C-suite executives, we deliver integrated assessment and development solutions, leveraging data to guide talent decisions and accelerate leadership growth. This Continuous Leadership Intelligence approach enables organizations to anticipate leadership needs before they become urgent and build the precise capabilities their business strategies demand. Grounded in behavioral science, DDI helps thousands of organizations worldwide achieve lasting success through better leadership. Learn more at ddi.com. 

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SOURCE DDI