DDI Launches the Strategic Leadership Experience to Prepare Emerging Executives for Senior Leadership Roles

Two-day immersive simulation lets leaders practice senior decision-making before the stakes are real.

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- DDI, the global authority in leadership development for more than five decades, today launched DDI Strategic Leadership Experience℠, a two-day immersive simulation that prepares mid-level leaders and emerging executives for the demands of senior leadership.

Today's leaders are moving from functional management to enterprise leadership faster than most development timelines allow. MBAs, stretch assignments, and coaching build that capability, but can take years or resist scaling across a full bench. In the meantime, priorities shift, information changes quickly, and consequential decisions land on leaders who have little experience operating at that level. The Strategic Leadership Experience closes that gap through sustained practice under pressure, anchored in decades of DDI's assessment data on how senior leaders succeed and fail.

Participants begin with an assessment of their leadership styles and personality that reveals how they lead and the behaviors most likely to derail them under pressure. Over two days, participants assume the leadership of a simulated company and manage it as conditions shift. They set strategic direction, make trade-offs with lasting consequences, defend their decisions to executives, and communicate difficult news to employees.

Each decision shapes what happens next, allowing participants to see the consequences of their choices. Feedback from expert facilitators and peers give participants opportunities to reflect, adjust their approach, and test it again within hours.

"Too many leaders arrive in a senior role having learned about the job but never having practiced it," said Verity Creedy, Chief Product Officer at DDI. "Good judgment is built by making hard calls under pressure, seeing the consequences, and adapting. The Strategic Leadership Experience gives leaders a safe place to make those calls, get some of them wrong, and learn from the consequences,, before the stakes are real."

MSA Safety, a global leader in advanced safety products and technologies, ran the Strategic Leadership Experience with directors, senior leaders, and emerging executives from across the company. One hundred percent of participants reported that the experience was relevant to the challenges they face now and expect as they grow more senior, and all of them gained usable insight about themselves as leaders. Ninety-four percent planned to apply what they learned within 30 days.

"This helps prepare leaders for those next-level roles," said Steve Blanco, President and CEO of MSA Safety. "It gives them the confidence to make decisions in real time, live, unscripted. And they recognize there's a network around them they can use to make those decisions more effective. When they leave, they're more confident in themselves and more prepared for what's ahead."

Few organizations can wait years for the leadership their strategy requires. The DDI Strategic Leadership Experience℠ prepares leaders in time to lead it, as a standalone experience or part of a broader leadership program. Learn more at www.ddi.com/solutions/leadership-development/strategic-leadership-program. 

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 the world's leading organizations achieve lasting success through better leadership. Learn more at ddi.com.

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SOURCE DDI