Leadership Simulations
Predict Leadership Readiness Before It’s Tested on the Job
Most leadership decisions are made without clear evidence of future success—resulting in costly promotion and succession planning mistakes.
DDI’s leadership simulations provide objective behavioral data by showing how leaders actually respond to realistic business challenges. You gain a clear, unbiased view of readiness, along with strengths and gaps across your pipeline, so you can prepare the high-potential leaders your organization depends on.
Backed by decades of research, DDI was the first to use simulations to predict managerial performance—and continues to deliver the predictive validity organizations need for high-stakes talent decisions.
From insights to action
Reduce Promotion Risk with the Right Data
High performance doesn’t guarantee success at the next level. That’s where perception-based tools like 360s or 9-box grids fall short.
Leadership simulations evaluate how leaders will perform in target roles, giving you an accurate, objective picture of readiness and how to prepare them before they’re expected to execute under pressure.
When it comes down to a few candidates for critical roles, simulation data helps you make fair, confident decisions while identifying strengths and gaps for a successful transition.
Accelerate High-Potential Development
High-potential employees need more than broad development. They need stretch experiences that address their unique strengths and gaps to help them build momentum.
Leadership simulations place them in realistic business challenges, collecting behavioral data that reveals exactly where they need to grow to succeed beyond their role. That insight allows you to target individual development and group programs to accelerate readiness and strengthen your pipeline.
This 'let me try' approach to distilling feedback about performance allows leaders and their managers to gain intelligence and pass informed judgment about just how ready they are to lead successfully—today, tomorrow, and further into the future.
Brandon Hall Group
Leadership Readiness Assessments Built for Real Decisions
Our simulations combine decades of research with realistic, “day-in-the-life” scenarios to reliably predict on-the-job performance. By capturing how leaders respond to real business challenges, you get validated data to assess readiness and focus development for critical roles.
It’s been fascinating seeing employees come out of the experience feeling like 'That was really cool!' It was an experience in itself – and that’s before they even get the results.
— Kayla Campbell, Senior Director Performance and Learning
Have a Question?
Frequently Asked Questions About Leadership Simulations
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What are leadership simulations?
Leadership simulations are immersive, scenario-based assessments that place leaders in realistic business challenges. By capturing how they respond, simulations provide objective data on leadership readiness—helping organizations evaluate how leaders are likely to perform in a future role before making promotion decisions.
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How are leadership simulations different from 360 feedback?
Leadership simulations assess readiness for a future role using objective behavioral data. In contrast, 360 feedback reflects others’ perceptions of a leader’s performance in their current role. Because simulations evaluate real-time behavior in role-specific scenarios, they are more reliable for predicting future success.
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How do leadership simulations assess leadership readiness?
Leadership simulations assess readiness by observing how leaders respond to realistic, role-specific scenarios. These exercises reveal critical behaviors—such as decision-making, influencing, and communication—while also incorporating factors like attributes and experience to provide a reliable view of readiness.
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When should organizations use leadership simulations?
Organizations use leadership simulations to support high-stakes promotion and development decisions. They are especially valuable before selecting or promoting leaders, helping reduce risk, improve decision confidence, and ease transitions with development. Simulations also help accelerate readiness for high-potential leaders preparing for future roles.
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