The Award-Winning LILI Program Shines a Light on NAIFA Leaders

NAIFA’s award-winning Leadership in Life Institute (LILI) boasts an impressive record of success. More than 3,000 NAIFA members have completed the exclusive six-month program and count themselves among LILI’s graduates. Enthusiasm for LILI remains strong, bolstered by the recent addition of Online LILI, which allows a more geographically diverse collection of NAIFA members to join LILI classes.

Note that we referred to LILI as an “award-winning” program. We are extremely proud that LILI has been recognized with a 2022 Power of Associations Gold Award from ASAE, the Center for Association Leadership. The Power of Associations Awards honor “associations that go above and beyond their everyday mission to undertake initiatives that have far-reaching benefits important to their profession or industry.” Anyone who has spoken with an enthusiastic LILI graduate about the program can affirm that LILI meets the award criteria.

“The class was so much more than I expected. It had so much about personal growth,” said LILI graduate Cheryl Canzanella, LUTCF, CLU, ChSNC, a past winner of NAIFA’s Young Advisor Team Leader of the Year award. “LILI pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped direct my path toward self-discovery. Everyone has greatness inside of them. Sometimes we just need the right environment to tap into it and then see how deep we can dig to uncover it and bring out our best.”

LILI is designed for NAIFA members who are committed to growing intellectually and professionally through a process of deep introspection and discussion. LILI graduates acquire leadership skills that benefit them in their businesses, within NAIFA, and in their personal lives. They agree to serve for at least two years in NAIFA leadership roles upon graduation. Many also go on to serve in leadership positions in their professional lives and communities.

“I have discovered, through as many failures as successes, that leadership starts with oneself,” said NAIFA Past President and LILI graduate Paul Dougherty, LUTCF, FSS, HIA. “Having participated in the Leadership in Life Institute, I recognize that my ability to be successful is limited only by my capacity to see where I want to go.”

The Power of LILI

LILI elevates the prestige and promotes the success of NAIFA and the industry by producing highly engaged and effective leaders. When evaluating LILI for the Power of Associations Gold Award, ASAE considered its measurable impact on NAIFA and beyond:

• According to data compiled from NAIFA’s membership database, more than 95% of LILI graduates have completed or are completing their twoyear association service pledge.

• 12 of NAIFA’s past 15 National Presidents are LILI graduates.

• Two NAIFA officers in line to be our 2023 and 2024 Presidents are LILI graduates.

• Of NAIFA’s National Board of Trustees who are also NAIFA members (and thus eligible for LILI), 75% are LILI graduates.

• In recent years, more than 65% of NAIFA State Chapter Presidents have been LILI graduates.

• Of eight current NAIFA members known to be running for state legislatures or U.S. Congress during the 2022 election year, six are LILI graduates.

• 70% of LILI graduates report measurable growth in their book of business during the year following graduation.

NAIFA Celebrates Leaders

NAIFA’s National Leadership Conference and Belong awards celebration will be an in-person event, November 13-15, in Washington, D.C. During the program, NAIFA will swear in its 2023 chapter and national leaders and honor award winners, including the John Newton Russell Memorial Award recipient, Terry Headley Lifetime Defender, Young Advisor Team Leader of the Year, NAIFA Diversity Champion, and Advisor Today ’s 4 Under 40. Many of the rising association leaders and award recipients will be LILI graduates, a further testament to the program’s success.