What is a Leadership Immersion Program?

A lot of institutions provide leadership programs for college students and professionals. These programs are theoretical courses designed to help individuals improve their leadership skills and ignite change in organisations. However, more and more institutions are now seeing the value of including immersion programs in their curriculum. Exactly what is a Leadership Immersion Program and how can one benefit from it? This article will quickly discuss these points and will also discuss why every manager should enrol in such a program.

What is it?

A Leadership Immersion Program, as the name suggests, immerses the adult learner into a controlled environment with the purpose of putting into practice all the learnings in the leadership course. It aims to strengthen further their leadership skills through the use of a hands-on activity. By facing a challenging situation, it helps learners move out of their comfort zone and apply their learnings under pressure.

What will I get out of it?

A lot of learners have found leadership immersion programs a valuable exercise as it helps them apply their newly acquired knowledge but with lesser risk. Since it is a controlled environment, they have a bit more allowance in making a mistake. This helps a learner to relax, take more risks, and thus increasing their confidence to try new techniques and strategies.

As a professional, one might think that they wouldn’t need a leadership immersion program since they are already working in the industry. However, professionals have found that attending such exercise to be productive as they are able to make new connections and create new contacts within the program. Activities that are done in an immersion program usually also involve making personal connections and forging trust between the participants. Thus, these connections have proven to be valuable to help one further progress in their career.

What does it involve?

Depending on the institution and the curriculum, a leadership immersion program may involve visiting communities or organisations that advocate the skills and techniques you are learning about. For instances, some institutions may choose to have immersion programs in a corporate setting with top companies in the country. This can teach participants how leaders run such a successful and well-established company. Another option is to have immersion programs on start-up companies in which leadership can be more flexible and fluid. In both cases, it is valuable to have immersion programs because you are able to see how leadership adjusts with the nature of business. A participant can also appreciate the different styles of leadership and choose which style he’d like to make use in his own company. Immersion programs for learners and educators are widely sought after.

Indeed, a leadership immersion program is a worthwhile exercise that any leader and or manager should engage in. There are a lot of key learnings and takeaways that one will be able to get in such a setting. Learning should not be confined within the four corners of ‘the classroom’. It is when you are down in the trenches do you learn about real-life problems and learn from experience. As the saying goes, “Experience is the best teacher.”

Carrie Benedet is hosting a global leadership immersion program February next year, send me a message to learn more.