The Immersion Stage, shown in Figure 7.1, is a pivotal point in leadership development. It’s the moment when individuals begin to step out of observation and into participation. It’s where confidence is fragile, mistakes are frequent, and leaders are tested just as much as their teams.
I ( Jeremie) remember the first time I tried to let go. I had a bright, capable team member—eager, smart, and ready to contribute. I handed her part of a critical project and made two key mistakes. First, I didn’t give her enough guidance. I assumed she’d figure it out. She didn’t. Then, when she struggled, I jumped in and took over—robbing her of the chance to learn and build confidence. The result? She pulled back, I stayed overworked, and she hesitated to step up again.
That’s when I realized: The Immersion Stage isn’t just about what the team member is learning; it’s also about what the leader is learning.
Figure 7.1The Immersion Stage: Creating a Space for Safe Development
The Critical Transition from Watching to Doing
If the Foundation Stage is about modeling great execution, the Immersion Stage is where you invite your team into the process. It’s the shift from observation to participation—where team members move from watching you to working alongside you.
The key is this: They’re still helping, but they’re not yet leading.
This stage follows ...
Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month, and much more.
O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.
Julian F.
Head of Cybersecurity
I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.
Addison B.
Field Engineer
I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.
Amir M.
Data Platform Tech Lead
I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.
O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.
