By Al Mills
In a previous article from The Advantage Mill we discussed the temptation to micro-manage as it accompanies experience. If you read the article, you’ll know that even Captain Kirk got in on the action! But we barely scratched the surface on what experience means to people that are in leadership.
In my own world, I know what relief I feel when someone who I know and trust joins in a team effort. When faced with a situation I don’t know how to handle, their presence provides me with an immense feeling of relief, almost as if a superhero has come to the rescue.
We think that veterans can handle almost anything but what we forget to take into account are the drawbacks and disadvantages that accompany experience. What could those drawbacks possibly be? Veterans have been through it before, they know what to do, and they have the ultimate confidence in their ability to solve both personnel and business challenges. But what do veterans miss?
Veterans can be victims of their own success, becoming overconfident in their own ability to know what to do, they may not listen to fresh ideas, and they might feel that others around them have no clue as to what the real issues might be. We can couch these issues in any way we like, but Liz Wiseman, in her 2014 book entitled Rookie Smarts, hints it might be a cessation of learning. And this is where rookies come into play. You don’t have to be a rookie to act like one. To sum up Wiseman’s book in a single phrase we would say “always be learning.” This is the major distinction between veterans who don’t perform well and rookies who do. Rookies automatically possess a mindset of learning.
Rookies travel light, consult numerous experts, move quickly and deliberately, and improvise and overcome (apologies to the USMC). While there are some natural traits that are difficult to learn yet incredibly beneficial for rookies and veterans alike (think humility, curiosity, playfulness, and deliberate approach), the rookie mindset is more easily adopted by almost anyone.
Imagine experienced leaders that are not afraid to ask others for their thoughts, or recognize when someone is more accomplished in a discipline, or veterans that can pivot and move quickly because they are not entrenched in their own experience. These are the actions that are very likely for rookies but a little less likely to be the choice of veterans. How much are we missing in life because we’ve become settled as experienced veterans? We think we know the answers and we’ve stopped learning and trying fresh approaches.
How many success stories have we encountered in the business world about people who accomplished great things that no one else thought could be done? The rookie doesn’t know it can’t be done so they go ahead and tackle it anyway, improvising and adapting at every turn until the once impossible is accomplished. Rookies ask naïve questions, not stupid ones. And those naïve questions can reveal new and better solutions.
In your own experience, and in your leadership, find ways to consult experts and synthesize the answers, move quickly and cautiously, and bring a fresh, naïve energy to your leadership. Become a veteran rookie who never ceases to learn. Your organization will be all the better for it.
Al Mills is the lead consultant and founder of The Advantage Mill, a company dedicated to bringing out the best in the workplace. You can find the website at www.theadvantagemill.com.