In her latest book, Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work, Liz Wiseman shares the results of a survey conducted by members of her research team. They studied almost 400 workplace scenaria, comparing and contrasting the performance “rookies” and “veterans” while completing various work assignments. As she explains, “We defined a rookie as someone who had never done that type of work and a veteran as someone who had previous experience with that type of work — both regardless of their age.” The study yielded four surprising observations:

“First, rookies are strong performers…performing at a slightly higher level than veterans. Rookies consistently outperformed in innovation and time-to-completion. Second, rookies have a unique success profile: They were fast to act, marshaled resources, found simple solutions, persisted along a path, and focused on solving the right problem. Third, rookies aren’t always what they seem. They listen more, are more likely to ask for help, believe they have a lot more to learn, and learn faster. Finally, experience creates dangerous blind spots. Our analysis identified a number of areas where experience created blinders that narrowed the veteran’s focus and kept him stuck in a rut. With experience come habits, and once we form a habit, our brain stops working.”

Wiseman discusses all this in Chapter 1, Pages 25-27.

Here’s my take:

o It is much easier to learn than to unlearn. Hence the importance of hiring intelligence and character, then provide whatever training may be necessary.

o There is great value in cross-functional training (at least in basics) so that those trained increase their understanding — and appreciation — of what associates are expected to do. Coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots has done this for years to increase “bench strength.” For example, he has defensive backs become familiar with offensive plays so that they can fill in at running back or wide receiver, if needed. Also, on the offensive line, he expects everyone to be able to play guard, tackle, or center, if needed.

o A healthy organization is a “total learning” organization. There is always something new to learn about what to do and how to do it. Therefore, knowledge may have a limited shelf life but learning skills do not. In fact, frequent use strengthens them.

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Liz Wiseman teaches leadership to executives around the world. She is president of The Wiseman Group, a leadership research and development center headquartered in Silicon Valley, California. She conducts research in the fields of leadership and learning and writes for Harvard Business Review and a variety of business and educational journals. A former executive at Oracle Corporation, she worked over the course of 17 years as the Vice President of Oracle University and as the global leader for Human Resource Development. She holds a Bachelors degree in Business Management and a Masters of Organizational Behavior from Brigham Young University.

I highly recommend Rookie Smarts as well as her earlier works, notably Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter (2010), co-authored with Greg Mckeown, and The Multiplier Effect: Tapping the Genius Inside Our Schools (2014), co-authored with Lois N. Allen and Elise Foster.