I have read and reviewed Liz Wiseman’s previously published books — notably Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter and The Multiplier Effect: Tapping the Genius Inside Our Schools — and am now reading Rookie Smarts, published by HarperBusiness (October 2014). In it, Liz suggests that, in a time of constant change, success depends on seeing the world through rookie eyes, and in this essential guide, she explains why we are often at our best when we are doing something for the first time—and how to reclaim and cultivate this curious, flexible, youthful mindset called Rookie Smarts.

I characterize it as an “open mindset.” It is essential to personal growth and professional development.

In a rapidly changing world, experience can be a curse. Being new, naïve, and even clueless can be an asset. Rookies are unencumbered, with no baggage to weigh them down, no resources to burden them, and no track record to limit their thinking or aspirations. For today’s knowledge workers, constant learning is more valuable than mastery.

In her latest book, Liz Wiseman argues that the most successful rookies are hunter-gatherers—alert and seeking, cautious but quick like firewalkers, and hungry and relentless like frontiersmen. Most importantly, she identifies a breed of leaders she refers to as “perpetual rookies.” Despite years of experience, they retain their rookie smarts, thinking and operating with the mindsets and practices of these high-performing rookies.

Rookie Smarts addresses the questions every experienced professional faces: “Will my knowledge and skills become obsolete and irrelevant? Will a young, inexperienced newcomer upend my company or me? How can I keep up?” The answer is to stay fresh, keep learning, and know when to think like a rookie.

Rookie Smarts isn’t just for professionals seeking personal renewal; it is an indispensable resource for all leaders who must ensure their workforces remains vital and competitive.

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Liz Wiseman teaches leadership to executives around the world. She is the President of the Wiseman Group, a leadership research and development firm headquartered in Silicon Valley, California. Some of her recent clients include: Apple, Dubai Bank, Genentech, Nike, PayPal, Salesforce.com and Twitter. Liz has been listed on the Thinkers50 ranking and named one of the top 10 leadership thinkers in the world. She is the author of aforementioned Multipliers, a Wall Street Journal bestseller, and The Multiplier Effect. She has conducted significant research in the field of leadership and collective intelligence and writes for Harvard Business Review and a variety of other business and leadership journals.