When Was the Last Time You Were a Rookie?
Why Experts Need New Beginners’ Moments
As leaders, we often carry decades of experience, training, and mastery. We’ve learned our craft, built organizations, supervised teams, and gathered a depth of wisdom that allows us to lead effectively.
But here’s a question we don’t ask ourselves nearly enough:
When was the last time you were a rookie?
Not the expert.
Not the supervisor.
Not the one with answers.
But the beginner — stepping into something new, unfamiliar, and uncomfortable.
That experience matters far more than most people realize.
The Comfort of Expertise — And the Risk
When you’ve been in your field for years, confidence comes naturally. You’ve handled hard situations. You’ve earned trust. You know what works and what doesn’t.
But expertise also has a subtle downside:
It can insulate you from growth.
When we’re always operating from our strengths, we forget what it feels like to stretch. We forget what it means to struggle. We forget how vulnerable it feels to try something new.
And leaders who forget those feelings risk losing empathy for the people they’re responsible for guiding.
My Own Rookie Moment: Learning a New Clinical Theory
A few years ago, despite having years of success working in trauma — with adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, individuals battling addiction, veterans, and leaders navigating PTSD — I realized something:
I wanted a new challenge.
I had supervised EMDR therapists for years. I admired their work. I referred clients to them. I saw how transformational the modality could be.
But I hadn’t learned it.
So, I signed up for the training:
Six full days of instruction, plus hours upon hours of supervised clinical analysis, practice, and feedback.
And immediately, I felt it:
nervousness
self-doubt
anxiety
the fear of “doing it wrong”
the awkwardness of trying something unfamiliar
It had been more than a decade since I’d felt that way in a clinical setting.
And you know what?
It was one of the best things I’ve done for my career in years.
What Being a Rookie Taught Me
Learning EMDR gave me more than a new tool in the therapy room.
It gave me back the perspective of the beginner.
I remembered what it felt like to:
reach for skills I didn’t yet have
sit in discomfort
stretch my abilities
learn with humility
trust the process
push past fear
ask for help
be corrected
feel clumsy
feel vulnerable
feel human
And that’s when it clicked:
The clinicians I supervise feel this every single day.
New therapists show up in the therapy room with heart, training, and a desire to help — but they also carry anxiety, uncertainty, and the pressure to grow fast.
Being a rookie again helped me become a better supervisor, leader, and mentor.
It helped me empathize more deeply.
It reminded me how much courage it takes to grow.
It reconnected me to what it feels like to be new.
Why Leaders Should Seek Rookie Moments
If you want to grow as a leader, you cannot rely solely on your expertise.
You must intentionally place yourself in situations where you are:
uncertain
stretched
teachable
inexperienced
challenged
humbled
learning something new
Because rookie moments do something that expertise can’t:
They expand you.
They sharpen you.
They reconnect you to the people you lead.
They remind you that you’re still becoming.
The best leaders don’t just master their craft — they stay curious, open, and willing to learn.
Your Challenge: Be a Rookie Again
Ask yourself honestly:
When was the last time you were new at something?
If you can’t remember, it’s time.
Sign up for a training.
Take a course outside your comfort zone.
Pick up a new clinical modality.
Learn a skill that scares you a little.
Put yourself in a position where you’re not the expert.
Because every time you choose to be a rookie, you strengthen:
your empathy
your leadership
your humility
your courage
your adaptability
your mental fitness
your ability to guide others
Great leaders don’t stop learning.
Great clinicians don’t stop growing.
And great humans don’t stop stretching.
The Rookie in You Keeps the Leader in You Alive
The world doesn’t need leaders who cling tightly to their expertise.
It needs leaders who are willing to reenter the arena — vulnerable, curious, teachable, and hungry to grow.
Becoming a rookie again wasn’t just a training decision.
It was a leadership decision.
And I’ve never regretted it for a moment.