The new sales rep, with zero wine sales rep experiences, that crushes her numbers right out of the gate. And she’s one of the most charming and charismatic people you’ve ever met.

The new retail wine consultant, with little prior wine experience and no sales experience, who suddenly brings in dozens of new customers as they get to know him, and slowly builds store sales to an all time high. All with a smile on his face and an eagerness do learn more.

The server, oh so young and nervous about having never served before, that takes the time to learn how to open a bottle of wine correctly, studies food and wine in her spare time, and exudes ever-building confidence on the floor more so than all of her co-workers.

Newbies don’t always succeed. But there is danger in assuming that experience is everything. Regarding experience, often the opposite is true, and the more experienced you are the more you have anchors of opinions that hold you back (“Don’t take anything from my territory” “If we lose that brand we are done” “I don’t want new software, I want to go back to faxing in my orders”). The most aggressively negative and stuck in the mud wine sales reps I’ve ever met have been in the business for over 20 years.

So even if you have years of experience, how can you bring the energy of a newbie to your job? How can you see it with fresh eyes, with a fresh mindset, and with gratitude?