The Rookie’s Advantage: Turning Nerves Into Strength
By Mitchell Schuckman, PCC | Founder, The Schuckman Group
Big stage moments never feel small. Whether it’s your first partner meeting, your Broadway debut, or stepping onto the field as a rookie in your first professional game, the nerves hit hard. That doesn’t mean you don’t belong. It means you’ve earned your place and the moment matters.
The Jitters Are Proof You’re in the Right Place
Nobody steps into their first big role without feeling it in their gut. That tightness in your stomach, the voice in your head asking if you belong, the second-guessing. It’s normal, it’s human, and it’s not a defect to fix.
Think about it. Athletes feel it before their first big-league game. Actors feel it when the curtain rises on their debut performance. Leaders feel it walking into their first partner meeting. The nerves don’t mean you’re out of your depth. They mean you’ve stepped into something that matters.
What separates people who grow from those who stall isn’t that the nerves disappear. It’s how they choose to use them.
Why “Imposter Syndrome” Gets It Wrong
The phrase makes it sound like you’re broken. You’re not broken. You’re becoming something bigger and better. Every person in a new, elevated role wonders if they’re good enough.
The truth is, you don’t get invited into those roles unless someone already believes you are. The challenge is learning how to believe it yourself. And here’s the kicker: most people around you already assume you belong. They see the track record, the results, the potential. The only person still holding doubt is usually you.
Once you see that, the whole story shifts. The nerves aren’t proof you’re faking it. They’re proof you’re growing into something larger.
Research backs this up: when people reframe anxiety as excitement, performance measurably improves. The nerves don’t vanish, but the butterflies stop colliding and start flying in formation.
A Coaching Story
Not long ago I worked with a newly admitted partner at a global firm. On paper, they had everything: strong clients, deep technical skills, respect inside the firm. But in partner meetings, they froze. They told me they were afraid of being “found out.” Afraid someone would ask a question they couldn’t answer, or worse, realize they didn’t deserve the seat.
Here’s what we did. We started small. Preparing thoughts before meetings. Practicing how to enter a discussion with confidence. Reframing silence, because they thought staying quiet was safe when really it made their chair invisible.
At first, they spoke up once. Then twice. Then they started asking questions that moved the room forward. A few months later, they weren’t just present, they were leading the discussion. The nerves were still there, but now the nerves were fuel.
That’s the rookie advantage. You’re not faking it, you’re growing into it.
Why the Rookie Analogy Matters
Think about sports. A rookie in the majors has all the talent in the world, but still gets butterflies walking onto the field. Think about the stage. A Broadway actor rehearses for months, yet their heart still pounds when the curtain goes up. Both are true at once: they’re nervous and they belong.
Leadership is no different. When you step into a partner role, or any senior leadership role, you are both ready and nervous. And that’s the point. Every pro was once a rookie. They earned their spot, they found their footing, and eventually the room felt like home. The same journey is waiting for you.
If you lead teams, remember this too. The rookies on your team aren’t broken. They’re carrying nerves because the moment is big. Your job isn’t to tell them to toughen up. It’s to give them chances to step in, to ask the questions, to build momentum. Great leaders grow rookies into veterans.
How to Get Ready
Here are practical ways to turn rookie nerves into strength:
Rehearse. The more you prepare, the steadier you’ll feel. Athletes and actors don’t wing it. Neither should you.
Ask the questions. The ones you think are silly usually aren’t. They’re often the smartest ones in the room.
Stack small wins. Each one builds momentum. One strong client conversation, one good question in a meeting, one visible contribution at a time.
Find your anchors. A phrase, a pause, a breath. Something small that centers you when the nerves rise.
Give yourself room to grow. No one walks in fully formed. You grow into the role by doing it.
Where Coaching Helps
This is where coaching makes the difference. You can figure some of this out alone, but it takes longer and it’s lonelier. With a coach, you get:
A private place to practice. A safe space to try ideas, to test your voice, to hear yourself before the room hears you.
Reflections you can’t see alone. A partner who notices patterns, language, and habits you may not realize and brings them to the surface.
Accountability that sticks. Not ten new tasks, but a few real commitments you choose, then follow through on.
This is closer to what coaching really is: a partnership that helps you surface your own answers and move forward with confidence.
Think back to rookies in sports or theater. None succeed without coaches, mentors, or directors. The talent is already there, but the guidance helps them grow faster and steadier. Leadership deserves the same kind of support.
The Rookie Season Doesn’t Last Forever
Here’s the good news. The rookie season is temporary. The nerves will always be there in some form, but they won’t always feel like they control the room. With preparation, with practice, and with the right support, you’ll find your footing.
The moments that once made your stomach turn will eventually feel like the arenas where you’re most at home.
So if you’re in a new role and feeling the nerves, good. It means you’re in the middle of something real. Don’t waste energy asking if you belong. You do. The opportunity now is to make the most of it. And if you want to grow into it faster, don’t do it alone. Find a coach who can help you turn rookie jitters into strength.
And one last thing: let’s drop the phrase “imposter syndrome.” You’re not an imposter, and you’re not broken. You’re a rookie stepping into a bigger arena, and the nerves you feel are proof you’ve earned your spot.
You’ve already earned your place. Now it’s time to play like it.