Good Employees Hustle

There are only so many hours a day to get things done--taking advantage of these hours to succeed or get ahead is HUSTLE.

When I was a young man involved in sports, coaches encouraged (demanded) for us to hustle. Hustle was never defined or explained, but we all knew what the coaches wanted. They wanted us to move fast, work hard, be determined, and never give up. Our coaches would forgive mistakes if we hustled, but if we were not hustling and making mistakes we were relegated to the bench--and no one wanted to be on the bench.

Good employees bring that same drive and determination to their jobs. Hustle is an entrepreneurial trait. Hustle is about getting ahead. Hustle is about taking ownership in what brings career and personal success. Hustle will make you and your company a success.

Hustle is about focusing on success and taking advantage of the time you have.

Ultimately, hustle is about how you manage your time. Musicians practice their instruments for hours every single day. They know that mastering their craft will bring them success and mastering their instruments take hours and hours of practice. Any success comes at a price and time is the primary currency. 

Employees tend to focus on their eight hours a day and make sure that they have their breaks. Good employees are not focused on time, but they are focused on tasks that will bring them and their companies success. It is evident which of the employees hustle. They have a different focus, they have drive, and they get things done.

You might be asking yourself whether or not you have hustle. The better question is whether your boss thinks you have hustle. After all, part of our success is dependent upon what our bosses think of us. Here are several suggestions to put a little bit more hustle into your work.

Getting more hustle in your work:

1. Come to work ready to work. I have witnesses countless employees show up for work put their coats and personal items away then head for the coffee bar. After a few conversations about last night's game or the latest episode of Mad Housewives in Hawaii, they get back to their desks ready to work and have been in the office for an hour. Employees with hustle waste less time beginning their necessary tasks. I am not saying that employees that are friendly and like to socialize are bad employees, I am saying that they are approaching their work with less hustle.
2. Take fewer and shorter breaks. Breaks are a necessary part of work. Everyone needs to take breaks and they are protected by the laws that regulate employment. However, breaks are easily abused. Employees that hustle would rather finish the task at hand and move on to other tasks that will move the company and them closer to the company vision or strategic plan.
3. Work to get ahead, not just to get things done. You have probably heard of the saying, "Don't just work harder, work smarter." A previous job required me to write many reports. The reports were similar in format, but not content so I could not just copy and paste. However, I learned how to use macros in Word and Excel that made my job much easier and quicker. I did not like writing the reports, but they provide important information to those in charge of strategic planning. By utilizing macros, I was able to complete the reports saving hours that I spent doing things that I actually liked doing. Employees that hustle, work to advance the company, not to finish the job so that they can goof off.
4. Work faster. I learned that everyone tends to work at a pace that is particular to them. One summer, I worked in the oil fields of New Mexico. A group of summer workers was sent to a large tank battery with a dozen huge oil tanks. The tanks were surrounded with a dirt dike to contain the oil in the case of a spill. The workers were to chop down the weeds that covered the dike. As we worked throughout the day, I noticed that everyone was working at different speeds. Some were working fast, some at a more casual but steady pace, and some worked at a snail's pace. When I started working in offices, I noticed the same behavior in office workers. Some workers work at a faster pace than others. Employees that exhibit hustle, work at a faster pace than the normal worker. Working at faster pace must be practiced because we all default to a regular pace unless we are under a deadline. Good employees work faster to accomplish more for the company.
5. Work like a leader, not a follower. This was a painful lesson for me. While working as a lease coordinator, we worked closely with project managers. The job of a project manager appealed more to me, payed more and I felt that I could do the job well, but felt that I should be content as a coordinator and went about my duties faithfully. I did my job to the best of my ability, but made sure that I stayed within my own purview. I felt that a fellow coordinator was presumptive because they were proactive and aggressive doing things that (I thought) only the project managers could do. They were soon promoted to project manager. They exhibited hustle. They showed that they could do the job of a manager. They showed traits of a leader, not just a follower.

I guarantee that every employee that shows more hustle in their work will be a successful employee and will probably be running the business one day.

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