Why It Makes Perfect Sense For You to Hire a Hustler

Hustle (via Merriam-Webster): “To sell or promote energetically and aggressively.”

Hustle (via Urban Dictionary): “Anything you need to do to make money.”

Hustle (via Sackett): “Getting sh*t done with a smile.”

I’ve been thinking a lot lately on what really makes someone successful. I know folks who are completely brilliant, in a way most of us can’t even comprehend, both intellectually and creatively. I know why they’re successful.

There is no replacement for hustle

I also know of people who don’t seem to be the smartest, or the most creative, but they are also super successful. Those are the ones that make me wonder, what makes them successful?

They know how to hustle.

I say that they have a love for what they do. Most people can’t hustle. It’s not in their makeup, their DNA. It’s not a skill you can learn, you are either born a hustler, or you’re not.

Hustling has a negative connotation, when in reality, it’s not always negative. I find those people who I’ve worked for that have a hustler’s mentality can be highly professional and highly successful.

Having people who can get things done

The thing is, there is really no replacement for hustle.

Not every organization needs people with that skill, and I don’t think I would want an entire organization of hustlers! You need some, though, and you need them in the right positions.

Hustlers know how to get things done in an organization. They know how to make people feel like both sides won. Some of the best hustlers I know in HR are on the labor relations side of the business. Contract negotiations are usually one big hustle!

I wish someone would come up with an assessment that measured someones hustle level! Hey, HR Tech, get on that! I’m buying.

7 ways to assess someone’s “hustle”

Here’s the traits I think you need to find when assessing someone’s hustle level:

Are they willing to what it takes to be successful in whatever role it is you’ll be putting them in?
Do they have an entrepreneurial spirit?
Are they self-driven and ambitious?
Do they like competition?
Do they enjoy interacting with others?
Do they have a high tolerance to handle rejection?
Are they coachable and willing to adapt?

Yes, you can benefit from a hustler

I don’t care what kind of department you are running in an organization, you can benefit from having a hustler on your team.

I think you could take most street hustlers off the street, clean them up in a corporate professional way, teach them corporate language, and they would thrive in corporate America! No formal education. No skills. Just hustle.

Let’s face it; most of what we do in corporate America is hustle!

This was originally published on Tim Sackett’s blog, The Tim Sackett Project.