What's Your Hustle Indicator?

“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” - Abraham Lincoln

Hustle is a differentiator – in school, business, sports, and our many other life priorities.  Each of us has been blessed with talent and abilities, but how we apply that is what determines our success.  Maximizing our talent requires hustle, the extra effort to go beyond "good enough" to "whatever it takes."

Where you fall between "good enough" and "whatever it takes" is  your “hustle indicator”.  Do you consistently pour your heart into what you do or convince yourself to save it for next time?  Examples include putting that phone call off another day, skipping the networking event, or resigning yourself that the new business opportunity requires too much effort.

Overcoming limited talent with determination makes great movies – Rocky, Hoosiers, andRudy are classic examples.  However, the reality is this behavior is often the exception to the rule.  The truth is we observe talented individuals who fail to measure up every day - athletes who coast and do not reach their potential, business professionals who rely on political skills and their careers stall, and gifted children who confound their parents with average grades.  They have the goods but underperform.  They say a mind is a terrible thing to waste – so is your heart.

As a youth hockey coach, we had a young boy who was not blessed with great talent and yet desperately wanted to make our travel team.  During our tryout evaluations he scored well on the standard categories (skating, passing, shooting, etc…), good enough, but not one of the best. But he made the team over more skilled players because he had the heart of a lion – giving all he had even when the game was most certainly over.  Ask any coach about hustle and they will tell a similar story.

Let’s apply this story to the workplace - what does “whatever it takes” look like in your work world?  Does it get rewarded?

Three keys to promoting your hustle indicator:

Stamina
To truly go the extra step you need to have endurance.  Take care of the greatest financial asset in your portfolio – you.  If you find yourself reluctant to take on major challenges you may simply lack the energy necessary, and this is within your control.  Be diligent about your personal fitness and mental agility to have the reservoir necessary for diligence.  Project energy to build confidence in others that you have the goods to get the job done.

Self Recognition
My experience is the world admires those who hustle but the rewards often go to the high profile, talented few.  Sports and business are all about data/metrics (outcomes) and personal brand (perception).   You may need to reframe your expectations to reward yourself for giving all you have, and not depending on external recognition.

Tough Tasks
"When the going gets tough…" - we all know the end of that sentence.  The reality is only a few volunteer for the most challenging assignments in life, most people rely on someone else taking charge.  The common refrain is “after you”.  Be a fixer and a closer when others are asking for your leadership in tough times.  Ask yourself “am I getting asked or volunteering for what others walk away from?”  If not, why?

Abe Lincoln had it right – don’t wait for your opportunity to come.  Build your stamina, recognize yourself, and take on the tough tasks.  Raise your hustle indicator and prepare for new opportunities.