The word “hustle” has gotten a lot of notoriety over the years. From back in the 70s and that infamous dance (do the hustle… you know you are singing along right now) to today’s side gigs intended to earn extra cash flow. Rachel Hollis defines it as “the desire to work as hard as you can to chase down a goal.” For the most part, hustle has a positive connotation, however, is there such a thing as “bad hustle”? Here’s where it gets interesting.
In Brené Brown’s, “dare to lead”, she gives several examples of armored leadership versus daring leadership. In this particular case, Armored Leadership: Hustling for our worth. Daring Leadership: Knowing our value.
When people don’t understand their strengths and where they deliver value for an organization, they hustle. And NOT in a good way. In the way that is hard to be around… jumping in everywhere including where they are not needed, just to prove they deserve a seat at the table. They tend to exaggerate their importance in ways that are not helpful and seek attention and validation constantly from others. They often put more value on “being right”, than on “getting it right”.
In daring leadership, rather than hustling, we KNOW our value. Daring leaders share with their teams where they are strong and how they contribute to the success of the group as a whole. By all means, hustle if it means working hard to achieve your goals or learn new dance moves, but stop hustling for worthiness and learn to lean into your gifts.
