High-energy, can-do attitudes and effort can still be found if you know where to look
Is hustle dead? Finding workers with energetic, can-do attitudes is getting harder. Gallup says more than half of U.S. workers are “Quiet Quitting,” meaning they’ve taken on an attitude of no extra effort or weekend crunch sessions to deliver a project.
Millions are watching TikTok videos in which younger workers defend their decisions to do the minimum requirements at work and no more under the banner of quiet quitting. Supporting comments cascade down and include:
‘Above and Beyond’ is wage theft
I didn’t write the contract defining hours and responsibilities, they did.
I call it, The Great Relaxation
Coasting at work is nothing new, and experts say younger workers will get generally more ambitious as they work longer and want to achieve more, just as past generations have. However, broader attitudes are changing in ways that researchers say is surprising. People are feeling less connected to their organizations for one. Also, work is just less important to many workers post pandemic.
Manager Work Engagement Declines
Perhaps most ominous is that managers, the people who are relied on as the primary motivators within organizations, are also disconnecting. Gallup said only a third of managers describe themselves as emotionally or psychologically engaged at work. This reflects one of the largest drops among all classes of employees. It’s also believed that managers who check out have a deleterious cascading effect on their direct reports.
Where to Find the Hustlers
Employers understand burnout is prevalent and there is increased emphasis on work-life balance. They say hustle isn’t defined by long hours but more of an attitude that includes positivity, resourcefulness, persistence and action.
During the interview process, recruiters and hiring managers say they are listening intently for tell-tale signs of hustle such as those who helped put themselves through college by working or have self-taught themselves several skills. Questions about struggles are no longer throw aways like, “Tell me about a time you overcame a challenge?” Attitudes about challenges and finding if potential employees truly have grit are central to interviews.
Contracting with Hustlers
Many companies, particularly growth-stage companies and startups, would rather simply contract with hustlers. TechCXO, which has been providing on-demand executives and teams as interim and fractional support since 2003, says it has helped thousands of companies due as much to the experience of its partners and associates as their attitudes. The qualities of hustle TechCXO says is inherent in its people include:
1. Enjoyment of Work – TechCXO partners are required to have demonstrated expertise within companies as C-level executives. This means they have a track record of success and are in demand from multiple organizations. Many have been part of significant liquidity events and typically have resources. They choose to consult and lead projects because they enjoy the work and interaction with companies.
2. Entrepreneur’s Bias for Action – TechCXO partners have been CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CTOs, CMOs, and CHROs at companies of many sizes, including large enterprises. The firm’s client base tends to skew toward smaller companies in growth mode. The entrepreneurial energy of lean, fast-moving companies plays to partners’ own entrepreneurism and a bias toward action and tangible results.
3. Thicker Skin – Because TechCXO partners are generally older due to their C-level experience, the small slights, conflicts and grievances that may derail younger workers are quickly overcome and brushed aside by more experienced executives and managers who feel these things “come with the territory.”
4. Time to Value – The nature of interim, contract and fractional work requires tangible results to be generated quickly. Many of TechCXO’s clients are operating with venture or private equity capital so an emphasis on small learning curves and producing value in a condensed period of time is essential.