Living in a world where it’s difficult to know who to trust is exhausting. It seems to me that there are so many people just hustling to make a buck that I’m constantly on guard. I’m not a hustler. I’ve never been a hustler. Sure, I know the elements of the hustle (there are enough examples around me) and could probably engage in the types of interactions that put me at an advantage, but what stops me is that I don’t think the world needs more hustlers. The world needs more mutual benefits.
I was raised in a small town in Alberta. Hustlers didn’t really exist. They couldn’t. It was a small community and anyone who tried to take advantage of another person’s generosity or naiveté would be quickly discredited and made examples of. We all needed to co-exist in a way that everyone had their needs met. Fairness ruled. This experience, though naive in the ways of the wider world, led me to believe strongly in the idea of reciprocity: I give something of value and you give something of value and we both benefit. It was simple.
Since leaving my utopic small town world, I’ve experienced the Tragedy of the Commons unfolding everywhere. I love big cities – the energy, the excitement, the variety of experiences – but I don’t love the disconnectedness between people that exists in big cities. It’s a problem of scale. If someone screws someone else over in a small town everyone knows, but if someone screws someone else over in a big city, it’s pretty certain that they’ll get away with it. If you want to get the word out to warn others, it takes a great deal of time and energy.
So you do one of two things to survive: you become suspicious of everyone you meet or you become a hustler yourself. Millions of people make that decision daily and I don’t think either is a particularly happy existence. I believe that people make the decision to hustle to survive and the more hustlers we have, the more tragic the Commons grow. As it grows, we spend more time, money and energy to survive.
When I realized all of this years ago, I set out into the world in hopes that I could make a bit of a difference to change this. That’s why I chose marketing. I know, doesn’t seem like a natural progression to set out to make the world a happier, less exhausting place and choose a career in selling stuff. But it seemed to me to be the perfect place to disrupt the hustle. The fact is, we live in a society where we often need the services and products that are being hustled to us. If I could establish a voice in the area most associated with hustle and convert the hustle to a mutually beneficial interaction, I thought, perhaps the amount of hustle will be reduced to the fringe and those hustling would realize their strategy was flawed.
Well, it’s quite a long haul, this goal. But I don’t discourage easily.
I’ve been excited by the power of online communities for quite sometime now as a key piece to how the hustle can be broken. And for quite a while, it was. But the very medium I felt excited about has become a primary source of hustle. Sure, there is Whuffie and Trust Agents and these important cultural norms help to keep the hustle a little more at bay. But then the hustle co-opts the language and behavior of the culture so it looks less like hustle and we celebrate it (“Yay! Look at how we’re changing the world! Coca Cola has a Twitter account and they talk to people!” And “I can get a free sandwich from Burger King if I become their fan on Facebook!”) and the new Commons we could have used to break the insanity of it all becomes tragic, too. We are celebrating the hustle and those who hustle are rewarded.
Ugh. I feel as if this Revolution HAS been Televised. Only, instead of television, it’s YouTube. I’m not sure what to do from here. I tried, with writing The Whuffie Factor, to provide an example of how mutually beneficial interaction is the right business model going forward. I thought that if I write a book, it would get into the hands of hustlers who would be transformed and decide that we need to change the predator/prey relationship. But it doesn’t feel like that’s happening anytime soon. Instead, it gives insight into the culture that I adore just enough for hustlers to become wolf in sheep’s clothing. Is the issue too deep to disrupt it?
I don’t think so. I still have hope. I just need everyone’s help. I need everyone who reads this to speak out when you see wolf in sheep’s clothing. I need everyone who has any role in the marketing space to really think about the core of the businesses you are working with and bring forward mutually beneficial relationships with your customers. I need to see more examples around me of companies like Zappos and Southwest and Clif Bar, who believe strongly in putting an end to hustling and who want to build businesses based on people (customers, employees, etc) benefiting and who end up being more long term profitable companies because of that attitude.
This world CAN become a happier, less exhausting, less suspicious/hustling place where we can pour our energy into positive ventures, personal health, the pursuit of knowledge and reaching self-actualization. We just need to get real. And put the revolution back on the right track. Let’s stop the hustle together.
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:17 am
Fantastic article on the state of hustling in the market world.
As with anything that becomes popular whether it’s cities or the blogosphere people will always try and take advantage of the naive and weak. The difference online is that people can let you know in an instant whether someone has good intentions or has wronged someone in the past. Then the reputation of their business is at stake. Your rep is all your have around here so you better value it like nothing else.
October 2nd, 2009 at 11:14 am
One problem I see is the assumption of the hustle. We’ve been (are being) conditioned to expect everything to be a hustle so it is doubly hard to believe in the non-hustle. From the media conglomerates to the financial services industry to the junk food industrial complex, there is the sneaking suspicion that nothing is as it seems; that connections and ulterior motives exist everywhere. It is certainly a tough mindset to overcome but what choice is there other than to keep pushing forward.
October 2nd, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I was also raised in a small town, and can easily relate to that feeling of reciprocity. Living in a big city for the past 7 years (Toronto) showed me how anonymous one’s life can be if he wishes so. Oddly enough, what always brought this thought to my mind is the cold marketing media of the big city. Anyone ever sat in a bus on a rainy day and watched the big commercial ads passing by? No matter what happens in your life, they will always sell pop or shaving cream to someone… The cold one-sided communication of the marketing media always discouraged me, and everything around it made me feel “hustled”.
“The Whuffie factor” introduced me to the world of social media. I got so inspired! Finally a way to really communicate with my existing and potential clients! No more one-sided marketing and so many great opportunities to meet and get to know amazing people I would never meet otherwise. So many opportunities to give.
When it’s just you and a couple of friends, everyone can hear you even if you whisper. When you are in a large crowd, you need to yell really loud to be heard. This is what I think is happening in the social media world. Considering how complicated it is to manage successful relationships in real life, imagine the challenge we are all facing, of managing them online!
I am very optimistic about the human kind, and truly believe that there is much more good than bad to give to the world in each and every one of us. Social media IS a great way to stop the real hustlers, and a wonderful opportunity for the rest of us to learn, how to re-establish our small-town reciprocal relationships in the modern global village.
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:14 am
Lovely to find this post, just as I am struggling to respond to a contract negotiation where I am feeling hustled. It helps guide me to think about how I will contribute to this way of being that is out of alignment with who I am if I play the game. Thanks for helping me get clearer.
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:31 am
Tara – I think that this has a lot to do with the conversation we just had during the interview. Hustling has a bad rap, and for the longest time has been associated with mistrust. If you are a hustler (or a huckster), you are not to be trusted.
But what happens when somebody wants to work their ass off to get ahead, and does it in a way that creates mutual benefits for each other? What happens when people like you, Mitch Joel, and Gary Vaynerchuk come along?
I truly think the key is in what you are hustling for. If you are hustling to find ways to build your business in a way that builds value for the other party, then I think the world needs more people like that.
Perhaps it’s time to start hustling for the right things?
October 5th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Hi Lane. Thanks for your frank assessment here. I think as long as you, Dawn Foster, Chris Brogan, and others keep pushing forward, others (like me) will join you and more thought leaders will grow into the space. Perhaps the hallmark of Gen Y will not be ‘entitled, lazy youth’ but will instead be the people who changed business from hustling the consumer into giving people what they want and need by listening to the community.
After all, what is great entrepreneurism but seeing a need and filling it?
October 5th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Um, I meant hi Tara. I got so caught up in looking at those beautiful photos that I stopped paying attention.
October 5th, 2009 at 10:43 am
Hi Tara,
I did a project a while back on capturing both the good and bad experiences and letting others know (it was before Yelp and Angie’s List, but after Service Magic). It was mostly qualitative studies.
The folks we spoke to loved to tell others about their great experiences. Those others included “strangers” – e.g. telling others for the “common good”.
But when it comes to bad experiences, they didn’t like telling others – with a few exceptions. They would tell their close acquaintances, and a few would shout it to the world – a very few. Most just want to forget about it and chalk up the experience as something to watch out for next time.
I’ve visited some… hmmm… see, I even have a hard time labeling them. I’ll just say they are not people that I would hire to do a job for me. I would never call them out. Part of it is fear of some sort of retribution. Back in the early days of the web – I did call someone out. And then I received some death threats.
Not that THAT has happened to a lot of people, but still, it’s an underlying fear that came out in our studies. It’s easy to talk about people you like. It’s harder, and more dangerous (real or imagined), to talk about the folks you don’t like.
- Matt
October 5th, 2009 at 11:44 am
I really appreciate this post, and agree with you. Just one tiny tweak: the word “hustle” has multiple meanings, and for many of us the first meaning is “get off your butt / get a move on!!”, rather than hustle-as-in-unethical/sleazy. It doesn’t always imply zero-sum — but I understand your context in this post. I’m trying to come up with a replacement word here, but can’t really think of one. In any case, I know what you mean and I don’t think the kind of deceitful hustle you’re describing is going to be sustainable for those who practice it.
Patience, grasshopper.
October 5th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Hi Tara …. could not agree more. Desperate marketers and others wishing to take advantage of the media will not stop though. While I too believe in the good intentions of people generally, I also believe that this is a pipedream -> “… hustlers who would be transformed”. Whether the impetus comes from organisational or personal motivation, those who choose aggressive tactics will not stop trying … so…..
The good news is that as tools improve we will get better protection. I actually know people who want to be ‘hustled’ and deliberately sign up for all kinds of free stuff knowing they will be spammed on and offline, so it takes all kinds. Also I am not all sure this is a small town/ big town thing. I have lived in both, and while subtle the hustle is everywhere, and maybe harder to disregard in a small town.
Meantime what should idealists do. Can’t help with offline, but online I maximise adblock, careful use of privacy settings wherever I sign up, and maximisation of gmail filters. They can talk but you don’t have to listen is my motto.
Just my take, and only my perspective. Keep up the good fight!
October 6th, 2009 at 10:39 am
“The world needs more mutual benefits.”
The world needs more genuine people who aren’t afraid to remove their “masks” and connect with others on a meaningful level. Less noise, more signal.
“If someone screws someone else over in a small town everyone knows, but if someone screws someone else over in a big city, it’s pretty certain that they’ll get away with it.”
No accountability when you can disappear within the crowd. It’s one reason I prefer small closer communities of people, be it in my personal life or in business.
“I’m not sure what to do from here.”
I’m in the same boat. I’m finding that the success of my web design work, more and more, relates directly to the culture of the company I’m interacting with. If they are open, honest, and genuine, I can connect with them and in turn help them connect with their audience. If they are full of BS and only want to put more spin on the hustle, I usually turn down their offer of work. If I can’t create a real genuine connection between people, even on a basic level, then I’m not interested in the work.
“Instead, it gives insight into the culture that I adore just enough for hustlers to become wolf in sheep’s clothing. Is the issue too deep to disrupt it?”
I’m finding most people still have a pretty good BS detector. You can’t fake being genuine…at least not for long. Sure if you want to fake it for a quick sale, feel free to do so. But the person will eventually figure out they’ve been scammed and not return. If you want to build long term sustainable relationships, those involved need to relay values that contribute to the relationship. If they don’t, it’s not going to last. Doesn’t matter if it’s a personal relationship or a business venture.
“If you are hustling to find ways to build your business in a way that builds value for the other party, then I think the world needs more people like that.”
Steve, I wouldn’t call that hustling at all. As soon as you recognize and respect the other person to the point that you empathize with them, you’re on your way to building a genuine relationship. Most hustlers only care about themselves and their own interests. Thus even though they may be talking to you, you can often sense a feeling of disconnect or detachment amongst them. There aren’t really there but instead in their head thinking about profits. Or put another way, they aren’t contributing to the conversation at hand but instead just broadcasting their own agenda. This is something I’m seeing quite a lot on blogs today. People very rarely recognize and respond to one another on blogs (and this even includes the blog author as well). Almost makes me want to stop commenting and just email people instead.
“…the word “hustle” has multiple meanings…”
Well said Kathy. That’s something I’ve been noticing more and more as well. Everyone has a different vocabulary and meaning behinds the words they use. I mean “community” is getting so overused today that people don’t even know what it means. I actually had a guy the other day who asked me if I had a picture in my portfolio that relayed “community” and I almost laughed out loud at him. Community isn’t something you see so much as something you feel. It’s why the best community moderators don’t even have to ask if something is wrong in a community, they just know. Again back to the ability to empathize and connect with people on an emotional and meaningful level. You can’t fake that.
October 7th, 2009 at 6:55 am
Tara,
Thanks for this post. I have finally found the time to comment, because you raise a very good point for the open and transparent community you and may of us, your readers, aspire to adopt and be a part of. It is hard to feel hopeful at times. I work in the government space, which has a change resistant culture. Many of the tenets of the Whuffie Factor are not part of the status quo of government culture, which is somewhat counter-intuitive because after all we are public servants and most agency’s stated mission is to improve society. Nonetheless, we tend to operate in walled gardens and engagement is only undertaken when necessary. We are seeing changes, but for those, like myself, it has been a frustrating road. The change process will be slow and we may see regressions. Such as the hustlers that are taking advantage of tools like Facebook, Twitter, and other social media for short term gain. It may sound dramatic, but those, like yourself, how have chosen the road for change and improvement must stay eternally vigilant because as the saying goes “Rome was not built in a day.” So we must do what we can and hope for the best.
One final note, I wanted to post a couple of link to a series of post by Rob Paterson on the FASTForward Blog regarding the Science of Emergence and its relation to Social Media. These are slightly egg heady post, but should give some evidence of the potential power of on-line communities. Thanks, Brian
Emergence posts:
Part 1 – http://www.fastforwardblog.com/2009/10/01/emergence-part-1-so-what-is-really-going-on/
Part 2 – http://www.fastforwardblog.com/2009/10/02/emergence-part-2-what-might-be-the-container-rules-for-humans/
Part 3 – http://www.fastforwardblog.com/2009/10/06/emergence-3-the-rules-a-science-our-only-chance/
October 7th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Brian Gryth, great post on the government issue.
I believe that a faster change in that sphere can come from more social-entrepreneurship, and the social media is there for us to facilitate this change faster.
There is a wonderful book on social entrepreneurship written by David Bornstein http://bit.ly/JcIGn.
Thanks for the interesting links.