Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter

by Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson

I decided to do an experiment when I was doing a round of meetings with TV executives. For some reason, they seem just a little bit cockier and more arrogant than other execs, and really like to control the room. I wanted to see if I could snatch that control out from under them without them even realizing it. Every time some big shot TV exec was pontificating about their plans, when they looked to me for that affirmation, I’d just sit there stone-faced. No nod. No laugh. I would not offer them anything. It would completely throw them off. They became very flustered. Once I had them off their game, it was much easier to assert my agenda and move the conversation in a direction that was beneficial to me. I was hustling harder, but literally without moving a muscle. Try it yourself. If you’re in a meeting and your boss looks to you for affirmation, don’t give it to them. That doesn’t mean stare at your phone or off into space while they’re talking. By all means, maintain eye contact and show that you’re listening. Just don’t offer them any nonverbal feedback beyond that. I promise that if you do that, the person who’s speaking will become fixated on you. Subconsciously, they will be thinking, “Everyone else is giving me verification. But this person isn’t giving me anything. What’s going on?” You could be the most junior person in the room, but after that meeting you’re going to occupy some prime real estate in your boss’s head. They’re going to be thinking, “That’s a smart ...