MW 'Never get out-hustled.' ServiceNow's CEO shares his best career advice.

By Emily BaryAditi Shrikant

Bill McDermott says early-career employees need to maximize the factors in their control to get ahead

"I wasn't smarter than any of them, and my tactics weren't complicated. I just hustled."

ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott's best tip for achieving career success may not be what you want to hear.

His main piece of advice is simple - but not exactly a quick hack. McDermott said he rose through the ranks at Xerox $(XRX)$ before moving on to CEO roles at SAP $(SAP)$ and ServiceNow (NOW), largely because, as he put it, he worked harder than the people around him.

Many young professionals may feel frustrated at work and "don't always feel that they're in control," he told MarketWatch. Bosses set priorities and assign tasks, while employees execute that vision using whatever resources and support are available.

"But the one thing you do have control over is the controllables, and the most controllable thing is your behavior," he said. "So I've always believed in never getting out-hustled."

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McDermott applied that philosophy while serving in a sales role at Xerox, where he brought in more business than many of his peers. "I wasn't smarter than any of them, and my tactics weren't complicated," he wrote in his book. "I just hustled."

He said young professionals should not shy away from doing the grunt work. Other members of his sales team burned out on fruitless cold calls, but McDermott said he would skip leisurely, expensive lunches with co-workers to pack in more calls and sales meetings.

Putting it into action

Of course, simply working hard isn't a guarantee of major career advancement. Plenty of people work hard without becoming CEOs of $100 billion-plus software companies. Other factors - like the relationships you build and a bit of good luck - also shape your path.

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But McDermott's view is that you should maximize the factors within your control, with hard work being a major one. So how can you make sure your "out-hustling" philosophy yields results and gets noticed by the people who matter?

First, you need to figure out what your boss cares about and focus your energy on those tasks, said Rita McGrath, a professor at Columbia Business School and author of "The End of Competitive Advantage: How to Keep Your Strategy Moving as Fast as Your Business."

"See where they spend their time and do what I call an audit of their agenda," she said. If your manager is constantly meeting with the sales team, for example, be sure you're contributing to that team's success.

And while it's important to hit your goals, it's equally vital to let others know when you do. "It's important not to expect good work to speak for itself," she said. "If you're doing good work that advances the mission of the enterprise, there is no harm in making that known."

Consider asking for monthly or quarterly check-ins, where you clearly and specifically outline the tasks you executed and how you contributed to the success of certain projects.

Modern technology as a 'strategic weapon'

McDermott said that when his colleagues went off to happy hours after work, he would head back to the office and set himself up for the day ahead.

That may be out of step with the modern emphasis on work-life balance that many career advisers promote. McDermott, for his part, said he doesn't think that hard work prevents you from having a life outside the office.

"A lot of people complain that the device in their pocket takes away their time from family and friends and the things that matter most," he said. But McDermott said modern technology is "a strategic weapon" because he can spend 20 minutes handling important emails that would have stressed him out all weekend if left unattended. Once those issues are resolved, he can "be more present, not less present" with family and friends.

Admittedly, answering emails on the weekend can be a slippery slope.

"A lot of people spend 20 minutes on email, and then all those people respond to them, and then they respond back," said Laura Vanderkam, a time-management expert and author of the upcoming book, "Big Time: A Simple Path to Time Abundance."

"You have to know yourself and make sure you can stop while still preserving time off," she said.

As McDermott said, "You control how hard you work, and the harder you work, the luckier you're going to get."

-Emily Bary -Aditi Shrikant

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March 18, 2026 10:00 ET (14:00 GMT)

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