12/16/24 - The Return of the Newsletter
Big news heading into the end of the year, I’m bringing this weekly newsletter back AND starting a podcast. The first episode of Ask Hartley Anything is ready for you on all of your favorite podcast apps (Spotify, iTunes, etc) or right here on Substack.
Best part, you can participate! It’s an advice podcast for engineers of all experience levels, tech leaders, and anyone navigating the tech-adjacent world and if you’ve got a question, just submit it here. Or comment at the bottom of this newsletter. New episodes released every Wednesday.
Enough plugs, one thought for the week. It’s December 16, which means we’ve reasonably got ~10 business days left in 2024. Use this time to work on your prioritization skills, leveraging the Eisenhower Matrix to determine what truly needs to wrap up before 2025.
⏱️ Workplace Efficiency & Leadership
Dropbox’s Secret for Saving Time in Meetings
This simple trick from Dropbox has the potential to save your team hours in wasted meeting time. At the end of the day it’s all about leaner collaboration. Dropbox did it before the recent waves, and it proved extremely helpful.
Bosses Say They Want the Truth—Do They Mean It?
Building trust starts with modeling vulnerability and accepting uncomfortable truths. This article challenges leaders to evaluate their openness to honest feedback.
💼 Remote Work & Team Dynamics
Remote Workers and Organizations Drifting Apart
Gallup's research reveals the challenges of keeping remote teams connected. Offers actionable insights to foster engagement and alignment in distributed workplaces.
“Lazy Girl Jobs” Are Just Healthy Jobs
I love this callout, especially as a millennial who had burnout issues in the past. This trend emphasizes the growing demand for balanced, sustainable roles. Leaders should reassess whether they’re fostering environments that encourage meaningful work without burnout.
🛡️ Security Insights
Why Security Still Has a Password Problem
Despite advances in authentication, passwords remain a weak link. Learn how to reduce vulnerabilities and improve your organization’s security posture.
Cross-IDP Impersonation: A New Security Risk
This deep dive into cross-IDP impersonation exposes vulnerabilities in identity providers that could compromise your security strategy. Essential for leaders overseeing authentication systems or IAM policies.
💡 Strategy & Perspective
The Ultimate Guide to Willingness to Pay
An excellent primer for product leaders on pricing strategy. Engineering leaders can use this to align product development with business goals.
What Are You Getting Paid In?
Aviv Ben-Yosef’s take on non-monetary compensation is a great reminder to evaluate your team’s intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. While almost no one will say no to cash, it’s not always the main motivator.
🛠️ Engineering Culture & Productivity
The Death of the Stubborn Developer
A compelling look at how modern tools and collaborative practices are reshaping the stubborn, isolated developer archetype. A must-read for leaders navigating cultural change in their teams.
Measuring Developer Productivity with the DX Core 4
This research highlights the DX Core 4 framework to measure developer experience and productivity effectively. Use this to align engineering metrics with business outcomes. Always interested in what Laura Tacho and the folks at DX are doing!
How to Ruin an Engineering Organization
A spicy title, but also a brutally honest guide to what not to do when leading an engineering team. Keep this checklist of anti-patterns handy as move your org forward.
👉 Have a favorite resource or question? Reply to this email to share your thoughts and insights.
Featured image: “Winter” Joseph Rubens Powell (artist) British, active 1835/1871