I. M. Wright’s “Hard Code”

By Eric Brechner

Technology Software How-To

What's I. M. Wright’s “Hard Code” about?

An opinion column for developers. Brutally honest, no pulled punches.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

I. M. Wright’s “Hard Code” episodes:

06.04.2024
Do you feel lucky?
How do you improve your chances of success? Why consider luck when evaluating people and situations?
05.14.2024
I wasn't aware
Why are awareness posters, training, and trinkets mostly ineffective? How do you convert these campaigns into action?
04.02.2024
No time like the present
How does responding immediately provide you with essential slack time? How can eschewing prioritization help you prioritize?
03.05.2024
Productive power sharing
When a project has multiple leaders, how do you quickly make aligned decisions that stick? Who has final say without abusing that power?
02.13.2024
How to pay off (technical) debt
How do you pay off technical debt before a catastrophic failure? How do you convince management to invest the time?
11.07.2023
Break the ice blocking your job search
How do you expand and utilize your network to land a new role you love? Why is applying online so unlikely to succeed for an experienced engineer?
10.10.2023
High on high potential--drunk on a fallacy
What skills should engineers develop? How should hiring manager prioritize candidates?
09.12.2023
What’s this now? Dealing with ambiguity
How do you estimate deliverables, prioritize assignments, design solutions, choose implementations, and verify requirements when there’s no authoritative source to tell you the right thing to do and the right way to do it? What do you do when the...
08.01.2023
Been the boss
How do you engage with your manager and peers when you're no longer the boss? Should you be the boss again?
06.06.2023
A matter of degrees
Is getting an advanced degree worth the time, effort, and cost? Does the university you choose matter?
05.09.2023
In the middle of planning
As a middle manager, how do you create a plan in a week that pleases the management chain above you (and partners), the staff below you (including multiple teams), and your own desires for influence and impact? When are three...
04.06.2023
Escape the matrix
What is matrix management? Given its awful track record, why does it persist and how can you avoid it?
03.07.2023
Whatever, I do the vacation I want
When your company switches to discretionary time off, how much vacation should you take? What if my manager or team judges me about using too much or too little vacation?
02.07.2023
Advanced cat herding
How do you drive cross-org initiatives successfully without leaving a trail of resentment? What is the hidden power of the initiative driver?
10.11.2022
Pacify office politics
Why do many engineers hate office politics yet can't avoid it? How can you navigate and master office politics while maintaining your integrity and sanity?
09.13.2022
The interview
What are the three key questions an interview answers? How do you best prepare, introduce yourself, solve design and code problems, answer behavioral questions, and reflect after an interview?
08.02.2022
I’m not all that
How can you overcome imposter syndrome and act with integrity and authenticity until you finally know what you’re doing? What makes others listen to you and accept your leadership?
07.12.2022
A review of pair programming
What are the pros and cons of pair programming? When is it valuable?
06.07.2022
To disclose, or not to disclose
In what situations should you disclose your disability (or not)? How do ensure you receive accommodations and respectful treatment?
05.10.2022
Crisis management
How do you respond to a crisis that involves executives and maybe mass media? What steps can you take to stay calm and engage the right people?
04.05.2022
You’re late
What five options do you have when your deliverable is late? How do you rebuild trust with stakeholders?
03.08.2022
I expect you to read this
Why do coworkers disappoint you? How do you set clear expectations and hold people accountable?
02.08.2022
Let’s take a poll
Why should you bother taking an employee poll? How do you best use ratings and comments to keep what you like and improve what you don't?
12.07.2021
Keep it professional
What makes professional relationships different from personal ones? How do you collaborate effectively with people you don't like?
11.03.2021
What‘s your career plan?
How do you write a professional growth and development plan? What if you don't have a long-term goal yet?
10.12.2021
Effective delegation: Assign ownership
Why is it better to assign ownership instead of delegating tasks? How do you determine who should own what?
09.14.2021
Managing your management
Why do you need to manage your management? How do you manage up with authenticity?
08.01.2021
You've got coding style
Are you a bold, methodical, or analytical engineer? Is one style better than the others?
07.01.2021
Aggregation aggravation
Why do great teams with sufficient data still make bad decisions, miss incidents, and seem unresponsive? How should you slice your data to ensure a quality customer experience?
06.01.2021
Discussing rewards for people
How do you run a great people discussion? What common mistakes to managers make in people discussions?
05.01.2021
Troubled teams
What way can teams get into trouble? How do you resolve issues and sustain high-performing teams?
04.02.2021
Activity is not impact
Why do writing more code and working more hours fall short of delivering more value? What should engineers be doing?
03.01.2021
Rewarding managers
Should managers be rewarded more than individual contributors? How do you create more impact, opportunity, and innovation for less expense?
02.01.2021
Supercharged resume attached
What are the three purposes of a resume? How do you make your resume and interview more memorable and compelling?
11.01.2020
I'm not PC
Which software terms are so offensive that we should change them? How do you choose a good alternative to an offensive term?
10.01.2020
Switching to DevOps
What are the common mistakes when switching to DevOps? How can your team smoothly transition to DevOps?
09.01.2020
Fond farewell to Microsoft
What's improved and what's remained problematic at Microsoft? Where do we go from here?
08.01.2020
What's my motivation?
What motivates knowledge workers? Which leadership style is most effective day to day?
07.01.2020
Staycation, all I ever wanted
How do you vacation at home when that's where you're working? What three guidelines provide a relaxing and memorable home vacation?
06.01.2020
Give it to me straight
What three rules help you write great performance feedback? Which part of your feedback is the most important?
05.01.2020
Fairness rules
How do you make fair choices and impose fair restrictions? Why wouldn't you be transparent?
04.01.2020
Feeling remote
What subtle changes can you make to be productive working from home? How do you keep the peace with your housemates and kids?
02.01.2020
Communication breakdown
How can good communication save you grief? What does a communication plan look like for rollouts, reorgs, and outages?
11.11.2018
Connects with impact
How is the ‘looking back’ section like a resume? What simple template will help you type less, add more clarity, and gain greater recognition?
11.10.2018
How's it going?
What are the four measures in a balanced scorecard? Why must you pay attention to all four?
11.10.2018
Growth mindset and diversity
Does having a diverse team impact hiring the best people? How can a diverse team allow you to be yourself?
11.10.2018
Under pressure
How do you take back control in stressful situations? Why is it short-sighted and dangerous to over promise?

What's I. M. Wright’s “Hard Code” about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

I. M. Wright’s “Hard Code” episodes:

Do you feel lucky?

I wasn't aware

No time like the present

Productive power sharing

How to pay off (technical) debt

Break the ice blocking your job search

High on high potential--drunk on a fallacy

What’s this now? Dealing with ambiguity

Been the boss

A matter of degrees

In the middle of planning

Escape the matrix

Whatever, I do the vacation I want

Advanced cat herding

Pacify office politics

The interview

I’m not all that

A review of pair programming

To disclose, or not to disclose

Crisis management

You’re late

I expect you to read this

Let’s take a poll

Keep it professional

What‘s your career plan?

Effective delegation: Assign ownership

Managing your management

You've got coding style

Aggregation aggravation

Discussing rewards for people

Troubled teams

Activity is not impact

Rewarding managers

Supercharged resume attached

I'm not PC

Switching to DevOps

Fond farewell to Microsoft

What's my motivation?

Staycation, all I ever wanted

Give it to me straight

Fairness rules

Feeling remote

Communication breakdown

Connects with impact

How's it going?

Growth mindset and diversity

Under pressure