Is the Career Ladder Broken? Is Hustle Culture on the Rise? Why are (Some) Leaders Thriving?
This week I can’t stop thinking about: everyone’s writing about bad vibes at work these days, why the best leaders are multifaceted, + practical tips for managing bad moods
Hello! In my orbit, the biggest fall indicator is the fact that transitions are on everyone’s mind, not just seasons—work too.
Every other Thursday, I send a biweekly roundup of content I can’t stop thinking about— the stories that made me think, roll my eyes (lol), or text a friend. Consider this your shortcut to what’s been on my brain. I curate these letters because it’s fun; the content that I include here makes me think or teaches me something new and I hope it does the same for you too.
This week features links from Fast Company, Fortune, Life Kit, and .
Total read time: <8 mins.
My Links
THE ARTICLES I CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS WEEK
#1: How the midlife crisis was replaced by a decadelong rise in ‘young worker despair’ in the U.S.—and what it means for Gen Z (Fortune)
This headline is bleak and the article isn’t any better. I remember when I heard the term quarter-life crisis in my mid-late twenties and convinced myself I was in the throes of one. I was feeling angsty about my career and had no plan for what was next for me. I just wanted things to change.
This article discusses how today, younger workers are experiencing levels of despair that used to be reserved for midlife. Economists from Dartmouth, Glasgow, and UCL have found the old “midlife crisis hump” has flipped. Instead of distress peaking in your forties, it now spikes in your teens and twenties — especially for young women — and steadily declines with age. This is huge. The data ties youth despair not just to mental health but directly to the labor market: jobs that feel meaningless and that feel disconnected from any semblance of long-term stability.
One of the researchers described being “freaked out” by the findings. In their words, it’s like someone removed a few rungs from the career ladder right as this generation started to climb. And it’s everyone (Americans anyway). I saw the following on as seen on this week.
Only 25% of Americans believe they have a good chance of improving their standard of living—the lowest share since surveys began in 1987. Over 75% lack confidence that life for the next generation will be better, and nearly 70% say the American Dream no longer holds true—the highest level of skepticism in 15 years of surveys.
#2: 996 is taking over SF (Ramp Economics Lab)
There are nights when I can’t sleep and on those nights, I turn to
. The other night, I stumbled upon this newsletter about how 996 is taking over SF. If you’re not familiar, 996 is basically working 9am-9pm, 6 days a week. Straight up misery if you ask me!Anyway, you can read more on the 996 trend here and here. I’ve seen chatter online about this “lifestyle” taking over tech and, honestly, it’s elicited little more than an eye roll and scroll from me. Ara’s post stopped me in my tracks. Validating the prevalence of 996 in SF by analyzing corporate card data?!?! Count me in. And it’s not just me, I spotted him in
’s newsletter on Tuesday. There’s nothing I love more than taking a peek at what companies are doing and if that’s your jam - you’ll enjoy this. Here’s one of the insights that jumped out at me:It’s specific to San Francisco. Nationally, the Saturday pattern is muted. Even in other major tech hubs, the effect is small. I ran the same analysis for New York and saw only a slight uptick on Saturdays, roughly a quarter the size of San Francisco’s, and it’s concentrated after 8 p.m. That looks more like late dinners than a full extra workday.
Are we re-entering the hustle culture era?
#3: Why the Future of Leadership is Multifaceted (Fast Company)
When I see articles like this, my immediate reaction is “THANK GOD!”. I am over the days where we were encouraged to fit into a singular mold. Be a servant leader! Embrace radical candor! Lean in! Be Brene Brown and force vulnerability on everyone!….Please go away. Not saying there aren’t valid bits and pieces from these approaches that leaders can apply, but some of the best leaders I’ve worked with (and coached) figure out how to integrate leadership frameworks alongside their personality and life experiences — that’s what made them great. They crafted a leadership approach that felt authentic to them. Authenticity is what people respect and relate to, even if they don’t like working with you or for you.
My takeaway? Be multifaceted, be who you are.
#4: How to Boost Your Mood in 15 Minutes (Life Kit)
I’m not a stranger to having a bad mood ruin my day. There are times when I can really let it derail my plans. In these moments, it’s easy to forget that I have some control and that I don’t have to let a bad mood take over. My favorite tip from this podcast episode about mood boosters was doing something artistic. I don’t think I’ve written about it here, but I actually invested in 4 writing courses this summer. I went in wanting to improve as a writer because I’ve never taken formal creative writing courses. But looking back at it, it wasn’t just “professional development”, it was a way for me to flex my creativity. Those workshops unlocked new ideas in me. If you’re interested, I booked all my classes here. I LOVED 3/4 of my instructors (1 was way too lecture style for my liking).
Back to the pod — it’s chock full of tips for improving your mood, in 15 mins or less.
My Newsletter
→ IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: THIS WEEK’S NEWSLETTER
Getting what you want at work is about knowing how to work the system. It’s not about following abstract rules about what good looks like or blindly following frameworks, especially if they don’t apply to your context. That actually leaves you frustrated. I wrote about managing up this week, but the type of advice that applies to the type of manager you actually have.
This post was really fun for me to write. If you’ve ever felt stuck following advice that didn’t fit your manager, this one’s worth a read.
Coming Soon
I’m publishing my first ever Insights Report, focused on the culture of work and high achievers in the coming weeks. It’s really good. Reply to this email if you want a sneak peek, I’ll send a preview ahead of publishing to 10 subscribers.
From my browser to yours.
Ashley
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