8 ms·

Ask HN: What are the best articles on managing people?

311 points by deadcoder0904 3y ago

I recently found out about https://blog.sbensu.com/posts/lieutenants/ & was curious what are your favorite articles on management or generally managing people?

shaunxcode 3y ago
https://monoskop.org/images/e/e3/Beer_Stafford_Designing_Freedom.pdf https://monoskop.org/images/e/e3/Beer_Stafford_Designing_Fre... Even has diagrams!
iFire 3y ago
I enjoy the readings from https://managinghumans.com/ https://managinghumans.com/ but my talents are with code and not management so evaluation of the advice is difficult.
drewcoo 3y ago
If you have to ask, if you can't do a search, if you don't know anyone . . . then there are none. And you should stop being a manager. Now. Just stop, please. Also, you're asking asking HN - WTF!!!
jodrellblank 3y ago
15 years ago, RandsInRepose.com wrote a lot of interesting blog posts on management, and then turned them into books: https://randsinrepose.com/archives/ https://randsinrepose.com/archives/
- quag 3y ago
  The article about types of one on ones has stuck with me: https://randsinrepose.com/archives/the-update-the-vent-and-the-disaster/ https://randsinrepose.com/archives/the-update-the-vent-and-t...
  - svilen_dobrev 3y ago
    oh dear.. i wish one day i have such a Manager.. before i'm dead anyway (~40y making sw.. still some more to go). i am under "CTO"-label now but that does not make any difference..
notjustanymike 3y ago
Not an article, but I do frequently recommend the following: Multipliers - an excellent book on how to avoid becoming a stereotypical bad boss. Chapters are easy to read independently and have great summaries at the end. Crucial Conversations - good for both professional and personal conversations. Learn how to have a difficult conversation without burning down the relationship. Finally, look up SOON (acronym) for when someone you manage comes to you seeking guidance.
- scrapcode 3y ago
  Difficult to find anything meaningful for "SOON" in G. Can you elaborate?
  - quag 3y ago
    SOON is new to me. I think it stands for “Success, Obstacles, Options, and Next steps”. Which is a decent list of things to zoom in on when people are working on things for you. https://trainingindustry.com/articles/performance-management/the-soon-funnel-4-coaching-questions-the-best-managers-ask/ https://trainingindustry.com/articles/performance-management...
  - notjustanymike 3y ago
    It's a process you follow to stop yourself from answering the question for them. Ask them to define success, what the obstacles are to it, what their options are to overcome it, and immediate next steps to take. Basically a modern version of "teach a man to fish".
ochronus 3y ago
Shameless plug: https://leadership.garden/ https://leadership.garden/
ochronus 3y ago
https://review.firstround.com/ https://review.firstround.com/ is great, too (not 100% leadership/management)
squadleader 3y ago
Just a meta-comment - if you're new to all this, it's good to know that management != leadership. If you're starting out, you'll want to learn both, and you'll need both. More practically, here's a fun blog where you can ask specific questions: https://www.askamanager.org/ https://www.askamanager.org/
- davidg109 3y ago
  ^ THIS. Where I’ve worked, there has been a severe degradation over time of actual leaders, and an increase in managers who have no clue how to lead or inspire. One thing I have oriented myself to doing is being a servant leader. As I told one team I led, “I’m your bitch. Tell me where your rocks are and I’ll move them out of the way so you can get your work done.” And then I do exactly that. I’ve had to work miracles sometimes but I can usually clear the path. I detest micro management in every conceivable way, but I do believe in accountability and ensuring the work is done on time by the team with no surprises. This has worked well for me. Been some time since I read about this stuff but Five Dysfunctions of a Team I recall being descent. Summary article here: https://www.runn.io/blog/5-dysfunctions-of-a-team-summary https://www.runn.io/blog/5-dysfunctions-of-a-team-summary
  - fifilura 3y ago
    My experience regarding the servant manager is that it is really important that you also figure out what is in it for you. There is a big risk that your career stops at that - being a servant.
    - mft_ 3y ago
      The best managers/leaders I've had in this vein are sufficiently recognised for their part in the performance of their team. Wouldn't it be a small red flag about an organisation if this wasn't the case?
      - fifilura 3y ago
        Will your next workplace value all the effort you spent that way? Are the servant tasks even what you want to spend your time with? I am not suggesting that the answer to those questions has to be "no". But good to think about it.
Sharlin 3y ago
People in general dislike being managed. Don’t do that. Lead instead.
- tptacek 3y ago
  People in general dislike being lead. Support them with management practices that allow them to lead while offloading ancillary burdens.
- avgcorrection 3y ago
  Leading in this context is a euphemism for management. That faux-egalitarian “could you X” (bonus points for upspeak).[1] For some reason it grinds my gears when people in formal positions of authority insist on talking about being a leader instead of a boss. [1] I’m all for pleasantries and being nice even though there really is no choice (ask/order). Don’t get me wrong. But not to the point where either party starts getting delusional about what’s going on.
jacurtis 3y ago
Out of curiosity, why are you looking for "articles" as opposed to more generally "resources"? The reason I say this is that articles are usually 800-3,000 words, with a median around 1,200 words. I'd ask if you can really gain much depth or promote deep change in yourself based on a bunch of short pieces? Meanwhile there are numerous private courses, conferences, research papers, and books that dive into these topics in much more greater depth which is likely to have a more lasting impact on your life. I'd venture a guess that you want articles because they are easier and faster to read. They don't require much time or effort to go through and you can get a few quick hits of dopamine that make you artificially feel like you impacted your career. Leadership isn't something you're going to be able to learn with a couple listacles and blog posts. It's going to take a lot more time and dedication to get good at. As others have mentioned. Management is easy. Leadership is hard.
nknealk 3y ago
https://hbr.org/2013/01/the-price-of-incivility https://hbr.org/2013/01/the-price-of-incivility Not explicitly related to management but good advice. I’ve seen too many people put in a position of power and become assholes. It destroys morale. Edit: a non paywalled link https://www.qualitymanagementinstitute.com/images/hrsolutions/HBR-ThePriceofIncivility.pdf https://www.qualitymanagementinstitute.com/images/hrsolution...
maCDzP 3y ago
I really like the work of Gervaise Bushe and his book “clear leadership”. He makes the argument that by putting a lot of effort in understanding your own and other peoples viewpoint you are able to build good relationship. But what I believe sets his work apart from others is his psychological view on why it’s sometimes hard for people to listen to each other. He dissects which anxieties drives our behavior to listen or not to listen etc. without coming of as a know it all. Probably not for everyone because of the psych framing. But if that speaks to you, give it a try. Overall: five out of five toasters.
- lazyasciiart 3y ago
  I remember some similar content in Crucial Conversations, although it is a while since I read it.
bellwether 3y ago
I got a lot of value from this post related to growth for ICs: https://www.honeycomb.io/blog/engineering-levels-at-honeycomb https://www.honeycomb.io/blog/engineering-levels-at-honeycom...
e12e 3y ago
I think Peopleware deserves a mention: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peopleware:_Productive_Projects_and_Teams https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peopleware:_Productive_Proje...
- jvanderbot 3y ago
  Peopleware is in fact the best I've ever read. The problems of an organization are very rarely technical, and are almost certainly the people.
  - eptcyka 3y ago
    So you're saying they're always people who lack certainty?
    - jvanderbot 3y ago
      Oh you - fixed.
- dilyevsky 3y ago
  Peopleware doesn’t get the love it deserves these days. I mentioned tom demarco to my vp of eng at former gig and they clearly didn’t know wtf i was talking about… When i was picking up some team lead responsibilities for the first time, it was the first book suggested by my then mentor who was an experienced manager.
  - JamesLeonis 3y ago
    Simply to add to this, I found Peopleware useful even in an IC position. It helped me navigate the intrigue that arises in an office, and understand the pressures experienced by my managers.
  - in9 3y ago
    IDK, I read some reviews about this book and it seemed to be written for a time before remote work. It looked overly worried about office organization and dynamics. Is it true? Because those ideas made ti fall in my priority list form management reading.
AJ007 3y ago
I had a lot of trouble with this in my early 20s. Everything I read was bullshit. There are two important distinctions: how you manage mediocre workers you didn't hire, and how you manage good workers. The former will require 98% of the effort of the latter, and will give you a fraction of the same results. If you are running a tech company, the former will probably prevent you from ever running things well or smoothly. The former can include people who don't show up for work, but it can also include high IQ people who are constantly screwing around and coming up with elaborate excuses. The best way to manage those people is to fire them as fast as possible. For managing the former, let them get their work done and don't do stupid shit that impairs it. If you can't figure that out yourself, you shouldn't be a manager. There, I just saved you 10,000 hours of reading.
- AussieWog93 3y ago
  >The best way to manage those people is to fire them as fast as possible. Depending on the country you're in, this can be really difficult legally.
- danielovichdk 3y ago
  Solid advice! Fire these people first since they have a tendency to be manipulate the truth: "high IQ people who are constantly screwing around and coming up with elaborate excuses".
- svilen_dobrev 3y ago
  > For managing the former, let them get their work done did you mean "latter" here ?
- lazyasciiart 3y ago
  Step 0: come to grips with the existence of workers outside those two groups, and the possibility of workers who fit in different groups in different contexts or at different times in their life.
- johnchristopher 3y ago
  > [..] The former can include people who don't show up for work, but it can also include high IQ people who are constantly screwing around and coming up with elaborate excuses. The best way to manage those people is to fire them as fast as possible. > For managing the former, let them get their work done and don't do stupid shit that impairs it. If you can't figure that out yourself, you shouldn't be a manager. I have a manager who also can't write two sentences without mixing up "former" and "later", "production" and "dev" and "staging" and "testing", "monday" and "thursday" and "wednesday". Doesn't help he's also an insufferable know-it-all taking everyone for an idiot (even though that's true more often than not but you get the point).
stewsnooze 3y ago
Joel Spolsky https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/08/07/three-management-methods-introduction/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/08/07/three-management-m...
- Jun8 3y ago
  As always, Spolsky makes blunt but good points. At the end he mentions additional approaches: "You will certainly find other methods of management in the wild (there’s the exotic “Devil Wears Prada” Method, the Jihad Method, the Charismatic Cult Method, and the Lurch From One Method To Another Method)." Others are relatively obvious but I'm curious about the "Jihad Method."
- dsattt 3y ago
  The FizzBuzz guy with 3.3 on Glassdoor?
mark_undoio 3y ago
I'm a big fan of Turn the Ship Around! By L. David Marquet as fun read that shows what some good leadership can do by pushing responsibility to the lowest appropriate level in an organisation. https://davidmarquet.com/turn-the-ship-around-book/ https://davidmarquet.com/turn-the-ship-around-book/ The anecdotes are good fun. I've not used it specifically as a model but I like the general principles it represents.
- jyunwai 3y ago
  The most useful lesson from this book for me—because I found myself using this several times this week—is to communicate by saying "I intend to" to quickly explain the "why" behind what you are trying to do, or the rationale for a set of instructions you are giving to another person. This helps people respond with flexibility, as it gives them a better understanding of when to deviate from the exact set of instructions you give them (such as if assumptions turn out to be wrong, or conditions change), and what parts of a request are necessary to follow exactly. Though I remembered using this wording often, I actually forgot that I learned about the principle from this book until I read this comment. But the idea itself has stuck with me. There is also a 45-minute "Talks at Google" video by the author, which looks like a good overview for his main ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzJL8zX3EVk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzJL8zX3EVk
- lucumo 3y ago
  I liked that book too. One problem I have with it, and with many similar books, is that it tells managers to move to a less directive way of steering people. This is very good for quite a lot of existing managers. But it's not very good advice for non-established leaders. If, for example, you're not very assertive anyway, you might find that everybody has already taken the authority to do whatever they want. In that case you need to be a bit more assertive and directive. This might be a less common failure mode for a ship's commander, who is already a very senior leader and has a strong formal authority. But if one day a manager tells a seniorish programmer "maybe lead the juniors a bit more", you're in a whole different position, and you need a very different strategy. The "I intend to" advice is pretty good for non-managers too. In some companies you may find that no one is willing to stick their neck out too much. In that case communicating what you intend to do, and doing it unless stopped, gives you perfect cover. If it's actually a problem, people will say. If people are just scared to put their name on something, they won't stop you and you can improve things. You will also look like an A-player and a leader.
szundi 3y ago
Peopleware, Five disfunctions of a team
- calvinmorrison 3y ago
  Five disfunction of the team was the dumbest shit filled crockery ever to be put into print. Please save your self the loss of braincells and skip this book.
  - hartator 3y ago
    Why? I almost bought it.
hiAndrewQuinn 3y ago
Honestly? High Output Management. Written by Intel's CEO during its climb, it seems to have the focuses in the right areas even today for the more technical among us
Jun8 3y ago
I cannot recommend "Crucial Conversations" enough (https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Conversations-Third-Talking-Stakes/dp/B09MV3818X https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Conversations-Third-Talking-S...), excellent source for everyone but esp. for managers. It will teach you how to broach difficult topics with reports and how to deal with difficult personalities, which inevitably you will encounter.
aborsy 3y ago
A related question, what are the best books or classes on managing people?
- hrpnk 3y ago
  - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45303387-an-elegant-puzzle https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45303387-an-elegant-puzz... - An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management by Will Larson - excellent intro into the job of an Engineering Manager - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23848190-extreme-ownership https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23848190-extreme-ownersh... - Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink, Leif Babin - showcase of leadership techniques (with references from US Navy) - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18077903-creativity-inc https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18077903-creativity-inc - Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull, Amy Wallace - explains how to create a working environment that drives creativity and
nobodysomebody 3y ago
By Adm. Rickover https://govleaders.org/rickover.htm https://govleaders.org/rickover.htm https://www.powermag.com/blog/hyman-rickover-on-nuclear-designs/ https://www.powermag.com/blog/hyman-rickover-on-nuclear-desi... Books The Never-Ending Challenge of Engineering: Admiral H.G. Rickover in His Own Words The Rickover Effect: How One Man Made a Difference
stavros 3y ago
Another related question, what are some good resources on leadership?
- hrpnk 3y ago
  https://github.com/LappleApple/awesome-leading-and-managing https://github.com/LappleApple/awesome-leading-and-managing - on leading people and managing (mostly) tech teams
  - stavros 3y ago
    Thanks!
tonydev 3y ago
High output management (Andy Grove) is a classic that I've found a lot of value from over the years — written in the 80s and shows its age here and there, but otherwise good for the fundamentals: https://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/dp/0679762884 https://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/d...
- RyanHamilton 3y ago
  +1 best book I have ever read on the topic. A short concise book with a number of good ideas that anyone working in a large/medium or perhaps even a small company would benefit from. So good, that I re-read parts of it twice already. My full review and notes are here: https://ryan-h.com/2019/10/21/andrew-grove-high-output-management-book/ https://ryan-h.com/2019/10/21/andrew-grove-high-output-manag...
jlewis_st 3y ago
The Set-Up-To-Fail Syndrome (https://hbr.org/1998/03/the-set-up-to-fail-syndrome https://hbr.org/1998/03/the-set-up-to-fail-syndrome) is a great resource for how to handle situations where you feel an employee is underperforming.
- computerdork 3y ago
  Had never heard of this. This is a great article on how to be a poor manager.
- jyunwai 3y ago
  I second this article, having applied the ideas (and shared the article) with people I've worked with in the past. The ideas are still relevant today, despite the original publication in 1998. -- The comic partway through the article gives a good overview, and the following are a few highlights: "Before the set-up-to-fail syndrome begins, the boss and the subordinate are typically engaged in a positive, or at least neutral, relationship. The triggering event in the set-up-to-fail syndrome is often minor or surreptitious. The subordinate may miss a deadline, lose a client, or submit a subpar report. [...] "Reacting to the triggering event, the boss increases his supervision of the subordinate, gives more specific instructions, and wrangles longer over courses of action. The subordinate responds by beginning to suspect a lack of confidence and senses he's not part of the boss's in-group anymore. He starts to withdraw emotionally from the boss and from work. He may also fight to change the boss's image of him, reaching too high or running too fast to be effective. "The boss interprets this problem-hoarding, overreaching, or tentativeness as signs that the subordinate has poor judgment and weak capabilities. If the subordinate does perform well, the boss does not acknowledge it or considers it a lucky "one off." [...] The subordinate feels boxed in and underappreciated. He increasingly withdraws from his boss and from work. He may even resort to ignoring instructions, openly disputing the boss, and occasionally lashing out because of feelings of rejection. "In general, he performs his job mechanically and devotes more energy to self-protection. [...] The boss feels increasingly frustrated and is now convinced that the subordinate cannot perform without intense oversight. He makes this known by his words and deeds, further undermining the subordinate's confidence and prompting inaction." --- My own summary follows. The idea is that a good relationship between a manager and a junior can unnecessarily fall off the rails, beginning with the manager perceiving that the junior has made a small or moderate mistake. Instead of letting it go, the manager begins a corrective action with more micro-management (such as requests for more check-ins or progress reports). This can result in the junior becoming disengaged with the work, or alternatively trying to take on too many responsibilities to regain the manager's trust. In any case, the manager tries to correct this by increasing micro-management (which is the opposite of what the junior wants), which worsens the relationship. To solve this, the article recommends an open discussion between the manager and junior, with specific, concrete goals for restoring trust in the relationship (as well as attempting to prevent this in the first place). The article also notes that an attempted solution entirely on the junior's side—where the junior over-achieves for a while to attempt to rebuild trust—is often ineffective, as a manager may not even notice these efforts due to a bias to already label the person as unreliable.
cicce19 3y ago
Scaling people by Claire Hughes Johnson is a recent one that is quite good.
CharleFKane 3y ago
Douglas Southall Freeman, On Leadership, especially the lecture he called “Old Number One”. I can’t find it online now, though the whole book is on archive.org. Here’s a good summary: https://uncomn.com/leadership-part-1-lessons-from-douglas-southall-freeman/ https://uncomn.com/leadership-part-1-lessons-from-douglas-so...
- neilv 3y ago
  From the summary of "Old Number One", these are maybe 3 of the top 6 things that I think I learned by osmosis from managers early in my career. The other big ones were humility/thoughtfulness, honesty, and grace under pressure. (Perhaps the original lecture addresses those, as well.) I don't know the research on this (and would be hesitant to believe anything out of the business press about management). I only have anecdata, intuition, and speculation. I'm not perfect at any of these, but they seem to be a really good guide. Note that not everyone has picked up the same influences in the past, so they might not have seen all of these, and they might've learned a lot of other ideas. For examples of other influences (not just managers, but execs including startups): Many seem to prioritize projecting confidence, over everything else. Others seem wired to persuade, to doing what they want or to having a positive impression of them, at all costs. Others seem to think they must assert authority, first and foremost. The difference in past experiences, and the reality of industry conventions in practice, means you sometimes have to explain something that seems obvious to you. One time I failed to communicate well, I was characterizing to a startup CEO how I'd run a forthcoming engineering team, and I added something at the end, "and they'll be my people". I intended it as shorthand for a style of conscientiously looking after their needs, and fostering a culture of loyalty to the team/project/company. Of course that was ambiguous, especially in a business context, where aggressive self-interest is the most likely explanation for any behavior. Later, I realized that he was looking to be the leader of more of a lifestyle company, with the entire company his people in a somewhat different sense (which was an influence he'd seen in his own career). So I'd maybe sounded like I was saying I'd silo off a fiefdom of loyalists to me rather than to him or the company, shape part of the company in my image, or otherwise get between him and the people.
jasode 3y ago
Not an article but this oft-linked HN comment from Slava Akhmechet is very accurate about how subordinates' motives can sabotage your intended goals and objectives : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18003253 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18003253
- johnfn 3y ago
  Haha, wow, I remember reading this when it was written. I do think it's probably a bit too cynical though, probably colored by the author's own world-view and personal experience. I do think that some companies are just filled with BS; don't get me wrong. But I think that there are also a subset of companies who are filled with people trying their best, but who are making mistakes and/or being incompetent in a way that looks like the active sabotage that OP is describing. I think when there's a power imbalance it's easy to ascribe every non-perfect action by people above you to be some act of self-interest, when in reality it isn't always true that everyone has a secret ulterior motive. > From the founders's perspective the org is basically an overactive genie. It will do what you say, but not what you mean. Want to increase sales in two quarters? No problem, sales increased. Oh, and we also subtly destroyed our customers's trust. Once the stakes are high, founders basically have to treat their org as an adversarial agent. You might think -- but a good founder will notice! Doesn't matter how good you are -- you've selected world class politicians that are good at getting past your exact psychological makeup. This is a particularly good quote!
  - dilyevsky 3y ago
    > I do think it's probably a bit too cynical though, probably colored by the author's own world-view and personal experience. That’s the sad part. Once you personally encounter this, as i also have, though not as a founder, you cant help but notice it everywhere and question everything. Like the irl The Thing
  - akkartik 3y ago
    Ha, this is actually a really good case in favor of not hiring the best people. Any metric you have for estimating "best" will be gameable. Now I'm reminded of https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2019/04/15/mediocratopia-4 https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2019/04/15/mediocratopia-4.
atlasunshrugged 3y ago
It isn't directly about managing people 1:1, but probably the one that most helped inform my views on people management and organizational culture was the original Netflix culture deck https://www.slideshare.net/reed2001/culture-1798664 https://www.slideshare.net/reed2001/culture-1798664
tmoravec 3y ago
I’m reading some articles on managing people all the time (mostly from Software Lead Weekly newsletter). And recently, I’ve opened Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice to read a few chapters on a problem I’m facing at work. And WOW a proper book on the topic is SOOO much better than any random article that I find, be it from SWLW, HN, Reddit, or any other source. Articles and posts are easy to like when I already agree with their premise. But the depth of a proper book, from a real source of authority and not some random person online, looking at the problem from multiple points, that’s so much more insightful and useful. So instead of hunting for best articles, I would 100% recommend getting Armstrong, or some textbook. Or at least High Output Management as other comment suggested, or some other well known and well regarded book. But Armstrong in particular can give you very deep understanding of most aspects of people management, plus it’s up-to-date.
- Centigonal 3y ago
  How applicable is Armstrong for folks in the USA? The amazon reviews suggest it's specific to UK laws and regulations.
  - tmoravec 3y ago
    I'm in the EU and it seems plenty applicable but perhaps UK and EU are more similar than UK and US. I have read maybe 50% of the book only (there's no point in reading these things cover to cover) and haven't noticed many things specific to any particular laws or regulations. Performance management faces the same challenges in all markets. Knowledge management has the same principles everywhere. And so on.
- shay_ker 3y ago
  I found this blog post by rand pretty enlightening: https://randsinrepose.com/archives/the-update-the-vent-and-the-disaster/ https://randsinrepose.com/archives/the-update-the-vent-and-t...
  - mdekkers 3y ago
    Rands is awesome, and “Managing Humans” is just about the best management book I own.
austin-cheney 3y ago
Online articles will be insufficient. Instead, find the right people. First understand that management is administrative: accountability, task completion, retention, hiring. Leadership is direction, purpose, and motivation. The concepts are not related. Leaders own things and take risks. Managers balance spreadsheets. If you are an extreme introvert or find it difficult to be assertive you have a tremendous amount of catching up to do. Secondly, your best source of knowledge is experience from people with proven delivery. Find them and ask them tough questions. Compare yourself to your managerial peers to determine if you are developing appropriately or if you are sucking. Do not look to your peers or the public for leadership guidance as they will set you up to fail, especially in software. If you really want to become a solid manager look for harsh criticism from the leaders you work for AND a path forward. Finally, pay close attention to the measures and metrics of your staff. Such measures will include staff retention, speed of delivery, product performance, and so forth. To help jump start your journey here is leadership according to the US Army: ADP 6-22, https://armypubs.army.mil/ProductMaps/PubForm/Details.aspx?PUB_ID=1007609 https://armypubs.army.mil/ProductMaps/PubForm/Details.aspx?P...
- cj 3y ago
  > If you are an extreme introvert or find it difficult to be assertive you have a tremendous amount of catching up to do This can be a good thing. "Natural born leaders" by personality type tend to be overconfident and ignore their blindspots because they've never had a reason to challenge their ability. Introverts, for example, are acutely aware that leading and managing doesn't come naturally and is a skill that is continually learned and built upon. In the long-run, introverts can be excellent leaders because they're aware of what it takes to be a good leader and they put an emphasis on professional development to get where they need to be. Not to say extroverts are worse leaders. Both introverts and extroverts can be terrible leaders/managers. The best leaders/managers are the ones who have the self-awareness to reflect on themselves, identify their week points, and constantly improve.
  - computerdork 3y ago
    Agree with this. Maybe "extreme introverts" will have a tough time as leaders, but moderate ones probably have a lot of advantages. On top of the ones you listed, they tend to be better listeners, reading both people and situations better, having higher empathy (https://thrivedowntown.com/what-is-an-introvert-personality/#:~:text=Strengths:%20creativity%2C%20problem%2Dsolving,navigating%20a%20predominantly%20extroverted%20world https://thrivedowntown.com/what-is-an-introvert-personality/...)
mostlysimple 3y ago
Ive always been a firm believer in situational leadership. It teaches that there isn't just one leadership style for every person, their skillsets and their motivation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory
- vgrsec 3y ago
  [dead]
thinkingkong 3y ago
The Mochary Method is a google doc that has been making its rounds for awhile. It's not the most visually stunning set of guidelines to read but the content is excellent. https://docs.google.com/document/d/18FiJbYn53fTtPmphfdCKT2TMWH-8Y2L-MLqDk-MFV4s/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/18FiJbYn53fTtPmphfdCKT2TM...
- orionsbelt 3y ago
  Awful advice in the legal section. I hope the other areas are better.
- codemac 3y ago
  The Mochary Method I found is much better for folks managing other managers. If you manage individual contributors with a lot of these ideas (e.g. meetings start on time), you'll definitely have a hard time. His writing vs talking stuff though is truly great, and I changed how I run many meetings through it.
blatherard 3y ago
“Managing in Mayberry: an Examination of Three Distinct Leadership Styles” by Don Gray and Dan Starr. https://www.donaldegray.com/managing-in-mayberry-an-examination-of-three-distinct-leadership-styles/ https://www.donaldegray.com/managing-in-mayberry-an-examinat...
aag 3y ago
Bizarrely, I found the book Corps Business, by Freedman, to be useful. It's about how the US Marine Corps thinks about leadership. No, he doesn't tell you to shout at people. But he does show how they lead in more difficult circumstances than most of us will ever encounter, and how they help people from wildly different backgrounds work together. Speaking of learning from people with completely different perspectives, if you want to learn about public speaking, read Do You Talk Funny?, by Nihill. The thesis is that good standup comedians are the best public speakers, and that we can learn their techniques. Much of what they do well has nothing to do with being funny.
- smcin 3y ago
  > how the US Marine Corps thinks about leadership. Can you give specifics? Does it primarily apply to people in heavily authoritarian-type management cultures? I don't expect that persuasion and gradually building consensus are big themes. > how they help people from wildly different backgrounds work together. Specifics please? > Do You Talk Funny?, by Nihill. The thesis is that good standup comedians are the best public speakers, and that we can learn their techniques. Nihill is a bad standup comedian who sort-of pivoted/reinvented himself as some corporate speaker. So, he would say something like that; doesn't make it authoritative. (I almost dragged my friends to one of his gigs once until I checked out his videos.) And it depends on what type of "public speaker" he means; John F Kennedy would probably have been terrible at corporate comedy gigs.
  - mrj 3y ago
    > Can you give specifics? Does it primarily apply to people in heavily authoritarian-type management cultures? I don't expect that persuasion and gradually building consensus are big themes. The Marines think about leadership very differently than that. Sure, parts are authoritarian, but most people are surprised to learn that training to be an independent thinker starts in boot camp. They don't even tell you how to "swab the deck," you are provided the tools and given the direction that the floor has to be spotless. Regular inspections provide continual feedback, and out of that recruits routinely develop their own procedures and novel techniques for mission success. (Did you know newspaper is extremely effective at finish polishing windows?) Leadership is pushed hard at every level. If two Marines are on a job/mission/taking out the trash, even if they are the same rank, the one with more time is expected to take responsibility for the other. It's not bossing around authoritarian style, it's as real as that other Marine's life is your number one priority. Leaders are expected to support mission success, not drive it. You lay out the parameters of what success means, and the Marines your charge should have the tools and support necessary to accomplish that task. In the programming world, it means that I set out a goal post, where I want the team to get to. But then I make sure they have the time to do it (I often take distracting support issues or annoying bugs so the team is not hampered), and the tools needed to get there. If the team does not, I have failed. Marine leadership doesn't do IC work, which is the major thing I could improve. But then, Marines have a whole lot more people than I do. :)
iancmceachern 3y ago
Its not an article but here are some books: Strengths finder 2.0 Rework Deep work Rick Rubins book Start with why
ronald_raygun 3y ago
I think these blog series is illuminating for most companies https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-or-the-office-according-to-the-office/ https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-...
- timeagain 3y ago
  No joke hese articles were the reason I started going to therapy. I think before reading them I didn’t consider workplace issues to be a part of my “real life”. In some sense I was aware of work life balance but I didn’t fully appreciate that they are balanced on a single fulcrum (i.e., “me”!)
  - ronald_raygun 3y ago
    oh good for you, I hope it's helped you live a happier life!
JoshTriplett 3y ago
https://hbr.org/2023/02/what-is-psychological-safety https://hbr.org/2023/02/what-is-psychological-safety https://www.slideshare.net/dberkholz/assholes-are-killing-your-project https://www.slideshare.net/dberkholz/assholes-are-killing-yo... (video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE_SpIdIGK4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE_SpIdIGK4)
megnaro 3y ago
"You manage things, you lead people. We went overboard on management and forgot about leadership." [0, 1] - Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, USN 0: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper 1: https://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/tap/Files/hopper-wit.html https://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/tap/Files/hopper-wit.html
timeagain 3y ago
This one is a little dramatic, but in the article she provides a devastating description of what it means to be a bad manager (or partner). https://issendai.com/psychology/sick-systems.html https://issendai.com/psychology/sick-systems.html
aemre 3y ago
There is a big list of resources related to engineering management which might be relevant: https://github.com/ryanburgess/engineer-manager https://github.com/ryanburgess/engineer-manager
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
simonw 3y ago
I love management advice from somewhat unconventional sources. My favourite piece of reading here is The Eleven Laws of Showrunning by Javier Grillo-Marxuach: http://okbjgm.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/5/0/31506003/11_laws_of_showrunning_nice_version.pdf http://okbjgm.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/5/0/31506003/11_laws_of... It's about how to be the showrunner on a TV show, but is full of advice that works really well for managing people in software engineering environments as well (if you squint at it the right way).
JohnCClarke 3y ago
As a new manager I found the Chester Nimitz quote: “When you're in command, command.” I.e. it's now your job to lead. Do it, and take responsibility for doing it. Also: The Manager's Path by Camille Fournier Released March 2017 Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc. ISBN: 9781491973899
nemothekid 3y ago
Really recommend The Manager's Path by Camille Fournier I find it's really more a practical guide, less so a "recipe of success" that other self-help tend to be. https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Growth/dp/1491973897 https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Grow...
- gibb0n 3y ago
  Best book I've read on it, really respect the Author after reading it. She is wise and a good follow on Twitter.
Nostromos 3y ago
I used to tell all of my new lead or new manager reports to start with Rands. I even offered to buy them a set of my favorite books - a couple rands, High Output management, manager's path, etc. There are some fantastic other suggestions in comments though, and it looks like all my suggestions already accounted for.
- npteljes 3y ago
  By "Rands" and "couple rands", do you mean books from here? https://randsinrepose.com/books/ https://randsinrepose.com/books/
hartator 3y ago
I like the One Minute Manager.
tmpz22 3y ago
Go to your nearest retirement home. Sit down and strike up a conversation with someone there. Genuinely listen to them and show interest in what they have to say. When you leave reflect on the vast loneliness of society and how one person can impact another with even the smallest of gestures. Thats the most succinct advice I have on being a better manager. Not a self-indulgent medium article.
- alxmng 3y ago
  This 1000%. At some point you have to decide, “do I work for my team and the people I’m supposed to lead, or do I work for the business?” Great managers choose their people over the business. Ironically, this best serves both in the long-run.
underlipton 3y ago
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_bias_of_professionalism_standards https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_bias_of_professionalism_... is an interesting one to ponder, if you can avoid being triggered by the nomenclature. It speaks specifically to white supremacy in the workplace, but can be broadly applied to other biases which might affect one's ability to manage a team successfully. Even more broadly, it suggests a framework for analyzing one's response to aspects of a coworker's behavior or presentation that might not be directly applicable to their performance. For example, do you think Hypothetical Ted is dressed in an unacceptably unprofessional manner because he actually is, or are you just unable to consider someone who's overweight anything but slovenly? (Per the word of several large and highly-competent friends, people like that are out there.)
ChrisMarshallNY 3y ago
I haven't been super thrilled with a lot of stuff, but I have found that I've enjoyed Joel Spolky's stuff[0], in general. I don't think he's that popular, hereabouts. For example, his book Smart and Gets Things Done[1] is great. Although not management, per se, Steve McConnell's stuff[2] has been of invaluable assistance, in my career. He talks about Quality Process, and that's the kind of stuff that managers should (IMO) know and enforce. Again, I don't think folks, hereabouts, have much love for him. His book, Rapid Development[3], was a watershed, in my development. [0] https://www.joelonsoftware.com https://www.joelonsoftware.com [1] https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2007/06/05/smart-and-gets-things-done/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2007/06/05/smart-and-gets-thi... [2] https://stevemcconnell.com https://stevemcconnell.com [3] https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/store/rapid-development-9780735691490 https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/store/rapid-development-...
- dsattt 3y ago
  This guy sucks and the Glassdoor score proves it. He also invented FizzBuzz, the plague of tech interviews.
  - ChrisMarshallNY 3y ago
    Didn’t Imram Ghory invent that? Which company has a bad Glassdoor score? StackExchange? Fog Creek? Construx? All of the above?
squirrel 3y ago
https://www.jrothman.com/books/behind-closed-doors-secrets-of-great-management/ https://www.jrothman.com/books/behind-closed-doors-secrets-o...
rafapaez 3y ago
There are a lot of great newsletters nowadays about People Management and Engineering Leadership. I'm subscribed to a dozen of them in Substack. I left here mine as it's about Engineering Leadership and Management: https://rafapaez.substack.com/ https://rafapaez.substack.com/
Iwan-Zotow 3y ago
Maxim machine gun manual
rramadass 3y ago
You might find my recommendations mentioned in my previous comment here useful, in particular; the HBR 10 Must Read series, - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39086359 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39086359
koonsolo 3y ago
For me, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" is still the best management book out there for 2 reasons: 1. It clearly explains the difference between a leader and a manager, and how those are 2 different roles 2. "Stewardship management" is so powerful that another book has been written about the application of that concept: "Turn the ship around" I always evaluate everything about management to the previous 2 concepts.
kdeldycke 3y ago
I compiled a list of these articles at: https://github.com/kdeldycke/awesome-engineering-team-management https://github.com/kdeldycke/awesome-engineering-team-manage... For each one I tried to extract the key point or Tl;Dr in the description.
lovestaco 3y ago
https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Management_Lessons_from_Taiichi_Ohno_Wha/C2_8CQAAQBAJ?hl=en https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Management_Lessons_fr... https://www.amazon.in/Never-Ending-Challenge-Engineering-Admiral-Rickover-ebook/dp/B00X6CZK4K https://www.amazon.in/Never-Ending-Challenge-Engineering-Adm...
peterlada 3y ago
Managing Humans by Michael Lopp And it's a book of his articles.
mattbrewsbytes 3y ago
Books are going to be better than articles because you can dive deep into topics and you know it isn't written for SEO, clickbait, selling some silver bullet process or ad revenue. I'll recommend two to learn good practices from and then two that will help learn to recognize horrible practices. You're likely to run into horrible management at some point and its good to recognize dog shit before you step in it. * Peopleware, Demarco & Lister * Rands - anything/everything he has written. Start with Managing Humans. * The 5 dysfunctions of a team, Lencioni * Gervais Principle (broke my rule, its a set of articles about The Office) https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-or-the-office-according-to-the-office/ https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-...
someoldgit 3y ago
Manage others as you would like to be managed.
geekraver 3y ago
https://pnewman.org/engineering_mgmt_checklist.txt https://pnewman.org/engineering_mgmt_checklist.txt is about the best signal/noise ratio I have seen.
ishwarjha 3y ago
Recently, an article by a friend about the manifesto of the top 1% of tech talent: https://appetals.com/the-manifesto-of-the-top-1-tech-talent/ https://appetals.com/the-manifesto-of-the-top-1-tech-talent/ I was initially quite reluctant even to read it, but I opened the link as it came from a quite notable friend. I liked how these guys have summed up all the things that you can practice to become the top tech talent. (I am not sure top 1%) and what it means to be that.
- aunlead 3y ago
  Curious - did you write that article? The author of that article and your username seem to match. Or its just a coincidence.
Blackstrat 3y ago
As others have noted Peopleware is a good book as is Slack by the same author. Slack will likely conflict with the philosophy of PMP focused organizations but it's very relevant. I strongly discourage relying on the many popular management books like "5 dysfunctions of a team". Sorry the all knowing CEO doesn't exist and as a manager, you won't know all the answers either. Personally, books focused on team empowerment, e.g., books on scrum, The Toyota Way, etc. are probably more helpful. Management, as far too few recognize, is about team empowerment and staff development. It's not about you and being the boss.

311 points by deadcoder0904 3y ago

I recently found out about https://blog.sbensu.com/posts/lieutenants/ & was curious what are your favorite articles on management or generally managing people?

shaunxcode 3y ago

https://monoskop.org/images/e/e3/Beer_Stafford_Designing_Freedom.pdf https://monoskop.org/images/e/e3/Beer_Stafford_Designing_Fre... Even has diagrams!

iFire 3y ago

I enjoy the readings from https://managinghumans.com/ https://managinghumans.com/ but my talents are with code and not management so evaluation of the advice is difficult.

drewcoo 3y ago

If you have to ask, if you can't do a search, if you don't know anyone . . . then there are none. And you should stop being a manager. Now. Just stop, please. Also, you're asking asking HN - WTF!!!

jodrellblank 3y ago

15 years ago, RandsInRepose.com wrote a lot of interesting blog posts on management, and then turned them into books: https://randsinrepose.com/archives/ https://randsinrepose.com/archives/

quag 3y ago
The article about types of one on ones has stuck with me: https://randsinrepose.com/archives/the-update-the-vent-and-the-disaster/ https://randsinrepose.com/archives/the-update-the-vent-and-t...
- svilen_dobrev 3y ago
  oh dear.. i wish one day i have such a Manager.. before i'm dead anyway (~40y making sw.. still some more to go). i am under "CTO"-label now but that does not make any difference..

notjustanymike 3y ago

Not an article, but I do frequently recommend the following: Multipliers - an excellent book on how to avoid becoming a stereotypical bad boss. Chapters are easy to read independently and have great summaries at the end. Crucial Conversations - good for both professional and personal conversations. Learn how to have a difficult conversation without burning down the relationship. Finally, look up SOON (acronym) for when someone you manage comes to you seeking guidance.

scrapcode 3y ago
Difficult to find anything meaningful for "SOON" in G. Can you elaborate?
- quag 3y ago
  SOON is new to me. I think it stands for “Success, Obstacles, Options, and Next steps”. Which is a decent list of things to zoom in on when people are working on things for you. https://trainingindustry.com/articles/performance-management/the-soon-funnel-4-coaching-questions-the-best-managers-ask/ https://trainingindustry.com/articles/performance-management...
- notjustanymike 3y ago
  It's a process you follow to stop yourself from answering the question for them. Ask them to define success, what the obstacles are to it, what their options are to overcome it, and immediate next steps to take. Basically a modern version of "teach a man to fish".

ochronus 3y ago

Shameless plug: https://leadership.garden/ https://leadership.garden/

ochronus 3y ago

https://review.firstround.com/ https://review.firstround.com/ is great, too (not 100% leadership/management)

squadleader 3y ago

Just a meta-comment - if you're new to all this, it's good to know that management != leadership. If you're starting out, you'll want to learn both, and you'll need both. More practically, here's a fun blog where you can ask specific questions: https://www.askamanager.org/ https://www.askamanager.org/

davidg109 3y ago
^ THIS. Where I’ve worked, there has been a severe degradation over time of actual leaders, and an increase in managers who have no clue how to lead or inspire. One thing I have oriented myself to doing is being a servant leader. As I told one team I led, “I’m your bitch. Tell me where your rocks are and I’ll move them out of the way so you can get your work done.” And then I do exactly that. I’ve had to work miracles sometimes but I can usually clear the path. I detest micro management in every conceivable way, but I do believe in accountability and ensuring the work is done on time by the team with no surprises. This has worked well for me. Been some time since I read about this stuff but Five Dysfunctions of a Team I recall being descent. Summary article here: https://www.runn.io/blog/5-dysfunctions-of-a-team-summary https://www.runn.io/blog/5-dysfunctions-of-a-team-summary
- fifilura 3y ago
  My experience regarding the servant manager is that it is really important that you also figure out what is in it for you. There is a big risk that your career stops at that - being a servant.
  - mft_ 3y ago
    The best managers/leaders I've had in this vein are sufficiently recognised for their part in the performance of their team. Wouldn't it be a small red flag about an organisation if this wasn't the case?
    - fifilura 3y ago
      Will your next workplace value all the effort you spent that way? Are the servant tasks even what you want to spend your time with? I am not suggesting that the answer to those questions has to be "no". But good to think about it.

Sharlin 3y ago

People in general dislike being managed. Don’t do that. Lead instead.

tptacek 3y ago
People in general dislike being lead. Support them with management practices that allow them to lead while offloading ancillary burdens.
avgcorrection 3y ago
Leading in this context is a euphemism for management. That faux-egalitarian “could you X” (bonus points for upspeak).[1] For some reason it grinds my gears when people in formal positions of authority insist on talking about being a leader instead of a boss. [1] I’m all for pleasantries and being nice even though there really is no choice (ask/order). Don’t get me wrong. But not to the point where either party starts getting delusional about what’s going on.

jacurtis 3y ago

Out of curiosity, why are you looking for "articles" as opposed to more generally "resources"? The reason I say this is that articles are usually 800-3,000 words, with a median around 1,200 words. I'd ask if you can really gain much depth or promote deep change in yourself based on a bunch of short pieces? Meanwhile there are numerous private courses, conferences, research papers, and books that dive into these topics in much more greater depth which is likely to have a more lasting impact on your life. I'd venture a guess that you want articles because they are easier and faster to read. They don't require much time or effort to go through and you can get a few quick hits of dopamine that make you artificially feel like you impacted your career. Leadership isn't something you're going to be able to learn with a couple listacles and blog posts. It's going to take a lot more time and dedication to get good at. As others have mentioned. Management is easy. Leadership is hard.

nknealk 3y ago

https://hbr.org/2013/01/the-price-of-incivility https://hbr.org/2013/01/the-price-of-incivility Not explicitly related to management but good advice. I’ve seen too many people put in a position of power and become assholes. It destroys morale. Edit: a non paywalled link https://www.qualitymanagementinstitute.com/images/hrsolutions/HBR-ThePriceofIncivility.pdf https://www.qualitymanagementinstitute.com/images/hrsolution...

maCDzP 3y ago

I really like the work of Gervaise Bushe and his book “clear leadership”. He makes the argument that by putting a lot of effort in understanding your own and other peoples viewpoint you are able to build good relationship. But what I believe sets his work apart from others is his psychological view on why it’s sometimes hard for people to listen to each other. He dissects which anxieties drives our behavior to listen or not to listen etc. without coming of as a know it all. Probably not for everyone because of the psych framing. But if that speaks to you, give it a try. Overall: five out of five toasters.

lazyasciiart 3y ago
I remember some similar content in Crucial Conversations, although it is a while since I read it.

bellwether 3y ago

I got a lot of value from this post related to growth for ICs: https://www.honeycomb.io/blog/engineering-levels-at-honeycomb https://www.honeycomb.io/blog/engineering-levels-at-honeycom...

e12e 3y ago

I think Peopleware deserves a mention: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peopleware:_Productive_Projects_and_Teams https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peopleware:_Productive_Proje...

jvanderbot 3y ago
Peopleware is in fact the best I've ever read. The problems of an organization are very rarely technical, and are almost certainly the people.
- eptcyka 3y ago
  So you're saying they're always people who lack certainty?
  - jvanderbot 3y ago
    Oh you - fixed.
dilyevsky 3y ago
Peopleware doesn’t get the love it deserves these days. I mentioned tom demarco to my vp of eng at former gig and they clearly didn’t know wtf i was talking about… When i was picking up some team lead responsibilities for the first time, it was the first book suggested by my then mentor who was an experienced manager.
- JamesLeonis 3y ago
  Simply to add to this, I found Peopleware useful even in an IC position. It helped me navigate the intrigue that arises in an office, and understand the pressures experienced by my managers.
- in9 3y ago
  IDK, I read some reviews about this book and it seemed to be written for a time before remote work. It looked overly worried about office organization and dynamics. Is it true? Because those ideas made ti fall in my priority list form management reading.

AJ007 3y ago

I had a lot of trouble with this in my early 20s. Everything I read was bullshit. There are two important distinctions: how you manage mediocre workers you didn't hire, and how you manage good workers. The former will require 98% of the effort of the latter, and will give you a fraction of the same results. If you are running a tech company, the former will probably prevent you from ever running things well or smoothly. The former can include people who don't show up for work, but it can also include high IQ people who are constantly screwing around and coming up with elaborate excuses. The best way to manage those people is to fire them as fast as possible. For managing the former, let them get their work done and don't do stupid shit that impairs it. If you can't figure that out yourself, you shouldn't be a manager. There, I just saved you 10,000 hours of reading.

AussieWog93 3y ago
>The best way to manage those people is to fire them as fast as possible. Depending on the country you're in, this can be really difficult legally.
danielovichdk 3y ago
Solid advice! Fire these people first since they have a tendency to be manipulate the truth: "high IQ people who are constantly screwing around and coming up with elaborate excuses".
svilen_dobrev 3y ago
> For managing the former, let them get their work done did you mean "latter" here ?
lazyasciiart 3y ago
Step 0: come to grips with the existence of workers outside those two groups, and the possibility of workers who fit in different groups in different contexts or at different times in their life.
johnchristopher 3y ago
> [..] The former can include people who don't show up for work, but it can also include high IQ people who are constantly screwing around and coming up with elaborate excuses. The best way to manage those people is to fire them as fast as possible. > For managing the former, let them get their work done and don't do stupid shit that impairs it. If you can't figure that out yourself, you shouldn't be a manager. I have a manager who also can't write two sentences without mixing up "former" and "later", "production" and "dev" and "staging" and "testing", "monday" and "thursday" and "wednesday". Doesn't help he's also an insufferable know-it-all taking everyone for an idiot (even though that's true more often than not but you get the point).

stewsnooze 3y ago

Joel Spolsky https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/08/07/three-management-methods-introduction/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/08/07/three-management-m...

Jun8 3y ago
As always, Spolsky makes blunt but good points. At the end he mentions additional approaches: "You will certainly find other methods of management in the wild (there’s the exotic “Devil Wears Prada” Method, the Jihad Method, the Charismatic Cult Method, and the Lurch From One Method To Another Method)." Others are relatively obvious but I'm curious about the "Jihad Method."
dsattt 3y ago
The FizzBuzz guy with 3.3 on Glassdoor?

mark_undoio 3y ago

I'm a big fan of Turn the Ship Around! By L. David Marquet as fun read that shows what some good leadership can do by pushing responsibility to the lowest appropriate level in an organisation. https://davidmarquet.com/turn-the-ship-around-book/ https://davidmarquet.com/turn-the-ship-around-book/ The anecdotes are good fun. I've not used it specifically as a model but I like the general principles it represents.

jyunwai 3y ago
The most useful lesson from this book for me—because I found myself using this several times this week—is to communicate by saying "I intend to" to quickly explain the "why" behind what you are trying to do, or the rationale for a set of instructions you are giving to another person. This helps people respond with flexibility, as it gives them a better understanding of when to deviate from the exact set of instructions you give them (such as if assumptions turn out to be wrong, or conditions change), and what parts of a request are necessary to follow exactly. Though I remembered using this wording often, I actually forgot that I learned about the principle from this book until I read this comment. But the idea itself has stuck with me. There is also a 45-minute "Talks at Google" video by the author, which looks like a good overview for his main ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzJL8zX3EVk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzJL8zX3EVk
lucumo 3y ago
I liked that book too. One problem I have with it, and with many similar books, is that it tells managers to move to a less directive way of steering people. This is very good for quite a lot of existing managers. But it's not very good advice for non-established leaders. If, for example, you're not very assertive anyway, you might find that everybody has already taken the authority to do whatever they want. In that case you need to be a bit more assertive and directive. This might be a less common failure mode for a ship's commander, who is already a very senior leader and has a strong formal authority. But if one day a manager tells a seniorish programmer "maybe lead the juniors a bit more", you're in a whole different position, and you need a very different strategy. The "I intend to" advice is pretty good for non-managers too. In some companies you may find that no one is willing to stick their neck out too much. In that case communicating what you intend to do, and doing it unless stopped, gives you perfect cover. If it's actually a problem, people will say. If people are just scared to put their name on something, they won't stop you and you can improve things. You will also look like an A-player and a leader.

szundi 3y ago

Peopleware, Five disfunctions of a team

calvinmorrison 3y ago
Five disfunction of the team was the dumbest shit filled crockery ever to be put into print. Please save your self the loss of braincells and skip this book.
- hartator 3y ago
  Why? I almost bought it.

hiAndrewQuinn 3y ago

Honestly? High Output Management. Written by Intel's CEO during its climb, it seems to have the focuses in the right areas even today for the more technical among us

Jun8 3y ago

I cannot recommend "Crucial Conversations" enough (https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Conversations-Third-Talking-Stakes/dp/B09MV3818X https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Conversations-Third-Talking-S...), excellent source for everyone but esp. for managers. It will teach you how to broach difficult topics with reports and how to deal with difficult personalities, which inevitably you will encounter.

aborsy 3y ago

A related question, what are the best books or classes on managing people?

hrpnk 3y ago
- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45303387-an-elegant-puzzle https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45303387-an-elegant-puzz... - An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management by Will Larson - excellent intro into the job of an Engineering Manager - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23848190-extreme-ownership https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23848190-extreme-ownersh... - Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink, Leif Babin - showcase of leadership techniques (with references from US Navy) - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18077903-creativity-inc https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18077903-creativity-inc - Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull, Amy Wallace - explains how to create a working environment that drives creativity and

nobodysomebody 3y ago

By Adm. Rickover https://govleaders.org/rickover.htm https://govleaders.org/rickover.htm https://www.powermag.com/blog/hyman-rickover-on-nuclear-designs/ https://www.powermag.com/blog/hyman-rickover-on-nuclear-desi... Books The Never-Ending Challenge of Engineering: Admiral H.G. Rickover in His Own Words The Rickover Effect: How One Man Made a Difference

stavros 3y ago

Another related question, what are some good resources on leadership?

hrpnk 3y ago
https://github.com/LappleApple/awesome-leading-and-managing https://github.com/LappleApple/awesome-leading-and-managing - on leading people and managing (mostly) tech teams
- stavros 3y ago
  Thanks!

tonydev 3y ago

High output management (Andy Grove) is a classic that I've found a lot of value from over the years — written in the 80s and shows its age here and there, but otherwise good for the fundamentals: https://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/dp/0679762884 https://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/d...

RyanHamilton 3y ago
+1 best book I have ever read on the topic. A short concise book with a number of good ideas that anyone working in a large/medium or perhaps even a small company would benefit from. So good, that I re-read parts of it twice already. My full review and notes are here: https://ryan-h.com/2019/10/21/andrew-grove-high-output-management-book/ https://ryan-h.com/2019/10/21/andrew-grove-high-output-manag...

jlewis_st 3y ago

The Set-Up-To-Fail Syndrome (https://hbr.org/1998/03/the-set-up-to-fail-syndrome https://hbr.org/1998/03/the-set-up-to-fail-syndrome) is a great resource for how to handle situations where you feel an employee is underperforming.

computerdork 3y ago
Had never heard of this. This is a great article on how to be a poor manager.
jyunwai 3y ago
I second this article, having applied the ideas (and shared the article) with people I've worked with in the past. The ideas are still relevant today, despite the original publication in 1998. -- The comic partway through the article gives a good overview, and the following are a few highlights: "Before the set-up-to-fail syndrome begins, the boss and the subordinate are typically engaged in a positive, or at least neutral, relationship. The triggering event in the set-up-to-fail syndrome is often minor or surreptitious. The subordinate may miss a deadline, lose a client, or submit a subpar report. [...] "Reacting to the triggering event, the boss increases his supervision of the subordinate, gives more specific instructions, and wrangles longer over courses of action. The subordinate responds by beginning to suspect a lack of confidence and senses he's not part of the boss's in-group anymore. He starts to withdraw emotionally from the boss and from work. He may also fight to change the boss's image of him, reaching too high or running too fast to be effective. "The boss interprets this problem-hoarding, overreaching, or tentativeness as signs that the subordinate has poor judgment and weak capabilities. If the subordinate does perform well, the boss does not acknowledge it or considers it a lucky "one off." [...] The subordinate feels boxed in and underappreciated. He increasingly withdraws from his boss and from work. He may even resort to ignoring instructions, openly disputing the boss, and occasionally lashing out because of feelings of rejection. "In general, he performs his job mechanically and devotes more energy to self-protection. [...] The boss feels increasingly frustrated and is now convinced that the subordinate cannot perform without intense oversight. He makes this known by his words and deeds, further undermining the subordinate's confidence and prompting inaction." --- My own summary follows. The idea is that a good relationship between a manager and a junior can unnecessarily fall off the rails, beginning with the manager perceiving that the junior has made a small or moderate mistake. Instead of letting it go, the manager begins a corrective action with more micro-management (such as requests for more check-ins or progress reports). This can result in the junior becoming disengaged with the work, or alternatively trying to take on too many responsibilities to regain the manager's trust. In any case, the manager tries to correct this by increasing micro-management (which is the opposite of what the junior wants), which worsens the relationship. To solve this, the article recommends an open discussion between the manager and junior, with specific, concrete goals for restoring trust in the relationship (as well as attempting to prevent this in the first place). The article also notes that an attempted solution entirely on the junior's side—where the junior over-achieves for a while to attempt to rebuild trust—is often ineffective, as a manager may not even notice these efforts due to a bias to already label the person as unreliable.

cicce19 3y ago

Scaling people by Claire Hughes Johnson is a recent one that is quite good.

CharleFKane 3y ago

Douglas Southall Freeman, On Leadership, especially the lecture he called “Old Number One”. I can’t find it online now, though the whole book is on archive.org. Here’s a good summary: https://uncomn.com/leadership-part-1-lessons-from-douglas-southall-freeman/ https://uncomn.com/leadership-part-1-lessons-from-douglas-so...

neilv 3y ago
From the summary of "Old Number One", these are maybe 3 of the top 6 things that I think I learned by osmosis from managers early in my career. The other big ones were humility/thoughtfulness, honesty, and grace under pressure. (Perhaps the original lecture addresses those, as well.) I don't know the research on this (and would be hesitant to believe anything out of the business press about management). I only have anecdata, intuition, and speculation. I'm not perfect at any of these, but they seem to be a really good guide. Note that not everyone has picked up the same influences in the past, so they might not have seen all of these, and they might've learned a lot of other ideas. For examples of other influences (not just managers, but execs including startups): Many seem to prioritize projecting confidence, over everything else. Others seem wired to persuade, to doing what they want or to having a positive impression of them, at all costs. Others seem to think they must assert authority, first and foremost. The difference in past experiences, and the reality of industry conventions in practice, means you sometimes have to explain something that seems obvious to you. One time I failed to communicate well, I was characterizing to a startup CEO how I'd run a forthcoming engineering team, and I added something at the end, "and they'll be my people". I intended it as shorthand for a style of conscientiously looking after their needs, and fostering a culture of loyalty to the team/project/company. Of course that was ambiguous, especially in a business context, where aggressive self-interest is the most likely explanation for any behavior. Later, I realized that he was looking to be the leader of more of a lifestyle company, with the entire company his people in a somewhat different sense (which was an influence he'd seen in his own career). So I'd maybe sounded like I was saying I'd silo off a fiefdom of loyalists to me rather than to him or the company, shape part of the company in my image, or otherwise get between him and the people.

jasode 3y ago

Not an article but this oft-linked HN comment from Slava Akhmechet is very accurate about how subordinates' motives can sabotage your intended goals and objectives : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18003253 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18003253

johnfn 3y ago
Haha, wow, I remember reading this when it was written. I do think it's probably a bit too cynical though, probably colored by the author's own world-view and personal experience. I do think that some companies are just filled with BS; don't get me wrong. But I think that there are also a subset of companies who are filled with people trying their best, but who are making mistakes and/or being incompetent in a way that looks like the active sabotage that OP is describing. I think when there's a power imbalance it's easy to ascribe every non-perfect action by people above you to be some act of self-interest, when in reality it isn't always true that everyone has a secret ulterior motive. > From the founders's perspective the org is basically an overactive genie. It will do what you say, but not what you mean. Want to increase sales in two quarters? No problem, sales increased. Oh, and we also subtly destroyed our customers's trust. Once the stakes are high, founders basically have to treat their org as an adversarial agent. You might think -- but a good founder will notice! Doesn't matter how good you are -- you've selected world class politicians that are good at getting past your exact psychological makeup. This is a particularly good quote!
- dilyevsky 3y ago
  > I do think it's probably a bit too cynical though, probably colored by the author's own world-view and personal experience. That’s the sad part. Once you personally encounter this, as i also have, though not as a founder, you cant help but notice it everywhere and question everything. Like the irl The Thing
- akkartik 3y ago
  Ha, this is actually a really good case in favor of not hiring the best people. Any metric you have for estimating "best" will be gameable. Now I'm reminded of https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2019/04/15/mediocratopia-4 https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2019/04/15/mediocratopia-4.

atlasunshrugged 3y ago

It isn't directly about managing people 1:1, but probably the one that most helped inform my views on people management and organizational culture was the original Netflix culture deck https://www.slideshare.net/reed2001/culture-1798664 https://www.slideshare.net/reed2001/culture-1798664

tmoravec 3y ago

I’m reading some articles on managing people all the time (mostly from Software Lead Weekly newsletter). And recently, I’ve opened Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice to read a few chapters on a problem I’m facing at work. And WOW a proper book on the topic is SOOO much better than any random article that I find, be it from SWLW, HN, Reddit, or any other source. Articles and posts are easy to like when I already agree with their premise. But the depth of a proper book, from a real source of authority and not some random person online, looking at the problem from multiple points, that’s so much more insightful and useful. So instead of hunting for best articles, I would 100% recommend getting Armstrong, or some textbook. Or at least High Output Management as other comment suggested, or some other well known and well regarded book. But Armstrong in particular can give you very deep understanding of most aspects of people management, plus it’s up-to-date.

Centigonal 3y ago
How applicable is Armstrong for folks in the USA? The amazon reviews suggest it's specific to UK laws and regulations.
- tmoravec 3y ago
  I'm in the EU and it seems plenty applicable but perhaps UK and EU are more similar than UK and US. I have read maybe 50% of the book only (there's no point in reading these things cover to cover) and haven't noticed many things specific to any particular laws or regulations. Performance management faces the same challenges in all markets. Knowledge management has the same principles everywhere. And so on.
shay_ker 3y ago
I found this blog post by rand pretty enlightening: https://randsinrepose.com/archives/the-update-the-vent-and-the-disaster/ https://randsinrepose.com/archives/the-update-the-vent-and-t...
- mdekkers 3y ago
  Rands is awesome, and “Managing Humans” is just about the best management book I own.

austin-cheney 3y ago

Online articles will be insufficient. Instead, find the right people. First understand that management is administrative: accountability, task completion, retention, hiring. Leadership is direction, purpose, and motivation. The concepts are not related. Leaders own things and take risks. Managers balance spreadsheets. If you are an extreme introvert or find it difficult to be assertive you have a tremendous amount of catching up to do. Secondly, your best source of knowledge is experience from people with proven delivery. Find them and ask them tough questions. Compare yourself to your managerial peers to determine if you are developing appropriately or if you are sucking. Do not look to your peers or the public for leadership guidance as they will set you up to fail, especially in software. If you really want to become a solid manager look for harsh criticism from the leaders you work for AND a path forward. Finally, pay close attention to the measures and metrics of your staff. Such measures will include staff retention, speed of delivery, product performance, and so forth. To help jump start your journey here is leadership according to the US Army: ADP 6-22, https://armypubs.army.mil/ProductMaps/PubForm/Details.aspx?PUB_ID=1007609 https://armypubs.army.mil/ProductMaps/PubForm/Details.aspx?P...

cj 3y ago
> If you are an extreme introvert or find it difficult to be assertive you have a tremendous amount of catching up to do This can be a good thing. "Natural born leaders" by personality type tend to be overconfident and ignore their blindspots because they've never had a reason to challenge their ability. Introverts, for example, are acutely aware that leading and managing doesn't come naturally and is a skill that is continually learned and built upon. In the long-run, introverts can be excellent leaders because they're aware of what it takes to be a good leader and they put an emphasis on professional development to get where they need to be. Not to say extroverts are worse leaders. Both introverts and extroverts can be terrible leaders/managers. The best leaders/managers are the ones who have the self-awareness to reflect on themselves, identify their week points, and constantly improve.
- computerdork 3y ago
  Agree with this. Maybe "extreme introverts" will have a tough time as leaders, but moderate ones probably have a lot of advantages. On top of the ones you listed, they tend to be better listeners, reading both people and situations better, having higher empathy (https://thrivedowntown.com/what-is-an-introvert-personality/#:~:text=Strengths:%20creativity%2C%20problem%2Dsolving,navigating%20a%20predominantly%20extroverted%20world https://thrivedowntown.com/what-is-an-introvert-personality/...)

mostlysimple 3y ago

Ive always been a firm believer in situational leadership. It teaches that there isn't just one leadership style for every person, their skillsets and their motivation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory

vgrsec 3y ago
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thinkingkong 3y ago

The Mochary Method is a google doc that has been making its rounds for awhile. It's not the most visually stunning set of guidelines to read but the content is excellent. https://docs.google.com/document/d/18FiJbYn53fTtPmphfdCKT2TMWH-8Y2L-MLqDk-MFV4s/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/18FiJbYn53fTtPmphfdCKT2TM...

orionsbelt 3y ago
Awful advice in the legal section. I hope the other areas are better.
codemac 3y ago
The Mochary Method I found is much better for folks managing other managers. If you manage individual contributors with a lot of these ideas (e.g. meetings start on time), you'll definitely have a hard time. His writing vs talking stuff though is truly great, and I changed how I run many meetings through it.

blatherard 3y ago

“Managing in Mayberry: an Examination of Three Distinct Leadership Styles” by Don Gray and Dan Starr. https://www.donaldegray.com/managing-in-mayberry-an-examination-of-three-distinct-leadership-styles/ https://www.donaldegray.com/managing-in-mayberry-an-examinat...

aag 3y ago

Bizarrely, I found the book Corps Business, by Freedman, to be useful. It's about how the US Marine Corps thinks about leadership. No, he doesn't tell you to shout at people. But he does show how they lead in more difficult circumstances than most of us will ever encounter, and how they help people from wildly different backgrounds work together. Speaking of learning from people with completely different perspectives, if you want to learn about public speaking, read Do You Talk Funny?, by Nihill. The thesis is that good standup comedians are the best public speakers, and that we can learn their techniques. Much of what they do well has nothing to do with being funny.

smcin 3y ago
> how the US Marine Corps thinks about leadership. Can you give specifics? Does it primarily apply to people in heavily authoritarian-type management cultures? I don't expect that persuasion and gradually building consensus are big themes. > how they help people from wildly different backgrounds work together. Specifics please? > Do You Talk Funny?, by Nihill. The thesis is that good standup comedians are the best public speakers, and that we can learn their techniques. Nihill is a bad standup comedian who sort-of pivoted/reinvented himself as some corporate speaker. So, he would say something like that; doesn't make it authoritative. (I almost dragged my friends to one of his gigs once until I checked out his videos.) And it depends on what type of "public speaker" he means; John F Kennedy would probably have been terrible at corporate comedy gigs.
- mrj 3y ago
  > Can you give specifics? Does it primarily apply to people in heavily authoritarian-type management cultures? I don't expect that persuasion and gradually building consensus are big themes. The Marines think about leadership very differently than that. Sure, parts are authoritarian, but most people are surprised to learn that training to be an independent thinker starts in boot camp. They don't even tell you how to "swab the deck," you are provided the tools and given the direction that the floor has to be spotless. Regular inspections provide continual feedback, and out of that recruits routinely develop their own procedures and novel techniques for mission success. (Did you know newspaper is extremely effective at finish polishing windows?) Leadership is pushed hard at every level. If two Marines are on a job/mission/taking out the trash, even if they are the same rank, the one with more time is expected to take responsibility for the other. It's not bossing around authoritarian style, it's as real as that other Marine's life is your number one priority. Leaders are expected to support mission success, not drive it. You lay out the parameters of what success means, and the Marines your charge should have the tools and support necessary to accomplish that task. In the programming world, it means that I set out a goal post, where I want the team to get to. But then I make sure they have the time to do it (I often take distracting support issues or annoying bugs so the team is not hampered), and the tools needed to get there. If the team does not, I have failed. Marine leadership doesn't do IC work, which is the major thing I could improve. But then, Marines have a whole lot more people than I do. :)

iancmceachern 3y ago

Its not an article but here are some books: Strengths finder 2.0 Rework Deep work Rick Rubins book Start with why

ronald_raygun 3y ago

I think these blog series is illuminating for most companies https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-or-the-office-according-to-the-office/ https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-...

timeagain 3y ago
No joke hese articles were the reason I started going to therapy. I think before reading them I didn’t consider workplace issues to be a part of my “real life”. In some sense I was aware of work life balance but I didn’t fully appreciate that they are balanced on a single fulcrum (i.e., “me”!)
- ronald_raygun 3y ago
  oh good for you, I hope it's helped you live a happier life!

JoshTriplett 3y ago

https://hbr.org/2023/02/what-is-psychological-safety https://hbr.org/2023/02/what-is-psychological-safety https://www.slideshare.net/dberkholz/assholes-are-killing-your-project https://www.slideshare.net/dberkholz/assholes-are-killing-yo... (video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE_SpIdIGK4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE_SpIdIGK4)

megnaro 3y ago

"You manage things, you lead people. We went overboard on management and forgot about leadership." [0, 1] - Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, USN 0: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper 1: https://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/tap/Files/hopper-wit.html https://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/tap/Files/hopper-wit.html

timeagain 3y ago

This one is a little dramatic, but in the article she provides a devastating description of what it means to be a bad manager (or partner). https://issendai.com/psychology/sick-systems.html https://issendai.com/psychology/sick-systems.html

aemre 3y ago

There is a big list of resources related to engineering management which might be relevant: https://github.com/ryanburgess/engineer-manager https://github.com/ryanburgess/engineer-manager

deleted 3y ago

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simonw 3y ago

I love management advice from somewhat unconventional sources. My favourite piece of reading here is The Eleven Laws of Showrunning by Javier Grillo-Marxuach: http://okbjgm.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/5/0/31506003/11_laws_of_showrunning_nice_version.pdf http://okbjgm.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/5/0/31506003/11_laws_of... It's about how to be the showrunner on a TV show, but is full of advice that works really well for managing people in software engineering environments as well (if you squint at it the right way).

JohnCClarke 3y ago

As a new manager I found the Chester Nimitz quote: “When you're in command, command.” I.e. it's now your job to lead. Do it, and take responsibility for doing it. Also: The Manager's Path by Camille Fournier Released March 2017 Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc. ISBN: 9781491973899

nemothekid 3y ago

Really recommend The Manager's Path by Camille Fournier I find it's really more a practical guide, less so a "recipe of success" that other self-help tend to be. https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Growth/dp/1491973897 https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Grow...

gibb0n 3y ago
Best book I've read on it, really respect the Author after reading it. She is wise and a good follow on Twitter.

Nostromos 3y ago

I used to tell all of my new lead or new manager reports to start with Rands. I even offered to buy them a set of my favorite books - a couple rands, High Output management, manager's path, etc. There are some fantastic other suggestions in comments though, and it looks like all my suggestions already accounted for.

npteljes 3y ago
By "Rands" and "couple rands", do you mean books from here? https://randsinrepose.com/books/ https://randsinrepose.com/books/

hartator 3y ago

I like the One Minute Manager.

tmpz22 3y ago

Go to your nearest retirement home. Sit down and strike up a conversation with someone there. Genuinely listen to them and show interest in what they have to say. When you leave reflect on the vast loneliness of society and how one person can impact another with even the smallest of gestures. Thats the most succinct advice I have on being a better manager. Not a self-indulgent medium article.

alxmng 3y ago
This 1000%. At some point you have to decide, “do I work for my team and the people I’m supposed to lead, or do I work for the business?” Great managers choose their people over the business. Ironically, this best serves both in the long-run.

underlipton 3y ago

https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_bias_of_professionalism_standards https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_bias_of_professionalism_... is an interesting one to ponder, if you can avoid being triggered by the nomenclature. It speaks specifically to white supremacy in the workplace, but can be broadly applied to other biases which might affect one's ability to manage a team successfully. Even more broadly, it suggests a framework for analyzing one's response to aspects of a coworker's behavior or presentation that might not be directly applicable to their performance. For example, do you think Hypothetical Ted is dressed in an unacceptably unprofessional manner because he actually is, or are you just unable to consider someone who's overweight anything but slovenly? (Per the word of several large and highly-competent friends, people like that are out there.)

ChrisMarshallNY 3y ago

I haven't been super thrilled with a lot of stuff, but I have found that I've enjoyed Joel Spolky's stuff[0], in general. I don't think he's that popular, hereabouts. For example, his book Smart and Gets Things Done[1] is great. Although not management, per se, Steve McConnell's stuff[2] has been of invaluable assistance, in my career. He talks about Quality Process, and that's the kind of stuff that managers should (IMO) know and enforce. Again, I don't think folks, hereabouts, have much love for him. His book, Rapid Development[3], was a watershed, in my development. [0] https://www.joelonsoftware.com https://www.joelonsoftware.com [1] https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2007/06/05/smart-and-gets-things-done/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2007/06/05/smart-and-gets-thi... [2] https://stevemcconnell.com https://stevemcconnell.com [3] https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/store/rapid-development-9780735691490 https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/store/rapid-development-...

dsattt 3y ago
This guy sucks and the Glassdoor score proves it. He also invented FizzBuzz, the plague of tech interviews.
- ChrisMarshallNY 3y ago
  Didn’t Imram Ghory invent that? Which company has a bad Glassdoor score? StackExchange? Fog Creek? Construx? All of the above?

squirrel 3y ago

https://www.jrothman.com/books/behind-closed-doors-secrets-of-great-management/ https://www.jrothman.com/books/behind-closed-doors-secrets-o...

rafapaez 3y ago

There are a lot of great newsletters nowadays about People Management and Engineering Leadership. I'm subscribed to a dozen of them in Substack. I left here mine as it's about Engineering Leadership and Management: https://rafapaez.substack.com/ https://rafapaez.substack.com/

Iwan-Zotow 3y ago

Maxim machine gun manual

rramadass 3y ago

You might find my recommendations mentioned in my previous comment here useful, in particular; the HBR 10 Must Read series, - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39086359 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39086359

koonsolo 3y ago

For me, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" is still the best management book out there for 2 reasons: 1. It clearly explains the difference between a leader and a manager, and how those are 2 different roles 2. "Stewardship management" is so powerful that another book has been written about the application of that concept: "Turn the ship around" I always evaluate everything about management to the previous 2 concepts.

kdeldycke 3y ago

I compiled a list of these articles at: https://github.com/kdeldycke/awesome-engineering-team-management https://github.com/kdeldycke/awesome-engineering-team-manage... For each one I tried to extract the key point or Tl;Dr in the description.

lovestaco 3y ago

https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Management_Lessons_from_Taiichi_Ohno_Wha/C2_8CQAAQBAJ?hl=en https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Management_Lessons_fr... https://www.amazon.in/Never-Ending-Challenge-Engineering-Admiral-Rickover-ebook/dp/B00X6CZK4K https://www.amazon.in/Never-Ending-Challenge-Engineering-Adm...

peterlada 3y ago

Managing Humans by Michael Lopp And it's a book of his articles.

mattbrewsbytes 3y ago

Books are going to be better than articles because you can dive deep into topics and you know it isn't written for SEO, clickbait, selling some silver bullet process or ad revenue. I'll recommend two to learn good practices from and then two that will help learn to recognize horrible practices. You're likely to run into horrible management at some point and its good to recognize dog shit before you step in it. * Peopleware, Demarco & Lister * Rands - anything/everything he has written. Start with Managing Humans. * The 5 dysfunctions of a team, Lencioni * Gervais Principle (broke my rule, its a set of articles about The Office) https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-or-the-office-according-to-the-office/ https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-...

someoldgit 3y ago

Manage others as you would like to be managed.

geekraver 3y ago

https://pnewman.org/engineering_mgmt_checklist.txt https://pnewman.org/engineering_mgmt_checklist.txt is about the best signal/noise ratio I have seen.

ishwarjha 3y ago

Recently, an article by a friend about the manifesto of the top 1% of tech talent: https://appetals.com/the-manifesto-of-the-top-1-tech-talent/ https://appetals.com/the-manifesto-of-the-top-1-tech-talent/ I was initially quite reluctant even to read it, but I opened the link as it came from a quite notable friend. I liked how these guys have summed up all the things that you can practice to become the top tech talent. (I am not sure top 1%) and what it means to be that.

aunlead 3y ago
Curious - did you write that article? The author of that article and your username seem to match. Or its just a coincidence.

Blackstrat 3y ago

As others have noted Peopleware is a good book as is Slack by the same author. Slack will likely conflict with the philosophy of PMP focused organizations but it's very relevant. I strongly discourage relying on the many popular management books like "5 dysfunctions of a team". Sorry the all knowing CEO doesn't exist and as a manager, you won't know all the answers either. Personally, books focused on team empowerment, e.g., books on scrum, The Toyota Way, etc. are probably more helpful. Management, as far too few recognize, is about team empowerment and staff development. It's not about you and being the boss.