I'll take a shot, assuming that you are asking how to manage a technology team, not how to understand technology at a wider scale. You need both tech leadership and end-to-end/shallow-deep abilities. But the tech side is a different question entirely. Looks like some other folks have provided answers so I won't go there. (The tech side is a lot to go into in a thread, and would include some kind of conversation figur…
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Was a really helpful and great book to help put in words some of the challenges I faced on a previous team (while I had an absent manager).
High Output Management always gets recommended. How did his management work out for Intel?
He became CEO in 1987, when Intel's stock price was in the range of $0.10-0.20. When he left the post of CEO in May 1998, Intel's stock price was ~$9.50. A 10x return over a decade is pretty damn good.
Assuming your facts are correct, your math isn't. $0.10 -> $9.50 is a 95x return.
If you read nothing else, read Edwards Deming. He clearly outlines what the management philosophy of modern creative jobs must be like: - Focus on what matters. - An organisation needs an aim, a meaningful goal, that's not just "do what we have always done except better". - Don't invest in shiny things because they are shiny – investments basically cost you the interest rate on a loan, rain or shine, even on Sundays.…
What books of his would you recommend?
Both Out of the Crisis and The New Economics are very good.
* read (all or at least the top 3): - Death March - Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams - The Mythical Man Month - Growing Software: Proven Strategies for Managing Software Engineers - Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager * consider getting PMI certified (PMP): https://www.theknowledgeacademy.com/de/offers/pmi-certificat... - technical tools for planning - stakeholder com…
If there's anything I would beg new EMs not to do, it would be going out to get a PMP.
I recommend you start an MBA program at night. There is no single book, there is no single topic, you need a broad range of new perspectives to be a truly effective manager.
Which MBA program covers engineering management specifically? I have a close friend who completed an MBA at Harvard and that program did not cover anything related to the type of people management engineering managers do. When my friend became a manager, had to learn all this on the go and from peers / managers and some of the resources linked in this thread.
Your friend must have been asleep, Harvard MBA 100% covers engineering management. If you mean how to manage in the specifics of a Scrum or Agile or TDD environment, yes, covered, but lightly. What is taught during an MBA tends to be more universal; there was a topic of "why is 'Six Sigma' not taught?" in my MBA program from the early 00's. Because Six Sigma is a product and constitutes a passing fad. And it's fad has passed, nobody cares about Six Sigma anymore. What is taught are the universal skills of good communication, material cultural sensitivity, group dynamics, and organizational behavior management, aka incentive design. What is not taught is the passing fads business culture consumes.
Everyone recommends The Manager's Path, but I don't think it's a good book to explain HOW to become a manager. The book's goal is to explain the career path of a manager from tech lead to CTO. My #1 recommendation these days is "Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager" by Jamies Stanier. This book explains how to approach the work a manager is involved in and what you can expect from the day to day. Planning…
I second this. The Manager's Path is a terrible book.
What's wrong with it? I'm just gathering recommendations myself, and it'd help to know especially if there are more general red flags to watch out for.
Everyone recommends The Manager's Path, but I don't think it's a good book to explain HOW to become a manager. The book's goal is to explain the career path of a manager from tech lead to CTO. My #1 recommendation these days is "Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager" by Jamies Stanier. This book explains how to approach the work a manager is involved in and what you can expect from the day to day. Planning…
Yep, I really like sports related books too, such as Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success, and Leading: Learning from Life and My Years at Manchester United
Going from SE toward SEM I'd suggest you get into s/w metrics. Nothing is better for decision making and advancing good arguments at meetings than being able to give numbers. - Fenton: Software Metrics Obviously there's a ton of pop management stuff. A few of my favourites: - Horowtz: The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Pink: Drive - Evans: The Trousers of Reality - Gall: General Systemantics
I second this. The Manager's Path is a terrible book.
What's wrong with it? I'm just gathering recommendations myself, and it'd help to know especially if there are more general red flags to watch out for.
The book is completely fine and worth the read! Just know that it's a book to explain the career path of an Engineering Manager in the tech industry.
My criticism is around how often the book is recommended. Many people want to learn HOW to become a manager. Manager's Path doesn't provide that.
Conversely, a lot of people recommend An Elegant Puzzle. Great book, but I would not recommend it to first time managers – it's too advanced.
Elegant Puzzle is for experienced managers, specifically people that are managing Managers. Check it out if you're 2+ years into their management career.