Great! This is exactly what I was looking for. Will we get the updates if we buy the beta version?
Yes, the betas get updated along the way, and you'll end up with the final print version when it's done.
Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers
11–20 of 245 posts
Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers
#12Question to CTOs - are you happy? When I see what particular CTO does day to day, assuming he/she was an engineer before - it seems quite boring. It seems they've sacrificed their engineering side in exchange for a bigger salary.
As CTO I'm trying to incorporate both sides: some hacking under the umbrella of a "Research Lab" and oversight/representation.
I definitely feel the lack of management training.
Being a nerd for decades doesn't mean you know how to lead a bunch of nerds ;)
Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers
#13Congrats on the book. Have you ever explored alternative forms of management and organizational forms? Stuff like Sociocracy, Teal (from Reinventing Organizations) or management as envisioned by Deming. I wonder whether the engineering manager role as usually interpreted isn't really an anti-pattern, I mean we're basically applying Taylorism to knowledge work.
Thank you! I haven't gone into detail about these in the book. This is very much the standard Engineering Manager route that people would find in most places in industry right now.
However - if you don't mind - I would love to use those as examples in the final chapters where I mention the opportunities offered by moving into start-ups, and also where our managers will be given more autonomy to set the culture of a wider organization (of which that culture could involve much looser management structures).
Great pointers, thank you.
Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers
#14Looks very interesting! Can you also write one about how to go back to engineer from engineering manager? :)
You just read it backwards, right? :-)
That's a good point though, and I do mention it in the book. I talk about how when promoting people it's good to define a 30-60-90 day plan (although there are many similar frameworks) and bake in a "no bad feelings" back-out clause if they don't enjoy doing that particular job. We've had that happen at our company numerous times.
Additionally, in the later chapter on defining management and individual contributor tracks, it does talk about levelling them in a such a way that allows mobility back and forth. People shouldn't get stuck going through the one-way management door. It's perfectly fine to go back (even though it's not really "back", it's just "across").
Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers
#15Question to CTOs - are you happy? When I see what particular CTO does day to day, assuming he/she was an engineer before - it seems quite boring. It seems they've sacrificed their engineering side in exchange for a bigger salary.
The grind of constantly learning the latest technologies eventually got boring, and now I really enjoy managing developers. For me personally, helping an unhappy or under-performing developer get out of their slump is a really rewarding experience.
I don't enjoy long-winded, pointless meetings - but if you're organisation has so many of them, you'll get pulled into them anyway once you're senior enough.
Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers
#16Well done, this is an area that could use more declarative information and less guesswork. I think there's another question that also needs answering: how do I make myself _want_ to be a manager? A lot of times, the incentives tell the engineer not to bother because the money is already good and you have a decent impact anyway. I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on the subject.
That's a very good question. In the introduction I've said that I've written the book as a way of letting people understand what the role is really like so they can make that decision.
However, I think that I could use a sidebar to the reader to allow them to further question their own motives, and help them make that decision more clearly.
Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers
#17Question to CTOs - are you happy? When I see what particular CTO does day to day, assuming he/she was an engineer before - it seems quite boring. It seems they've sacrificed their engineering side in exchange for a bigger salary.
The grind of constantly learning the latest technologies eventually got boring, and now I really enjoy managing developers. For me personally, helping an unhappy or under-performing developer get out of their slump is a really rewarding experience. I don't enjoy long-winded, pointless meetings - but if you're organisation has so many of them, you'll get pulled into them anyway once you're senior enough.
I'm generally aligned with this comment. I really enjoy helping others succeed. I also have a lot of input into the product strategy, and that is very rewarding for me also.
Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers
#18Do you also deal with the 'why' of moving to the management track? I've seen quite a few people becoming depressed and moving back from the mgmt track to their old position.
I said something similar in another comment, but one of the things I say in the introduction is that I've written the book to help people understand what the management track is really about. So if someone reads the book and decides that it isn't for them, I think that I can hopefully say I've helped them also.
Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers
#19Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers
#20Question to CTOs - are you happy? When I see what particular CTO does day to day, assuming he/she was an engineer before - it seems quite boring. It seems they've sacrificed their engineering side in exchange for a bigger salary.
I really enjoy getting to influence projects at their genesis, being a CTO gives me a mandate to intercept & triage requirements. Trading off some day-to-day coding for this opportunity is a win for me.