https://pnewman.org/engineering_mgmt_checklist.txt is about the best signal/noise ratio I have seen.
Ask HN: What are the best articles on managing people?
151–159 of 159 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are the best articles on managing people?
#152Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 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…
Management by objective
Interesting, but I don't think it's really a fit:
> Management by objectives (MBO) is a process in which a manager and an employee agree on specific performance goals and then develop a plan to reach them.
I can say that never happened in my time, but I'm sure it does at the uppermost layers.
> Critics of MBO argue that it leads to employees trying to achieve the set goals by any means necessary, often at the cost of the company.
The Marines love creative thinking, but not if it violates mission objectives (the company being one). I don't think this fits, either.
> As MBO is entirely focused on goals and targets, it often ignores other parts of a company, such as the corporate culture, worker conduct, a healthy work ethos, environmental issues, and areas for involvement and contribution to the community and social good.
Oh okay, that can happen for sure. Besides the occasional "mandatory fun day," morale isn't often considered, and morale is often not great. Good leaders recognize it will impact their objectives but those can be greatly outnumbered by the careerists that want to score a win and move on.
I've always thought it had more overlap with "servant leadership," though I really dislike the term.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best articles on managing people?
#153Go 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.
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.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best articles on managing people?
#154I’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 l…
Bringing up the Boss is a great one I recommend as someone who studied and consults on management in tech.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best articles on managing people?
#155Bizarrely, 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…
> 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 pu…
> 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.
I can't remember the specifics any more, but I do remember being impressed. No, the ideas were much broader than "authoritarian-type management cultures." That's certainly not what I wanted to create as a manager.
I read it almost twenty-five years ago while trying to expose myself to opinions of people with a completely different perspective. I was just about to become a manager for the first time, and I wanted to be prepared. In particular, I wanted to make sure that I was serving the people I worked for well. I had had good managers and bad above me, and I had ideas about what had made the difference for me as a subordinate, but it didn't seem like just winging it would produce a good outcome. I had read some books on management in office jobs, but they weren't particularly helpful. I do remember being impressed by how much careful thought went into how the Marines taught people not only to follow, but also to lead, starting from their first day.
>> how they help people from wildly different backgrounds work together.
Specifics please?
Read the book.
> 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 urge you to read the book rather than just speculate. I found it full of excellent ideas for structuring talks, connecting with the audience, adapting to circumstances, etc., which is why I recommended it. It wasn't about humor at all. Your ad hominem comment about him isn't relevant to whether the material in the book is good.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best articles on managing people?
#156Recently, 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/
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.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best articles on managing people?
#157Recently, 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/ 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.
Curious - did you write that article? The author of that article and your username seem to match. Or its just a coincidence.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best articles on managing people?
#158As 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.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best articles on managing people?
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
I thought that was a good article, but it dances around the core of the issue by not declaring what motivation is and how managers should think about it at the start. Intrinsic motivation is a function of autonomy, mastery, and purpose. A managers purpose is to promote intrinsic motivation. When you identify a weak performer without understanding which pillar of motivation is weak, it generally results in a direct an…
Is there something you would recommend to read about the intrinsic motivation? Sounds like not an obvious subject.
I've previously been recommended "Punished by rewards" by Alfie Kohn