Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

Read hilarious stories with serious lessons that Michael Lopp extracts from his varied and sometimes bizarre experiences as a manager at Apple, Pinterest, Palantir, Netscape, Symantec, Slack, and Borland. Many of the stories first appeared in primitive form in Lopp’s perennially popular blog, Rands in Repose. The Third Edition of Managing Humans contains a whole new season of episodes from the ongoing saga of Lopp's adventures in Silicon Valley, together with classic episodes remastered for high fidelity and freshness.

Whether you're an aspiring manager, a current manager, or just wondering what the heck a manager does all day, there is a story in this book that will speak to you—and help you survive and prosper amid the general craziness of dysfunctional bright people caught up in the chase of riches and power. Scattered in repose among these manic misfits are managers, an even stranger breed of people who, through a mystical organizational ritual, have been given power over the futures and the bank accounts of many others.

Lopp's straight-from-the-hip style is unlike that of any other writer on management and leadership. He pulls no punches and tells stories he probably shouldn't. But they are magically instructive and yield Lopp’s trenchant insights on leadership that cut to the heart of the matter—whether it's dealing with your boss, handling a slacker, hiring top guns, or seeing a knotty project through to completion.

Writing code is easy. Managing humans is not. You need a book to help you do it, and this is it.

What You'll Learn
  • Lead engineers
  • Handle conflict
  • Hire well
  • Motivate employees
  • Manage your boss
  • Discover how to say no
  • Understand different engineering personalities
  • Build effective teams
  • Run a meeting well
  • Scale teams

Who This Book Is For
Managers and would-be managers staring at the role of a manager wondering why they would ever leave the safe world of bits and bytes for the messy world of managing humans. The book covers handling conflict, managing wildly differing personality types, infusing innovation into insane product schedules, and figuring out how to build a lasting and useful engineering culture.
1133118372
Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

Read hilarious stories with serious lessons that Michael Lopp extracts from his varied and sometimes bizarre experiences as a manager at Apple, Pinterest, Palantir, Netscape, Symantec, Slack, and Borland. Many of the stories first appeared in primitive form in Lopp’s perennially popular blog, Rands in Repose. The Third Edition of Managing Humans contains a whole new season of episodes from the ongoing saga of Lopp's adventures in Silicon Valley, together with classic episodes remastered for high fidelity and freshness.

Whether you're an aspiring manager, a current manager, or just wondering what the heck a manager does all day, there is a story in this book that will speak to you—and help you survive and prosper amid the general craziness of dysfunctional bright people caught up in the chase of riches and power. Scattered in repose among these manic misfits are managers, an even stranger breed of people who, through a mystical organizational ritual, have been given power over the futures and the bank accounts of many others.

Lopp's straight-from-the-hip style is unlike that of any other writer on management and leadership. He pulls no punches and tells stories he probably shouldn't. But they are magically instructive and yield Lopp’s trenchant insights on leadership that cut to the heart of the matter—whether it's dealing with your boss, handling a slacker, hiring top guns, or seeing a knotty project through to completion.

Writing code is easy. Managing humans is not. You need a book to help you do it, and this is it.

What You'll Learn
  • Lead engineers
  • Handle conflict
  • Hire well
  • Motivate employees
  • Manage your boss
  • Discover how to say no
  • Understand different engineering personalities
  • Build effective teams
  • Run a meeting well
  • Scale teams

Who This Book Is For
Managers and would-be managers staring at the role of a manager wondering why they would ever leave the safe world of bits and bytes for the messy world of managing humans. The book covers handling conflict, managing wildly differing personality types, infusing innovation into insane product schedules, and figuring out how to build a lasting and useful engineering culture.
22.49 In Stock
Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

by Michael Lopp
Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

by Michael Lopp

eBook3rd ed. (3rd ed.)

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Overview

Read hilarious stories with serious lessons that Michael Lopp extracts from his varied and sometimes bizarre experiences as a manager at Apple, Pinterest, Palantir, Netscape, Symantec, Slack, and Borland. Many of the stories first appeared in primitive form in Lopp’s perennially popular blog, Rands in Repose. The Third Edition of Managing Humans contains a whole new season of episodes from the ongoing saga of Lopp's adventures in Silicon Valley, together with classic episodes remastered for high fidelity and freshness.

Whether you're an aspiring manager, a current manager, or just wondering what the heck a manager does all day, there is a story in this book that will speak to you—and help you survive and prosper amid the general craziness of dysfunctional bright people caught up in the chase of riches and power. Scattered in repose among these manic misfits are managers, an even stranger breed of people who, through a mystical organizational ritual, have been given power over the futures and the bank accounts of many others.

Lopp's straight-from-the-hip style is unlike that of any other writer on management and leadership. He pulls no punches and tells stories he probably shouldn't. But they are magically instructive and yield Lopp’s trenchant insights on leadership that cut to the heart of the matter—whether it's dealing with your boss, handling a slacker, hiring top guns, or seeing a knotty project through to completion.

Writing code is easy. Managing humans is not. You need a book to help you do it, and this is it.

What You'll Learn
  • Lead engineers
  • Handle conflict
  • Hire well
  • Motivate employees
  • Manage your boss
  • Discover how to say no
  • Understand different engineering personalities
  • Build effective teams
  • Run a meeting well
  • Scale teams

Who This Book Is For
Managers and would-be managers staring at the role of a manager wondering why they would ever leave the safe world of bits and bytes for the messy world of managing humans. The book covers handling conflict, managing wildly differing personality types, infusing innovation into insane product schedules, and figuring out how to build a lasting and useful engineering culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781484221587
Publisher: Apress
Publication date: 07/26/2016
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 331
File size: 774 KB

About the Author

Michael Lopp is a veteran engineering manager who has never managed to escape the Silicon Valley. In over 20 years of software development, Michael has worked at a variety of innovative companies, including Apple, Pinterest, Palantir, Netscape, Symantec, Borland International, Slack, and a startup that slowly faded into nothingness. In addition to his day job, Michael writes a popular technology and management weblog under the nom de plume "Rands," where he discusses his management ideas, worries about staying relevant, and wishes he had time to see more of the world. His weblog can be found at RandsinRepose.com. Michael lives in northern California, never far from the ocean.

Table of Contents

PART I The Management Quiver.- Chapter 1  Don't Be a Prick.- Chapter 2 Managers Are Not Evil.- Chapter 3 Stables and Volatiles.- Chapter 4 The Rands Test.- Chapter 5 How to Run a Meeting.- Chapter 6 The Twinge.- Chapter 7 The Update, the Vent, and the Disaster.- Chapter 8 The Monday Freakout.- Chapter 9 Lost in Translation.- Chapter 10 Agenda Detection.- Chapter 11 Dissecting the Mandate.- Chapter 12 Information Starvation.- Chapter 13 Subtlety, Subterfuge, and Silence.- Chapter 14 Managementese.- Chapter 15 You’re Not Listening.- Chapter 16 Fred Hates the Off-Site.- Chapter 17 A Different Kind of DNA.- Chapter 18 An Engineering Mindset.- Chapter 19 Tear It Down.- Chapter 20 Titles are Toxic.- Chapter 21 Saying No.- PART II The Process is the Product.- Chapter 22 1.0.- Chapter 23 The Process Myth.- Chapter 24 How to Start.- Chapter 25 Taking Time to Think.- Chapter 26 The Value of the Soak.- Chapter 27 Capturing Context.- Chapter 28 Trickle Theory.- Chapter 29 When the Sky Falls.- Chapter 30 Hacking Is Important.- Chapter 31 Entropy Crushers.- PART III Versions of You.- Chapter 32 Bored People Quit.- Chapter 33 Bellwethers.- Chapter 34 The Ninety-Day Interview.- Chapter 35 Managing Nerds.- Chapter 36 NADD.- Chapter 37 A Nerd in a Cave.- Chapter 38 Meeting Creatures.- Chapter 39 Incrementalists and Completionists.- Chapter 40 Organics and Mechanics.- Chapter 41 Inwards, Outwards, and Holistics.- Chapter 42 The Wolf.- Chapter 43 Free Electrons.- Chapter 44 The Old Guard.- Chapter 45 Rules for the Reorg.- Chapter 46 An Unexpected Connection.- Chapter 47 Avoiding the Fez.- Chapter 48 A Glimpse and a Hook.- Chapter 49 Nailing the Phone Screen.- Chapter 50 Your Resignation Checklist.- Chapter 51 Shields Down.- Chapter 52 Chaotic Beautiful Snowflakes.- Glossary
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