HN Books @HNBooksMonth

In addition to those technical books, I'd check out:

* Staff Engineer- Great for the tech challenges beyond senior-level https://staffeng.com/book

* The Manager's Path- Good even if you're not going to be a manager. Understanding their perspective makes you more effective https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Grow...

* An Elegant Puzzle- What if distributed systems engineering, but with people? https://lethain.com/elegant-puzzle/

⬐ weswinham

I helped write a quick summary of 3 of these: https://www.woventeams.com/blog/3-books-every-new-engineerin...

This is my list for this Summer (Southern hemisphere here):

* [reading] Atomic Habits (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1847941834)

* [reading] So Good They Can't Ignore You (https://www.amazon.com.br/gp/product/1455509124)

* 97 Things Every Engineering Manager Should Know (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1492050903)

* The Manager`s Path (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1491973897)

* The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0787960756)

* Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0787976377)

* Who: The A Method for Hiring (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345504194)

* Power Score: Your Formula for Leadership Success (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345547357)

I'm not sure I'll get to all of them but I spent quite some time researching them and think this is a good list.

I usually read 2 books simultaneously because I like to read them and let certain things sink in. It provides a nice way to link some insights.

⬐ riffraff

I read "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" a few months ago, it's quite good. The narrative delivery makes it a very easy read, and it has some ideas which are useful in basically every situation where collaboration is necessary.

Depends on the org. At mine, you go from manager to sr. manager (maybe that means another team under your belt, but still keeping your total reports manageable). From there, the next level up is Director, then VP, then CTO.

I recommend The Manager's Path by Camille Fournier. It takes you all the way from individual contributor to CTO. https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Grow...

It takes time to gain the management skills needed to be a really good manager. Just think how much time you took to reached your technical skills.

The book written by Camille Fournier to be quite a guide to understanding the path.

https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Grow...

At the end of the day, and if money is not a motivating factor, I would recommend you to go where you are most happy now and in the future.

I have found The Manager's Path useful about this. She goes into good detail about what it means to be a manager vs a tech lead, for example.

https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Grow...

I knew that the trend for Manager READMEs bothered me, but this really helped me to nail down why. When I'm wearing a manager hat, I see it as my job to serve the people who work for me. But READMEs are a one-way communication medium. They send the message, "It's your job to pay attention to me, the manager. You must learn and conform to my quirks." I think that's exactly the wrong message for a new employee.

This post is written by the author of The Manager's Path, which I also recommend: https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Grow...

- Read this (and even if it's just for a peace of mind to feel prepared): https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Grow...

- make sure this is something you want

For management: Manager's Path by Camille Fournier: https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Grow...

Chapter 9: Boostrapping Culture of The Manager's Path [0] discusses this directly. You might also be interested in the earlier chapters on building and leading teams.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Grow...

I'd highly recommend reading The Manager's Path by Camille Fournier. (http://amzn.com/1491973897) It covers the entire career path for a developer from developer to lead to manager to CTO. I found it incredibly insightful as a roadmap for what skills I'd need and challenges I'd face while laddering up. I also found it useful in understanding the challenges that my current manager is facing and how I could help learn to "manage up".

Camille Fournier's The Manager's Path: https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Grow...

yes do it, setup 30mins per person every 2 weeks, in the meeting invite describe this is a time for discussion, feedback (for you to them and them to you), for things like career progression and also for them to ask questions they might not feel comfortable asking in a more public setting including things about product, company etc. Try to keep the time as consistent as possible and show that these are a priority for you (so don't forget, cancel them etc).

They can be tough conversations, but rewarding on both sides.

If you are leading a team of devs at the very least read these 2 books:-

https://www.amazon.ca/Managing-Humans-Humorous-Software-Engi...

https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Grow...

⬐ anotheryou

Thanks! It's mostly devs, yes (and even more, I forgot to count the externals). I already read the 2nd and it was a great primer indeed. I'd hope to stay close enough to the team to have inofficial 1on1 conversation, but I guess you will tell me it should better be something consistent, especially for not leaving out anyone.

My plan would be to build some trust before introducing new "tools" like 1on1s (especially if they total to 2 days/month), but I'll definitely keep it in mind! So far I'm amazed by the team and so glad about the job and still keeping my head above water with all the lists one makes :)

Maybe read "The Manager's Path" by Camille Fournier[0]. It focuses a lot on the transition from being an engineer to going into management.

[0]: https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Grow...

⬐ romanhn

Yup, this is a great recommendation. There is a chapter on managing managers.

Managing engineers is a new career, that is separate from being an Engineer. Many engineering skills don't transfer to management, even when you think they do.

As a manager, one of the most important things you can do is schedule regular 1 on 1's with the people who report to you. Both "The Manager's Path"[1] and "Behind Closed Doors"[2] stresses this.

In about 4 months, it'll be helpful to review PG's essay, Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule[3] Right now, you'll be coding most of your time, but you'll soon have more and more meetings. MSMS names the feeling of frustration around meetings, and describes how to handle so many meetings.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Grow...

[2] https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Closed-Doors-Management-Progra...

[3] http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html

⬐ Eiriksmal

Thanks for these. I've got Behind Closed Doors on order from a previous recommendation in this thread, but The Manager's Path appears to be especially apt!

I've read the MSMS essay a few years ago, but had completely forgotten about it. The scheduling problem is actually something I've been struggling with the past few months in the run-up to this new role. When everything is urgent and you're the only one who can fulfill certain data requests, it's difficult to maintain progress on your own projects.