Engineering Manager Reading Guide

This is a list of engineering management books, articles, and videos that I’ve found useful in my time as an Engineering Manager. I don’t intend to make a “definitive guide”, rather I hope it’s a useful reference for me and others when encountering some of the common challenges in management.

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The 1:1

Questions for our first 1:1 by Lara Hogan

101 Questions to Ask in One on Ones by Jason Evanish

The Update, The Vent, and The Disaster by Michael Lopp (rands)

Managing more experienced people by Julie Zhuo

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier

Three Tools for Better 1 on 1 meetings by Greg Dick

Effective Communication

Radical Candor by Kim Scott

Power Up Your Team with Nonviolent Communication Principles by Ann Mehl

Performance

Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud

Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler

The Five Conditions for Improvement by Roy Rappaport

Career Paths

This 90-Day Plan Turns Engineers into Remarkable Managers by David Loftesness

Work at different management levels by Lara Hogan

The Manager’s Path by Camille Fournier

On Being a Senior Engineer by John Allspaw

Engineering Management: The Pendulum or the Ladder by Charity Majors

Engagement & Retention

Shields Down by Michael Lopp (rands)

Work Rules! by Laszlo Bock

How Google Sold Its Engineers on Management from Harvard Business Review

Three Powerful Conversations Managers Must Have To Develop Their People by Russ Laraway

Leadership

Dare to Lead by Brené Brown

Good Strategy Bad Strategy and Richard Rumelt

How to be Strategic by Julie Zhuo

Management Craft/Other

An Elegant Puzzle by Will Larson

Resilient Management by Lara Hogan

44 engineering management lessons by Slava Akhmechet

Average Manager vs. Great Manager by Julie Zhuo

Awesome Leading and Managing by Various Authors

Engineering Management from Leadership Library

8 Keys to Happiness at Work by Dan Glasser

Comments

[Maxim Chechenev]

I would recommend Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager book - amazon.com/Managing-Humans-Humorou... as well, it has good advices and stories plus it's written in a catchy style

[Daniel Glasser]

Thanks for the comment. I've included some of my favorites from Michael Lopp's blog since there's quite a bit of overlap between the book and his blog posts.

[Dave MG]

Thanks for the list, Daniel! If I too, may throw a great book in the recommendation list here: Simon Sinek's "The Infinite Game" has changed my perspective in a huge way not in managing teams but managing myself as well.

amazon.com/Infinite-Game-Simon-Sin...

[Daniel Glasser]

Thanks for the suggestion Dave.