Michael Lopp

Managing Humans is a selection of the best essays from Michael Lopp's web site, Rands in Repose. Drawing on Lopp's management experiences at Apple, Netscape, Symantec, and Borland, this book is full of stories based on companies in the Silicon Valley where people have been known to yell at each other. It is a place full of dysfunctional bright people who are in an incredible hurry to find the next big thing so they can strike it rich and then do it all over again. Among these people are managers, a strange breed of people who through a mystical organizational ritual have been given power over your future and your bank account. 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. What you’ll learn What to do when people start yelling at each other How to perform a diving save when the best engineer insists on resigning How to say "no" to the person who signs your paycheck Who this book is for This book is designed 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 bites 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. Table of Contents Don't Be a Prick Managers are Not Evil The Monday Freakout Agenda Detection Mandate Dissection Information Starvation Subtlety, Subterfuge, and Silence Managementese Technicality Avoiding the Fez Your Resignation Checklist Saying No 1.0 Taking Time to Think The Soak Malcolm Events Capturing Context Status Reports 2.0 Trickle Theory A Glimpse and a Hook Nailing the Phone Screen Ninety Days Bellwethers NADD A Nerd in a Cave Meeting Creatures Incrementalists and Completionists Organics and Mechanics Inwards, Outwards, and Holistics Free Electrons Rules for the Reorg Offshore Risk Factor Joe Secret Titles

Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

Managing Humans

Many people think leadership is a higher calling that exclusively resides in managers who practice or follow big compelling leadership philosophies. But what's most important for leadership is principled consistency, because small things done well build trust and respect within a team. Using stories from his time at Apple, Pinterest and Slack, Michael Lopp-VP of Engineering at Slack-presents a series of leadership practices that help you build leadership skills. You'll learn how to create teams that are highly productive, highly respected, and highly trusted.

Small Things, Done Well

The Art of Leadership

As a software engineer, you recognize at some point that there's much more to your career than dealing with code. Is it time to become a manager? Tell your boss he’s a jerk? Join that startup? Author Michael Lopp recalls his own make-or-break moments with Silicon Valley giants such as Apple, Netscape, and Symantec in Being Geek -- an insightful and entertaining book that will help you make better career decisions. With more than 40 standalone stories, Lopp walks through a complete job life cycle, starting with the job interview and ending with the realization that it might be time to find another gig. Many books teach you how to interview for a job or how to manage a project successfully, but only this book helps you handle the baffling circumstances you may encounter throughout your career. Decide what you're worth with the chapter on "The Business" Determine the nature of the miracle your CEO wants with "The Impossible" Give effective presentations with "How Not to Throw Up" Handle liars and people with devious agendas with "Managing Werewolves" Realize when you should be looking for a new gig with "The Itch"

The Software Developer's Career Handbook

Being Geek

In this fourth edition of the bestselling business book Managing Humans, author Michael Lopp continues to draw leadership advice from some of the most important software companies of our modern age. Educational stories from companies across Silicon Valley such as Apple, Slack, Pinterest, Palantir, Netscape, and Borland detail the experiences of bright software engineers in an ever-changing industry This revised edition of Managing Humans expands on the previous editions’ explorations of management essentials including handling stress, building diverse teams, running inclusive meetings, and how to lead in times of crisis. The education of a great leader never stops, and Lopp applies crucial insights to help continue your never-ending leadership education. Whether it is approaching a myriad of engineering personalities or handling unexpected conflict, you will come away with wisdom to handle any team situation. The engineering culture of a company can determine the difference between a product’s ultimate success or failure. Managing Humans is here to guide managers and aspiring managers into the intimidating world of people and their vastly different personalities. Handle conflict, infuse innovation into your approach, and be the most confident manager you can be after reading this book. What You Will Learn Lead engineers Handle conflict Understand different engineering personalities Who This Book Is ForManagers 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.

More Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

The humor and insights in the 2nd Edition of Managing Humans are drawn from Michael Lopp's management experiences at Apple, Netscape, Symantec, and Borland, among others. This book is full of stories based on companies in the Silicon Valley where people have been known to yell at each other and occasionally throw chairs. It is a place full of dysfunctional bright people who are in an incredible hurry to find the next big thing so they can strike it rich and then do it all over again. Among these people are managers, a strange breed of people who, through a mystical organizational ritual, have been given power over the future and bank accounts of many others. 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 amongst the general craziness. Lopp's straight-from-the-hip style is unlike any other writer on management. He pulls no punches and tells stories he probably shouldn't. But they are massively instructive and 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. This second editions expands on the management essentials. It will explain why we hate meetings, but must have them, it carefully documents the right way to have a 1-on-1, and it documents the perils of not listening to your team. Writing code is easy. Managing humans is not. You need a book to help you do it, and this is it.

Managing Humans is a selection of the best essays from Michael Lopps web site, Rands In Repose.

Managing Humans: Biting And Humorous Tales Of A Software Engineering Manager

At some point in your career, you'll realize there's more to being a software engineer than dealing with code. Is it time to become a manager? Or join a startup? In this insightful and entertaining book, Michael Lopp recalls his own make-or-break moments with Silicon Valley giants such as Apple, Slack, Pinterest, Palantir, Netscape, and Symantec to help you make better, more mindful career decisions. With more than 40 stand-alone stories, Lopp walks through a complete job lifecycle, starting with the interview and ending with the realization that it might be time to move on. You'll learn how to handle baffling circumstances in your job, understand what you want from your career, and discover how to thrive in your workplace. Learn how to navigate areas of your job that don't involve writing code Identify how the aspects you enjoy will affect your next career steps Build and maintain key relationships and interactions within your community Make choices that will help you have a deliberate career Recognize what's important to your manager and work on things that matter

A Guide to Navigating the Unpredictable

At some point in your career, you'll realize there's more to being a software engineer than dealing with code. Is it time to become a manager? Or join a startup? In this insightful and entertaining book, Michael Lopp recalls his own make-or-break moments with Silicon Valley giants such as Apple, Slack, Pinterest, Palantir, Netscape, and Symantec to help you make better, more mindful career decisions. With more than 40 stand-alone stories, Lopp walks through a complete job lifecycle, starting with the interview and ending with the realization that it might be time to move on. You'll learn how to handle baffling circumstances in your job, understand what you want from your career, and discover how to thrive in your workplace. Learn how to navigate areas of your job that don't involve writing code Identify how the aspects you enjoy will affect your next career steps Build and maintain key relationships and interactions within your community Make choices that will help you have a "deliberate career" Recognize what's important to your manager and work on things that matter

In this fourth edition of the bestselling business book Managing Humans, author Michael Lopp continues to draw leadership advice from some of the most important software companies of our modern age. Educational stories from companies across Silicon Valley such as Apple, Slack, Pinterest, Palantir, Netscape, and Borland detail the experiences of bright software engineers in an ever-changing industry This revised edition of Managing Humans expands on the previous editions' explorations of management essentials including handling stress, building diverse teams, running inclusive meetings, and how to lead in times of crisis. The education of a great leader never stops, and Lopp applies crucial insights to help continue your never-ending leadership education. Whether it is approaching a myriad of engineering personalities or handling unexpected conflict, you will come away with wisdom to handle any team situation. The engineering culture of a company can determine the difference between a product's ultimate success or failure. Managing Humans is here to guide managers and aspiring managers into the intimidating world of people and their vastly different personalities. Handle conflict, infuse innovation into your approach, and be the most confident manager you can be after reading this book. What You Will Learn Lead engineers Handle conflict Understand different engineering personalities 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. .

Michael Lopp

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