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2nd out of 16 books
—
6 voters
Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager
by
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 incredi...more
Paperback, 209 pages
Published
June 1st 2007
by Apress
(first published January 1st 2007)
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I bought this book because I love the author's blog (www.randsinrepose.com). The blog is excellent, the book less so, probably because it's mostly a collection of his blog posts, which tend to work less well in book format. There is some attempt at organization but it feels very jumbled, oddly enough even more jumbled than the blog.
Meh. It was okay.
There were a few places where I laughed out loud, and a few where I exclaimed, "That's so true!"
But I found myself wanting more in-depth analysis about how to fix it when I find myself in biting and humorous situations like these. And there are some recommendations that make sense. But I still found myself wanting more, not because I came to the book expecting the answers to all software development woes, but because some of the observations seemed so insightful that I just star...more
There were a few places where I laughed out loud, and a few where I exclaimed, "That's so true!"
But I found myself wanting more in-depth analysis about how to fix it when I find myself in biting and humorous situations like these. And there are some recommendations that make sense. But I still found myself wanting more, not because I came to the book expecting the answers to all software development woes, but because some of the observations seemed so insightful that I just star...more
Fantastic book about the perils of managing smart, talented, socially retarded people. Michael Lopp doesn't pull any punches, and leaves no stones unturned in this software development guide. This, along with Peopleware & The Mythical Man Month should be required reading before anyone in software engineering can start working. Wonderful book...if you have ever worked in the tech industry this book will have you laughing, crying, and angry over what you have experienced.
Well worth reading...a...more
Well worth reading...a...more
Most books that you read about the management of software developers, or about the often-chaotic culture found in software companies, don't make much of an impact on me. They contain advice, guidelines, and step-by-step instructions that you read in an evening. Then you return to your actual job the next day, where it can be difficult to translate what you read directly into steps that help you reign in the chaos.
Michael Lopp does not instruct within these pages...instead, he weaves. He is quite...more
Michael Lopp does not instruct within these pages...instead, he weaves. He is quite...more
This book has an unpolished feel to it. This apparently derives from the fact that it is a series of blog posts. The audience he's broadcasting to jumps from managers trying to get along in their daily lives, to engineers trying to understand getting along in a managerial environment, to plain old start-up engineers trying to get a job from a manger who's been at the gig for a dozen years.
Never-the-less, no matter what the voice the author puts on for a given section, he has much to offer. The a...more
Never-the-less, no matter what the voice the author puts on for a given section, he has much to offer. The a...more
As a reader of Rands I was reasonably familiar with the area of the content and a few of the chapters. However as the book is from '07 and stretches back there was a few things new to me.
A concise, story-filled and somewhat realistic view of software management in the newer tech companies as opposed to the organizational or consultancy monoliths. More than a few data points match my own experiences.
Be aware, however, that Rands is a people oriented manager who has managed to inure himself of m...more
A concise, story-filled and somewhat realistic view of software management in the newer tech companies as opposed to the organizational or consultancy monoliths. More than a few data points match my own experiences.
Be aware, however, that Rands is a people oriented manager who has managed to inure himself of m...more
I saw Michael Lopp speak at the Atlassian Summit conference in May of 2012. He has a friendly, dynamic presentation style that I found very approachable. Also, his slides were sexy.
In the course of that talk, I realized that a) I had a bad manager who had no idea what the practical applications of my job were, and b) beyond some minor annoyance, I didn't care that much, because I didn't care about my job, I had no idea what the company I worked for was doing, and I didn't feel like I was contrib...more
In the course of that talk, I realized that a) I had a bad manager who had no idea what the practical applications of my job were, and b) beyond some minor annoyance, I didn't care that much, because I didn't care about my job, I had no idea what the company I worked for was doing, and I didn't feel like I was contrib...more
There are many management and leadership books for computer folks. I have read way too many. Most of them are not really about management. They have anecdotes, discussions on computer history and never seem to have any relevance.
This book is different. While I don't agree with every detail inside the pages. I think a reader gets a lot from reading it. The book provides a survey of the topics needed to be proficient in to fulfill the job. How to stay technical enough but not get in the way. How t...more
This book is different. While I don't agree with every detail inside the pages. I think a reader gets a lot from reading it. The book provides a survey of the topics needed to be proficient in to fulfill the job. How to stay technical enough but not get in the way. How t...more
This collection of things that were often blog posts has some useful advice buried in it and a few funny quips here and there. I didn't love the extent to which Lopp creates profiles for people (after earlier complaining about the silliness of personality tests), but I suppose it has some value, and even in those sections, he did offer some useful insight.
Two useful quotes:
Two useful quotes:
Meetings must exist, but meetings cannot be seen as the only solution for making progress. If you must meet, start the meeti...more
Aug 13, 2009
Kelley
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who is or wants to understand managers
I finished reading Managing Humans in a day -- which only partly reflects the fact that I read pretty quickly. The book was an engaging read, quickly and frequently hurling me into fits of laughter. What better way to start off a book by reading a general overview of management as like carrying around bows and arrows because someone has decided you might be skilled at knowing which targets to hit. And yet, as the author makes clear, managers go wrong when they start to think that management is a...more
Apr 25, 2009
Susan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
managers, system administraters
Recommended to Susan by:
randsinrepose.com
Reading this book is one of the best things I could ever do for my career. I got thrown into managing a system for 70+ people around the globe in the form of a content management system spread over three servers. Each region has its own requirements, wants, and goals. Each user in that region has the same. It's my job to figure out all of this, provide it to them, improve the system, and make sure nothing goes down in flames. Oh, and figure out how to code software.
If you manage people, work glo...more
If you manage people, work glo...more
As someone fairly new to the world of management, I found this book to be extremely valuable. I came across it after doing some googling on the subject and finding this blog post. As I understand, the book was constructed from previously written blog articles, but I didn't feel like that detracted from it. Each chapter was its own vignette, and there were enough threads running between them to tie it all together. I especially loved that this wasn't just a book on managing, but specifically on m...more
In Managing Humans - Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager, veteran software developer and manager Michael Lopp serves you the must-read a-typical management or leadership book. No models, theory only, or success stories here, but raw, personal stories on engaging nerds and managers in the conception, development and delivery of software products. If you consider yourself a project manager, team lead, software development manager, program manager or engaged in software proj...more
I'm not a manager, but half of the essays in Managing Humans are aimed at understanding what's going on with your manager. Which I suppose makes sense, even if you are a manager, because unless you're the CEO even managers have managers. It's also aimed at the Software Engineering world, and even just being in IT there were a few chapters that I kinda raced through as not-useful-here. It's all written in a light, breezy style (much as Michael Lopp's blog Rands in Repose) and I think I've got som...more
Managing Humans has got some very good reviews and it's not hard to see why - the book is laugh out loud funny in places and more than a couple of times, I would up pointing out funny sentences to my SO. That said, some of the concepts in the book are interesting - and tie in nicely with other articles on Project Management that I have read. The core idea of the book really is on identifying and avoiding "silent mistakes" - things that go wrong because you did not realize they are critical. Defi...more
This book was written from the perspective of an engineer turned manager, and as such it is the one of the few management books I've read that speaks a language I can understand. There were many chapters that gave names to concepts I've spent a lot of time thinking about and left me saying, "Yes--that!"
Probably even more valuable though were the chapters that described the complex politics in an organization. These typically gave me the willies, but oh my god, things make so much SENSE now!
Reco...more
Probably even more valuable though were the chapters that described the complex politics in an organization. These typically gave me the willies, but oh my god, things make so much SENSE now!
Reco...more
This was a fairly quick and enjoyable read. Michael Lopp, the author, uses the f-bomb a little more than I really care for, but I think it's part of his 'voice.' Managing Humans is primarily made up of articles from Michael's blog, randsinrepose. So, if you don't need to process your info in dead-tree format, I think you can get a lot of the same content from the archives.
So, I don't know that I learned anything earth-shattering. Generally, it was nice to have some thought and ideas re-enforced
This is a very well written and practical narrative. The author (Michael Lopp) seems to truly care about managing people, rather than just trying to manipulate or force people to live by his rules and his schedule. I have been fortunate to know managers like the author, and they are worth listening to!
I kept a piece of paper and a pen handy while reading this book, because Lopp often put into words what I felt, but hadn't found words for.
I am new to the software industry, so this book helped me...more
I kept a piece of paper and a pen handy while reading this book, because Lopp often put into words what I felt, but hadn't found words for.
I am new to the software industry, so this book helped me...more
This isn't a book for managers or people who are wondering what managers do. Managing Humans isn't a training manual. Michael Lopp won't tell you how to make your employees more productive. He certainly won't give you with essential tips for climbing the corporate ladder.
Lopp—OK, let's call him Rands—has collected a bunch of kinda, sorta related anecdotes about on the subject of work and working with other people. Some of stories Rands tells will probably be very familiar to you. Others might b...more
Lopp—OK, let's call him Rands—has collected a bunch of kinda, sorta related anecdotes about on the subject of work and working with other people. Some of stories Rands tells will probably be very familiar to you. Others might b...more
If you are an engineering manager, or work with technical/software folks this is a really good book. If you are new to management, this is an amazing book. Unlike most management books which abstract things into what "Rational" people do, this book captures the emotions and "thinking' of employees. The reality is most employees upon hearing management are going "are you shitting me" and they are usually right.
Lopp really understands the roller coaster of software development. Good stuff.
Lopp really understands the roller coaster of software development. Good stuff.
Dec 02, 2008
Geoffrey
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Tech managers who don't want to read a blog on the web, but like short-form material.
Shelves:
software
As others have suggested, the book is essentially a collection of blog posts, which means it's a largely disconnected set of short, snappy, funny items which are individually good, even great, but that never coalesce into a book.
If you think of this as a set of short essays on managing technical teams, you'll probably do fine. If you expect some cohesion from one topic to another, or some consistent narrative, you're likely to be disappointed.
It's fine reading, but you'll get almost all of it fr...more
If you think of this as a set of short essays on managing technical teams, you'll probably do fine. If you expect some cohesion from one topic to another, or some consistent narrative, you're likely to be disappointed.
It's fine reading, but you'll get almost all of it fr...more
This book consists of a series of short chapters that teach about being a good manager of engineers via storytelling. In my opinion, the advice is useful for anyone who manages people who do independent, technical, creative work, like librarians. There is information here on conducting reviews, running effective meetings, dealing with employee motivation issues, understanding geeks, and cultivating a good work environment. I intend to reread sections occasionally and think that Incan apply a lot...more
This book is excellent if you think of it as a collection of essays that slightly build on each other rather than as a coherent book on being a Software Engineer Manager -- in other words, it's a typical blog to book transition. Michael Lopp (rands) manages to convey much of what it is important to know as a manager of software engineers from the perspective of someone who has been a software engineer. This is useful for programmers wanting to know what a manager actually does, managers wanting...more
Just re-read after first reading in 2008. Definitely more relevant for me now as a manager of the delivery function in an organisation. The style is engaging and the points memorable, but at the end of the day it is mostly intuitive anecdotal advice -- it is hard to take any real lessons out of it. I see it more as a storybook, which is sort of how it is pitched: "Tales of a Software Engineering Manager".
Easily digestible and some good food for thought, even though I've already read much of his writing online. I don't particularly like the style (blog) for long form books, however. (Seth Godin also does this also, but worse.)
This is the first book I've read on a kindle, that may have impacted my impressions (for better or worse.)
Aside: really badly proofed, maybe they OCR'ed it for the kindle version?
This is the first book I've read on a kindle, that may have impacted my impressions (for better or worse.)
Aside: really badly proofed, maybe they OCR'ed it for the kindle version?
Feels a lot like the blog — the source for a lot of the content —, and that is both its strength and weakness, depending on where you're coming from. If you want more meat, more theory, more detail, go elsewhere. If you're grasping at straws in trying to make a group of people do work (my case), there's lots of good and interesting stuff to digest on here. The chapter on meetings is, to me, worth the cover price.
Biting stories of what software management is like. Has lots of insights, but reading this ultimately left me depressed. The book is subtitled "Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager". More appropriate would be "The desperate rat's guide to staying motivated in the rat race".
Me, I called it quits. You should read the book though.
Me, I called it quits. You should read the book though.
Enjoy the blog, enjoyed the book. (I actually didn't know they were written by the same person when I requested this from the library.)
Mostly good advice, definitely good insight into the different types of people who exist in a workplace. (How people learn about what's going on around them, how they like to attack projects, how they function in meetings, etc.)
Need to take all of it with a grain of salt: this was written 4 years ago, and he's mostly worked at larger companies with a deeper hiera...more
Mostly good advice, definitely good insight into the different types of people who exist in a workplace. (How people learn about what's going on around them, how they like to attack projects, how they function in meetings, etc.)
Need to take all of it with a grain of salt: this was written 4 years ago, and he's mostly worked at larger companies with a deeper hiera...more
"A micromanager does not trust. That is correct, but, more importantly they do not know. They do not have an impression - a profile of the person they are managing, so they ignore the person and focus on the tasks."
Very good, clear, useful read. Recommended for *anyone* working in a software company.
Very good, clear, useful read. Recommended for *anyone* working in a software company.
If you read the blog Rands in Repose there's nothing new here, but this book collects much of his blog into a coherent whole about being a manager at Apple. I'd say get Being Geek instead of this book if you want the updated version of this.
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“One of your many jobs as manager is information conduit, and the rules are deceptively simple: for each piece of information you see, you must correctly determine who on your team needs that piece of information to do their job.”
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“My definition of a great manager is someone with whom you can make a connection no matter where you sit in the organization chart.”
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Jan 14, 2012 09:39am