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The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change
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Managing people is difficult wherever you work, but the tech industry as a whole is pretty bad at it. Tech companies in general lack the experience, tools, texts, and frameworks to do it well. And the handful of books that share tips and tricks of engineering management don t explain how to supervise employees in the face of growth and change.
In this book, author Camille ...more
In this book, author Camille ...more
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This book does a good job of walking you through the typical career path of a software engineer, from individual contributor all the way up to senior executive. It's a great read for all programmers and not just managers. In fact, if you're still early in your career, you'll find this book especially valuable, as it's a great outline of what to expect later in your career, and some of the things you can do to accelerate your growth.
A few of my favorite insights from the book:
* As you move from ...more
A few of my favorite insights from the book:
* As you move from ...more
A great book on navigating a career path from Individual Contributor to Manager. Doesn't go into depth on any topic, but provides a good overview. I'm adding it to the list of recommendations for new tech leads. The full list:
- The Pragmatic Programmer
- The Effective Engineer
- Peopleware
- The Manager's Path
- High Output Management
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
- The Elements of Style
- Crucial Conversations
- The Pragmatic Programmer
- The Effective Engineer
- Peopleware
- The Manager's Path
- High Output Management
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
- The Elements of Style
- Crucial Conversations
Apr 11, 2017
Rod Begbie
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nonfiction,
management
Having grown from being an engineer to manager to startup founder, this is probably the best book I’ve read on the topic of technical leadership and management, and one I wish I’d had available to me a decade ago! All those hard lessons I got from screwing up and learning from my mistakes could have been skipped if Camille’s book had existed then!
Though that dreaded word “manager” is in the title, it is not purely valuable to those who have a strong desire to engage in people management. Part of ...more
Though that dreaded word “manager” is in the title, it is not purely valuable to those who have a strong desire to engage in people management. Part of ...more
I'm somewhere between individual contributor and management in my career right now (mentoring and, at times, technical lead,) so this book was of interest to me.
I hate to say that this book was disappointing because I enjoy following the author on Twitter and have enjoyed lots of her clear, well-written blog posts about management and technical strategy, particularly ones like "how do individual contributors get stuck".
I think this book essentially tried to stretch those blog posts into an ...more
I hate to say that this book was disappointing because I enjoy following the author on Twitter and have enjoyed lots of her clear, well-written blog posts about management and technical strategy, particularly ones like "how do individual contributors get stuck".
I think this book essentially tried to stretch those blog posts into an ...more
The best book about management in software development I have ever read! A must read for managers and highly recommended even for individual contributors. It has helped me enormously!
I recommend this book to anyone involved with software engineering management, from individual contributors - willing or not to a managing career move - to senior managers.
It gives a clear view and show countless real life situtations, from first level to CTO, with a perspective of who had experiencied all of it.
Whether or not you are looking for a management career, we as software engineers are going to live most (if not all) of the situtations described in each chapter, directly or indirectly. ...more
It gives a clear view and show countless real life situtations, from first level to CTO, with a perspective of who had experiencied all of it.
Whether or not you are looking for a management career, we as software engineers are going to live most (if not all) of the situtations described in each chapter, directly or indirectly. ...more
I still don’t get what a CTO does
Extremely well written book that takes you through the career progression of a software engineer to managing a small team to VP Engineering and CTO. It talks about the roles and responsibilities of each stage of the technical as well as the techno-managerial career.
The book illustrates the various situations that you will face when you navigate your career through a product startup. Several situations and their solutions resonated with me as I have faced them myself. This is a book written by ...more
The book illustrates the various situations that you will face when you navigate your career through a product startup. Several situations and their solutions resonated with me as I have faced them myself. This is a book written by ...more
Don't get discouraged by introductory tech lead chapters - these seem like written a bit "without inspiration". In fact, there are at least few better books for people who just start leading tech teams - e.g. Pat Kua's "Talking with tech leads". But Fournier's book gets significantly better once it reaches relatively less explored areas - managing technical managers, managing several teams, differentiating among various higher level technical management roles, becoming CTO.
Recommended read if ...more
Recommended read if ...more
Was it easy to read: Sort of. The language is not complicated at all. But each chapter is intended for a person in a certain position. So chapters that are still very far away in my career were quite difficult to get through. I think it is best to be read as author suggested – just the chapters that are currently of value for you.
What I liked about it: How practical and hands on the book is. It really gives context about culture and situations in other companies + explanations and advice how to ...more
What I liked about it: How practical and hands on the book is. It really gives context about culture and situations in other companies + explanations and advice how to ...more
Well structured, explaining the different levels of being a (tech) manager.
Downside: some repetitions. Not really new stuff, but a good read.
Downside: some repetitions. Not really new stuff, but a good read.
This was my first "career" book and it was better than I expected. This is great even for non-managers if you happen to land a copy of this because of the chapters devoted to being a great IC and Tech Lead. It has concise advice supplemented by stories about different stages of an engineer's career for those on the manager track all the way up to the top.
Sidenote: I didn't finish as I stopped where it was relevant to my career, but still am considering this finished (for now).
Sidenote: I didn't finish as I stopped where it was relevant to my career, but still am considering this finished (for now).
I've tried to like this book, but couldn't. It took me more than a year to read it to the end.
It's a comprehensive walk-through typical tech carrier ladder, but up to chapter about "managing managers" it just lacks any insights and reads like common sense. Might be a good read for those who are in early stages of their career.
It gets little bit more interesting during the last 3 chapters ("managing managers", "big league" and the one about building culture).
But I believe I got significant more ...more
It's a comprehensive walk-through typical tech carrier ladder, but up to chapter about "managing managers" it just lacks any insights and reads like common sense. Might be a good read for those who are in early stages of their career.
It gets little bit more interesting during the last 3 chapters ("managing managers", "big league" and the one about building culture).
But I believe I got significant more ...more
Contains a very good description about the different roles and responsibilities on the typical engineering career later (from engineer to CTO). The best I've read so far actually. Also useful (albeit brief) advice and tips for getting started in each particular role.
Sometimes felt a bit to deep in US/Silicon Valley culture and their understanding of leadership to me.
Sometimes felt a bit to deep in US/Silicon Valley culture and their understanding of leadership to me.
It was good, especially the first part of the book. If I hadn’t worked at Facebook, I’d probably have rated it four or five stars, but so much of this I’ve already learned. And what I was hoping to get out of the book, which was the sections about senior management, she didn’t really cover the layers of positions in upper management at large companies (because she’s writing about smaller companies and she doesn’t have the experience). It went from managing managers straight to CTO. Also, some
...more
Good book on the software engineering relevant parts of leadership. The author is well-read in management and leadership and seeks to supplement the existing works with a book more focused on the parts unique to software engineering. I think she does a good job pointing out the differences and similarities, but I wasn't blown away. I wish there wouldn't been more focus on managing projects, communicating with stakeholders, and prioritizing at the project-level. If you manage people and you're in
...more
Mar 26, 2017
Julie
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
kindle,
professional
This book was really useful to me as someone more interested in the technical leadership track than the people management track. The early chapters covered content useful to the track I'm interested in. The later chapters helped improve my understanding of how various levels of leadership work at tech companies and the various benefits/struggles/tradeoffs/etc., which are useful for better understanding and empathizing with both my immediate manager and people farther up the reporting chain.
I ...more
I ...more
Very short and easy to read. It is very useful even if you are not a manager and are not willing to become one. Even the chapters about managers of managers have some insights about the roles I have and had as tech lead and software developer. So, I recommend reading the whole book, even the chapters that do not describe the role you have. Besides that, this book helped me a lot to better evaluate my leaders. For example, what can I expect from them and how to argue when they are failing.
this is a really incredible book. it's one of the first ones I picked up as I was transitioning from a tech lead to an engineering manager and it was helpful not only for navigating my own role but for understanding the needs and communication patterns of everyone I work with from new engineers to directors and above.
this is not only a book for managers imo, it's a book for anyone who wants to better understand how to work with folks at all levels of an engineering organization
this is not only a book for managers imo, it's a book for anyone who wants to better understand how to work with folks at all levels of an engineering organization
this is one of those must read books not only for those persuing a career in management but for those who day to day have to "deal" with a manager. Topics from what makes a good manager to what can a team member expect from that role.
I've given this book five stars before and will do it again reading it a second time around. This time I have more practical use in a new role for what Camille is writing about. This book is the "High Output Management" for engineering managers, that's how high I'm rating this one!
It's a book I give to all engineers and agitators who want people to do better and might see management as needing improvement - by them becoming managers (or at least having a managerial attitude).
If I could give this book 6 stars, I would. I rarely buy books, but I bought this one and am glad I did. The book is structured very well, following the career path of a technical employee from being an individual engineer all the way to the upper levels of senior technical management. I found it useful in understanding what the the management job is like at various stages of a typical career and what makes a good manager at each level — the answer, as you might expect, varies and changes with
...more
Camille's book on tech management is spot on, starts pointing out the basics of management, how tech management differs from management in other fields and the many levels you can find yourself (tech lead, manager, engineering manager, VP and CTO) and stuff you should worry about at all these levels.
She covers day to day work, stuff you will most likely face, problems along the road, ways to perform self evaluation, collect feedback, find blind spots (yeah, you'll figure out people don't tell ...more
She covers day to day work, stuff you will most likely face, problems along the road, ways to perform self evaluation, collect feedback, find blind spots (yeah, you'll figure out people don't tell ...more
Camille takes you through an exercise in empathy, clarification and understanding of what technical management entails. As a former technical co-founder and a current manager, this book has been instrumental in understanding the expectations and challenges at each level of seniority on the tech growth ladder. I'm excited about contributing to this content with my own journey. Thanks Camille!
Great read! Easy to get into and full of pragmatic advice and relatable challenges. I loved the actionable and immediate nature of the things Camille talked about. I found myself highlighting passages and jotting down notes throughout and even picked up a few practices I've already rolled into my day-to-day.
The best management book for someone in software that I have read to date. The author walks through the various levels of leadership and illustrates how they build on each other, sharing useful anecdotes and helpful advice the entire way through.
Clear, concise, and not at all self-aggrandizing (which tends to be an issue in management books).
Clear, concise, and not at all self-aggrandizing (which tends to be an issue in management books).
I stumbled upon this book, and it was a positive surprise. The title does not make the book justice, as it's definitely not only a guide for tech leaders, but also extremely useful for anyone working in tech to understand their managers and the path to building a successful engineering team.
A fantastic take on the world of tech management and progression within. I found myself completely empathising with the parts I've personally experienced and nodding along at common mistakes that I've made or experienced. Would recommend to any software engineer.
The book combines a lot of practical advice together with the things to consider and tailor to the specifics of your own setting. I really enjoyed the practical approach of the author - whenever she says “it depends” she doesn’t just stop there but provides some of the practical alternative approaches.
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For the 19thC gynaecologist, see Camille Fournier.
Camille Fournier is the former chief technology officer of Rent The Runway and former vice president of technology at Goldman Sachs.
Camille Fournier is the former chief technology officer of Rent The Runway and former vice president of technology at Goldman Sachs.
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“As you go through various stages of your career, you’ll start to realize how much uncertainty there is in the world. It’s a pretty universal truth that once you get the job you thought you wanted, the enjoyment eventually fades and you find yourself looking for something else. You think you want to work for that cool startup, and you get there only to find it’s a mess. You think you want to be a manager, only to discover that the job is hard and not rewarding in the ways you expected. In all of this uncertainty, the only person you can rely on to pull through it is yourself.”
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“For example, if overwork is due to (in)stability of the production systems, it’s your job as the manager to slow down the product roadmap in order to focus on stability for a while. Make clear measures of alerts, downtime, and incidents, and strive to reduce them. My advice is to dedicate 20% of your time in every planning session to system sustainability work (“sustainability” instead of the more common “technical debt”).”
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