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Resilient Management
(A Book Apart #30)
by
Finding your bearings as a manager can feel overwhelming—but you don’t have to fake it to make it, and you don’t have to go it alone. Lara Hogan shares her recipe for supporting and leading a tech team—from developing your mentoring and coaching skills, to getting comfortable with having difficult conversations, to boosting trust among teammates—while staying grounded alon
...more
Paperback, 105 pages
Published
June 11th 2019
by A Book Apart
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A very nice book on modern engineering leadership - that's what I like :)
Lara doesn't pretend she has written a full almanac on all aspects of engineering - "RM" is focused on a few chosen (yet very important aspects): personal mgmt style, modes of team members' support, clarity when it comes to expectations, careful communication planning, etc. I love the way she presents the topics - as she's very good at framing concepts in simple conceptual models. I'm not saying she has invented them all (s ...more
Lara doesn't pretend she has written a full almanac on all aspects of engineering - "RM" is focused on a few chosen (yet very important aspects): personal mgmt style, modes of team members' support, clarity when it comes to expectations, careful communication planning, etc. I love the way she presents the topics - as she's very good at framing concepts in simple conceptual models. I'm not saying she has invented them all (s ...more

Overall, this book is a great read, especially if you’re new to management. I’ve consulted many management resources already. This book reinforced a lot of what I’m already doing while teaching me a few new things along the way.
Things I’m already doing that Lara reinforced in her book:
• Provide regular feedback to your direct reports. Don’t wait for performance reviews. This is critical for giving your direct reports the opportunity to learn what they’re doing well and where they need to impro ...more
Things I’m already doing that Lara reinforced in her book:
• Provide regular feedback to your direct reports. Don’t wait for performance reviews. This is critical for giving your direct reports the opportunity to learn what they’re doing well and where they need to impro ...more

Lara's book is full of clear, actionable advice for new managers. I'm wading through many of the problems she's outlined and through her guidance, I am able to find the answers (or ask the questions!) I need to move forward. Highly recommend!
...more

Growth is beautiful; growth is magnificent; growth is what we should be aiming for. But in actuality, growth is painful.
Lara Hogan is one of my favourite engineering managers to follow on Twitter and read on RSS. I was also lucky to hear her do a conference talk more than once. I knew this book would be useful when I read that she'll have a treatise on management coming out.
I was not disappointed. I liked Resilient Management, which focuses mainly on management fundamentals. It's a good overview ...more
Lara Hogan is one of my favourite engineering managers to follow on Twitter and read on RSS. I was also lucky to hear her do a conference talk more than once. I knew this book would be useful when I read that she'll have a treatise on management coming out.
I was not disappointed. I liked Resilient Management, which focuses mainly on management fundamentals. It's a good overview ...more

Good starter kit for new engineering managers. More seasoned ones might also learn some new, useful tools ranging from BICEPS (a SCARF alternative), Management Voltrons to RACI and Eisenhower matrixes as well as a good package of coaching and organizational tips&tricks.

In Chapter 4 of Resilient Management, Lara states “The absence of trust is the foundation of most teams disfunction”. This book feels very much like the antidote to that. It guides the reader, whether they’re a first-time manager or an experienced one, through the different lifecycle stages of a team – from Forming to Storming, then Norming, and finally, to Performing.
I can’t think of anyone better to write this book – Lara has worked in so many different environments, from Engineering Director ...more
I can’t think of anyone better to write this book – Lara has worked in so many different environments, from Engineering Director ...more

This book should be considered "required reading" by new managers.
Here is what makes this book excellent:
1. For new managers, it provides the necessary “scaffolding” that they need to navigate this strange new role they’ve taken on. It gives them a new language and framing for how to anticipate and handle sticky challenges and pragmatic approaches they can lean on when things get tricky.
2. For veteran managers, it’s an excellent exposition of what should be considered fundamental concepts. Fund ...more
Here is what makes this book excellent:
1. For new managers, it provides the necessary “scaffolding” that they need to navigate this strange new role they’ve taken on. It gives them a new language and framing for how to anticipate and handle sticky challenges and pragmatic approaches they can lean on when things get tricky.
2. For veteran managers, it’s an excellent exposition of what should be considered fundamental concepts. Fund ...more

It is a good book, especially for new managers. I think the biggest take away is to remember about every human' core needs.
You mi ...more
There are six core needs researchers find are most important for humans at work. Not all are equally important to everyone. You might find that equity and belonging are most important to you, but choice and status are most important to your employee. Getting to know them and coaching to them is a shortcut to making others feel understood and valued (aka inclusivity).
You mi ...more

Full disclosure, I have known Lara for several years and have also been lucky enough to take her Demystifying Management course recently. That being said, I feel strongly that this is book, while short, is packed with deeply useful information and helpful insights. Lately I have been feeling strongly that books focused on management contain lessons that are in fact valuable to folks at all points in their career, as well as lessons that can just as easily be applied outside of the workplace, and
...more

Management school isn’t typically something software engineers enroll in; historically, we became managers because we were good at our craft for long enough that somebody felt we ought to tell other people how to do likewise. To advance in the discipline meant, ultimately, that you’d have to set that discipline aside and take up the discipline of management—often with no meaningful training and while being managed by somebody else who was flying just as much by the seat of their pants. This natu
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Great, short and practical overview of things that worked and things that didn't. Even in its brevity, it covers things that I wanted to know but couldn't find any clear advice on, like how to ask for a mentor (comes with an example email!), how to deal with company roles that intersect, and how to disagree and commit.
Will happily reread in a couple of months! ...more
Will happily reread in a couple of months! ...more

I watched Lara's An Event Apart talk about Navigating Friction. I was worried it was solely this talk, but I was mistaken. She had some great parts from her talk and added some bonus sections to it. I think the section on communication is the most important. This book feels different from most manager books. I think this could take any manager's skills to the next level.
The best part about this book though is that it could really be a book for anyone. You don't need a manager title to benefit fr ...more
The best part about this book though is that it could really be a book for anyone. You don't need a manager title to benefit fr ...more

Highly recommended for new (and old) technical managers. I've found tremendous value in Hogan's blogs and her newsletter. This packages many of these ideas into a cohesive and lean package. Extremely tactical and concrete. You'll no doubt find new techniques for your toolkit.
...more

So you're an engineering manager now. Chances are you have a track record of delivering incredible work and you know how to get things done. But now you're responsible for a team of other humans and helping them deliver their best work. If you're anything like me, you will quickly recognize that what made you an excellent individual contributor is insufficient for managing teams and leading people.
But you have something that I didn't: Lara Hogan delivers a concise, well-written intro on how to d ...more
But you have something that I didn't: Lara Hogan delivers a concise, well-written intro on how to d ...more

You don’t have to be a manager to benefit from this extremely well-organized and practical book. So many offerings in this genre are a series of scattered anecdotes around one central idea, leaving the exercise of extracting the valuable and actionable nuggets as an exercise for the reader.
Resilient Management is well-written, without fluff. The first part introduces the basic needs of a team (BICEPS), and the following chapters build on that framework. There’s a practical example for each strat ...more
Resilient Management is well-written, without fluff. The first part introduces the basic needs of a team (BICEPS), and the following chapters build on that framework. There’s a practical example for each strat ...more

This is a great reference to have on your desk especially as a new manager. But even a seasoned manager may find some good nuggets in here and things to go back to every now and then to reset and reflect. It’s full of practical advice. One could almost say the book is 96 written pages that only contain practical advice, in the very best way.

I'm a first time manager and this book has lots of actionable items on every chapter. I'm already applying what I read in the book! I also recommend you check out Lara Hogan's blog, it has shorter supplemental teachings.
...more

Lovely book for leaders & aspiring managers, does not waste any time & gets straight to the point.
My personal main take-aways:
* Stages of team development: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing
* Core needs on the workplace: BICEPS (belonging, improvement, choice, equality, predictability, significance) (Paloma Medina)
* Manager hats: mentor, coach, sponsor, feedback
* "first team" mindset & building your Manager Voltron ...more
My personal main take-aways:
* Stages of team development: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing
* Core needs on the workplace: BICEPS (belonging, improvement, choice, equality, predictability, significance) (Paloma Medina)
* Manager hats: mentor, coach, sponsor, feedback
* "first team" mindset & building your Manager Voltron ...more

Really enjoyed this book! Lara does a great job at breaking down core needs and helping you frame conversations with your teammates in a healthy and productive way.
You can find an overview of the book here: https://twitter.com/kevgski/status/13... ...more
You can find an overview of the book here: https://twitter.com/kevgski/status/13... ...more

Great book! Helped out a lot in some areas that I'm still trying to understand / drive.
...more

Lara provides some great leadership tips and strategies. I may be burned out on this topic. I have read quite a few management books and they all seem to have similar ideas. It seems best to pick one of them that fits with your natural style and stick to it. If I could randomize my rating and have it occasionally go from a 3 to a 4 to a 5 and back again I would. This book could be wonderful for some folks. No real complaint on it.

A very solid book about "soft" aspects of management - human relationships and leadership.
What to like about it: it's very short and concise, while most of the books in this category are watered down with opinions, anecdotes, and made-up stories, this one is different.
I'd also like to contrast it with "Elegant Puzzle": these two books complement each other like Yin and Yang.
Elegant Puzzle - presents management as a system, that can be observed, measured and optimized.
Resilient Management - pr ...more
What to like about it: it's very short and concise, while most of the books in this category are watered down with opinions, anecdotes, and made-up stories, this one is different.
I'd also like to contrast it with "Elegant Puzzle": these two books complement each other like Yin and Yang.
Elegant Puzzle - presents management as a system, that can be observed, measured and optimized.
Resilient Management - pr ...more

There are some nice gems in the book and I really appreciate Lara putting this together in a well structured and concise way. I particularly enjoyed the focus on folk's needs, the framing on a manager's job in the four dimensions (mentoring, coaching, sponsoring and feedback) and reminders about underrepresented groups. I have found other tools (like the RACI matix, or the Tuckman model) outdated, irrelevant and sometimes dangerous. I would have loved more nuanced approach which reflected the na
...more

I've read a lot of books about managing people; this is one of the best. It's quite tactical and practical and is loaded with ground-level guidance about how to intervene with the people who report to you. But what is quite striking about the book is how it thinks about the different modes of one-on-one people management: The book draws shrewd distinctions between the quite different roles of mentoring, coaching, and sponsoring (chapter 2).
For Hogan, mentoring is when you advise. Coaching provid ...more
For Hogan, mentoring is when you advise. Coaching provid ...more

## Why I picked it up ##
Because my bookclub wanted to read it.
## Who recommended it to me ##
Megan and Virtual Andy. They're both reading it right now and said it was good.
## Who I'd recommend it to ##
New managers, and seasoned ones looking for some reminders, refreshers, practical tips and tricks. Little of the content is specific to engineering, but some of it is specific to product development.
## What I liked ##
Short. Quick read. A lot of content packed in. Long list of Resources at the back. ...more
Because my bookclub wanted to read it.
## Who recommended it to me ##
Megan and Virtual Andy. They're both reading it right now and said it was good.
## Who I'd recommend it to ##
New managers, and seasoned ones looking for some reminders, refreshers, practical tips and tricks. Little of the content is specific to engineering, but some of it is specific to product development.
## What I liked ##
Short. Quick read. A lot of content packed in. Long list of Resources at the back. ...more

This book is a must have regardless whether you are a manager, want to become a manager, reporting to a manager, or just in general work with other humans. Lara Hogan puts down so much useful insights and wonderfully helpful guiding questions and suggestions that I don’t think there is anyone who wouldn’t benefit from reading it. The common thread throughout the whole book is understanding humans and using that to be effective at work (and to be honest also outside). Be it mentoring, coaching, s
...more

This book is loaded with insights, valuable direction, and powerful food for thought and introspection. I’ve been reading through it slowly, taking time to ponder and process almost every page, and how it relates to my team and environment and challenges. I especially love the ideas she puts forth for finding what various audiences optimize for, so you can suit your message to that; the points of authenticity and how to grow and adapt your values and expectations for yourself as your needs chang
...more

This book is amazing. It's not very extensive (just five chapters), but I have a wow feeling since the first page. I already read several management books, and the really positive thing about this one is that it's not using other author's path, but she creates a new one.
The topics covered here have a completely new approach, and it's worthy to discover. Even when she thinks that you could be interested in going deeper in some aspects, she has no problems recommending you to read other more book ...more
The topics covered here have a completely new approach, and it's worthy to discover. Even when she thinks that you could be interested in going deeper in some aspects, she has no problems recommending you to read other more book ...more

A useful book for someone who's been a manager for a little while, and is looking to up their game. It's only 100 pages, but it packs a lot of value in those pages.
It feels like a book that's part of a series, but it's not the first in the series, and doesn't cover everything.
Minor niggles: would benefit from a clearer "story arc", and it needed a bit more proof-reading. Possibly a US/UK thing: Hogan refers to a manager's direct reports as *teammates*, which kept tripping me up mentally, as for ...more
It feels like a book that's part of a series, but it's not the first in the series, and doesn't cover everything.
Minor niggles: would benefit from a clearer "story arc", and it needed a bit more proof-reading. Possibly a US/UK thing: Hogan refers to a manager's direct reports as *teammates*, which kept tripping me up mentally, as for ...more
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