Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

by Michael Lopp

As a leader, you need to figure out how to invest in disruption, which is counterintuitive because disruption, by definition, is destructive. It breaks things that others covet.

while I believe that folks don’t wake up intending to construct lies, I also know that for any story you’re hearing, you’re getting the version that supports their chosen version of reality.

This storytelling—the careful selection of facts, ideas, and data—is going on everywhere in the company. Everyone is building a story about what and how they’re doing, and they’re often optimizing in their favor.

Remember this: in most businesses, everyone’s basic agenda is visible after they’ve talked for about 30 seconds.

There are engineers who blossom as they step into a Lead position. Yes, we lost a full time coder, but he’s suddenly doing what he did as a coder with seven engineers. He’s a force multiplier as a Lead. It’s his goddamned mission in life.

Your team is collectively smarter than you simply because there are more of them. More importantly, by including them in the decision process and creating a team where they feel they can say no, you’re creating trust.

you always need to be able to answer two questions regarding each person on your team: 1. Where are they going? 2. What are you currently doing to get them there?

the act of exploration is as valuable as the act of building.

I tell everyone I hire the same thing: “I hired you because you’ve got enough skill and enough will to have my job one day . . . whether you want it or not.” This statement tells those I work with that I expect them to succeed and reminds me to keep moving because there is nothing like having bright people nipping at your heels to keep you running.