5 ms·

Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?

50 points by a3n 11y ago

Non-technical, technical, technical management, people management, perspective, insight. What books or other resources do you believe would make your life better, if your present and future managers read them and lived their lessons?

pkhamre 11y ago
Who Moved My Cheese? http://www.amazon.com/Who-Moved-My-Cheese-Amazing/dp/0399144463 http://www.amazon.com/Who-Moved-My-Cheese-Amazing/dp/0399144...
a3n 11y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month
jrochkind1 11y ago
I'll just be the first to mention The Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month
jeremysmyth 11y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peopleware:_Productive_Projects_and_Teams https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peopleware:_Productive_Project... That page doesn't do it justice, sadly. This book just gets it about working in teams and larger organizations.
jakozaur 11y ago
https://www.theeffectiveengineer.com/book https://www.theeffectiveengineer.com/book
- jlhonora 11y ago
  Although the testimonies sound great, the landing page gives me mixed feelings about the book. Perhaps too much salesmanship. Could you tell us a bit more?
jlhonora 11y ago
Peopleware has great insights for both managers and programmers. Recommended read for both.
- Tcepsa 11y ago
  I am both a manager and a programmer and just read it last month. I fully agree that it has valuable insights for both.
SixSigma 11y ago
Everyone Needs a Mentor - David Clutterbuck [1] Flat Army - Dan Pontefract [2] [1] http://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Needs-Mentor-David-Clutterbuck/dp/1843983664/ http://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Needs-Mentor-David-Clutterbuc... [2] http://www.danpontefract.com/the-book/ http://www.danpontefract.com/the-book/
- Ysx 11y ago
  Flat Army summary: https://www.ebscohost.com/uploads/corpLearn/pdf/Flat-Army.pdf https://www.ebscohost.com/uploads/corpLearn/pdf/Flat-Army.pd...
mbubb 11y ago
"The Phoenix Project" http://itrevolution.com/books/phoenix-project-devops-book/ http://itrevolution.com/books/phoenix-project-devops-book/ is good for understanding Devops and constant refocus on business objectives.
- SideburnsOfDoom 11y ago
  "The Phoenix Project" and an earlier one, "The Goal" by Goldratt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goal_(novel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goal_(novel)
jbob2000 11y ago
It would be great if my manager read anything at all. Having been through a few managers; the good ones read, the bad ones don't read. It doesn't matter what they read, the last good one I had pretty much only read WW2 novels. That being said, I think Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is an important read for anyone in technology. It changed how I approach and appreciate technology.
- bjornsing 11y ago
  > the good ones read, the bad ones don't read Interesting observation! Note that you're describing a correlational study though (and not a randomized controlled trial), so even if you're right it might not help to get your non-reading manager to read... :P
- nibnib 11y ago
  Just curious how you came to this conclusion, were you asking about reading habits? I have no idea what my managers are/were reading, unless they mention it or make a recommendation.
  - jbob2000 11y ago
    No, but you get to know someone when you work closely with them, you pick up these kinds of things through conversation; "What did you do last night?" "Oh, I stayed up to finish this book, I've read the whole series". As opposed to "Oh, I watched the last season of breaking bad again".
- minikites 11y ago
  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is amazing and I happened to read it at just the right time in my life where it shaped a lot of how I think about technology and the different ways to approach it.
  - mrfusion 11y ago
    Care to explain? I didn't really get anything like that from the book.
maxaf 11y ago
But of course: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influen... If there's a single book I wish everyone had read - not just managers - it would be this. I'd market it as "manual for human beings". You learn how to deal with them, as well as how to be one.
minikites 11y ago
Not a book, but a particular podcast episode: http://5by5.tv/b2w/17 http://5by5.tv/b2w/17. Skip to 1:05:00 (an hour and 5 minutes in) and listen for 2-3 minutes. You'll hear something many managers need to hear about the difference between a "priority" and just something you need to do and the resources you need to be putting behind something to really show that it's a priority (owner, budget, deadline).
askyourmother 11y ago
The childrens book "Maisy makes gingerbread", it might help the aspiring manager understand that often there is a simple, well understood series of steps to follow, and if we do follow them, we deliver something of value. If we choose to bog down the process, add unnecessary steps, or shortcut some steps, the end result is perhaps less rewarding.
Fede_V 11y ago
Necronomicon.
cphuntington97 11y ago
anything by W. Edwards Deming
- hencq 11y ago
  I actually left a copy of Four Days With Dr Deming [1] lying around in our office, which is not by him, but follows one of his seminars quite closely. I hoped it would inspire my manager to take a peek, but so far I don't think it's happened. [1] http://www.amazon.com/Four-Days-Dr-Deming-Management/dp/0201633663 http://www.amazon.com/Four-Days-Dr-Deming-Management/dp/0201...
DanBC 11y ago
I tried leaving Dilbert cartoons around. People don't recognise themselves, even though everyone else can see it clear as day.
niHiggim 11y ago
Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering (http://www.amazon.com/Facts-Fallacies-Software-Engineering-Robert/dp/0321117425 http://www.amazon.com/Facts-Fallacies-Software-Engineering-R...). It may be starting to get a little dated, so it's hard to say that all the referenced research is still applicable in the same way. But it's a good antidote to a common problem everywhere I've worked: the idea that our team is in some way special or unique in a way that implies reasonable standards of software engineering practice don't apply. It's almost always part of a rationalization cycle that justifies the way things have always been done or some kind of Taylorist management practice.
staggler 11y ago
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Team-Succeed-Thinking-Enemy/dp/0465048943 http://www.amazon.com/Red-Team-Succeed-Thinking-Enemy/dp/046... Phenomenal modern look into the practice of alternative analysis
pearjuice 11y ago
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
dizzystar 11y ago
Making Things Happen; Unfortunately, I read this book when it was too late for me, but definitely something to read if you ever get into management. The politics section itself is worth the price: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596517718 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596517718
koja86 11y ago
In context of software development these books (and other works by same people) might be interesting. I have not read them all yet but have been recommended by a colleague. My perspective is defined by being a developer in circa 100 people company. * The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brooks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month * Facts and fallacies of software engineering by Robert L. Glass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_L._Glass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_L._Glass * Lessons learned from 25 years of process improvement: The Rise and Fall of the NASA Software Engineering Laboratory https://www.cs.umd.edu/users/basili/publications/proceedings/P94.pdf https://www.cs.umd.edu/users/basili/publications/proceedings...
xchaotic 11y ago
Rework.
poseid 11y ago
A basic understanding of JavaScript technologies, as described in my book http://pipefishbook.com/ http://pipefishbook.com/
lisivka 11y ago
Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense Approach to a Continuous Improvement Strategy http://www.amazon.com/Gemba-Kaizen-Commonsense-Continuous-Improvement/dp/0071790357 http://www.amazon.com/Gemba-Kaizen-Commonsense-Continuous-Im...
paulclinger 11y ago
The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. It's an old, but a good one.
imdsm 11y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule
kill_dang 11y ago
Atlas Shrugged, but he's not the 'reading books' type of guy. Atlas Shrugged's Taggart Transcontinental is the company I wish I could work for. I hate the nitpicking and bad attitude that I currently deal with. I took this job to write code and make money, why do I have to go to all these stupid meetings, read these stupid e-mails, use Slack, answer this stupid desk-phone etc? 'Going to work' is what is killing my work, and nothing I say or do seems to matter. I just want to actually get some work done, seemingly unlike the rest of this entire corp. Give me my keyboard, my editor, and my coffee. That's all I need and I'll write up what I did at the end of the day, talk to me then.
- a3n 11y ago
  > I took this job to write code and make money, why do I have to go to all these stupid meetings, read these stupid e-mails, use Slack, answer this stupid desk-phone etc? I call that work about work. Most of it's needless. They say it's to help us get better results, etc, but I think it's really about adding meaning to their work life. Or just to their life.
  - kill_dang 11y ago
    If I had enough time to just get shit done without hearing from my managers, I have no clue what my manager(s) would do all day, every day.
serpix 11y ago
By definition if you know what your manager should be doing you're in the wrong position.
- a3n 11y ago
  Could you expand on that? Not everyone is suited to, or wants to be a manager. That doesn't mean that we haven't learned about management in our careers. And I do think we all can learn from everyone around us.
cybette 11y ago
"Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" by Nir Eyal - I'm reading it myself. I think it's really useful for those doing product development/management and building user engagement. http://www.amazon.com/Hooked-How-Build-Habit-Forming-Products-ebook/dp/B00LMGLXTS/ http://www.amazon.com/Hooked-How-Build-Habit-Forming-Product...
brnstz 11y ago
* Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSM-5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSM-5 Software engineering in particular attracts some extreme personalities. There are elements of narcissism, OCD, borderline, avoidance, etc. in every organization, even if it would not necessarily warrant a diagnosis. People have irrational motivations. This is often ignored in the rational business of software.
- talkingquickly 11y ago
  Do you know of any more accessible books which might give people a feel for what they might encounter? DSM-5 is pretty heavy going for someone outside of the field but agree that some awareness of it could be really valuable.
  - brnstz 11y ago
    Good question. I don't know of any books, though they're probably out there. You could look at the table of contents and google most of the diagnoses and find more readable stuff online.
gvk 11y ago
All the obligatory books and references have already been mentioned, so I'll refrain from repeating. I'm a recent developer-turned-manager [close to two years now] and have always been a voracious reader. Apart from specialist books of the profession, as an introvert I find that a healthy dose of fiction helps me in my day-to-day dealings with people at the workplace - especially those who report to me. [https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201401/reading-fiction-improves-brain-connectivity-and-function https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201401...] [https://open.buffer.com/reading-fiction/ https://open.buffer.com/reading-fiction/] ^^ As such, I'd recommend some well-written fiction. Try The Godfather - always thought it was the best "people management" book :-) Fantasy [or novels with a touch of the fantastic] would also be good. War books are also good. Try some interesting non-fiction - I'd recommend WW II books by Stephen Ambrose. All about teamwork and beats reading dry management books. You should probably stay away from satire, lest your manager think you a d*ck ;) Before you do any of this, you should probably find out if your manager is in the habit of reading. And despite the best advice, what a reader gets from any book depends on what she brings to it...so don't be surprised if reading doesn't help your manager :D
bkirkby 11y ago
- Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek - Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull - Reinventing Organizations, Frederic Laloux - Joy at Work, Dennis W Bakke - Valve Employee Handbook, Valve Software This list is heavily skewed toward self-organization because I work for a company (Zappos) that is currently transitioning to a self-organization model. I thought I'd answer the question about what books I wish my "manager" would read even though I don't have a manager because in a self-org environment, you do have leaders that emerge organically. The main difference between "manager" and "leader" is that managers influence their charges with coersion (even if subtle and unintentional) while a leaders ability to influence comes from the bottom-up and is more meritocratic based on perceived experience and ability by those being led. Most companies hope to promote the leaders so their manager structure is reflective of the actual effective social leadership structure, but all companies get it wrong often.
jazzyb 11y ago
I think it's important to think about the effect technology has on culture (both positive and negative). To that end, I would recommend _Technopoly_ by Neil Postman. (And optionally _Amusing Ourselves to Death_ by the same author -- it's more accessible but slightly less applicable to the software industry.)
roymurdock 11y ago
Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides) Newer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson) All of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.
alimnemonic 11y ago
Drive by Daniel Pink, looks at what motivates people in general. Explains why a guy that codes all day goes home to work on open source project...
Aij7eFae 11y ago
Basic math for dummies I'm not great at math but I do at least know how to remove the tax from a number.
darkhorn 11y ago
If my manager read English (language book) I would'n try to explain why Git and unit tests are needed and how good it would be if we sell the app to foreign companies. The second book would be Turkish. so that he wouldn.t wrte like ths in his Emails

minikites 11y ago
It's been a while since I've re-read it so I might not have the finer points correct, but one of the main lessons is how the authors approach to motorcycle tweaking differs from the couple he is traveling with. He has a old bike that needs a mixture adjustment as they change altitude and he enjoys the act of figuring out how to make the engine run just right. In contrast, the couple he is traveling with has a new bike that makes all those adjustments automatically. The author takes great pains to point out that neither of these views is wrong, each one is enjoyable in its own way.
- beeboop 11y ago
  I haven't read the book, but I found this summary: https://lettersfromtheporch.wordpress.com/2010/03/07/what-you-might-discover-from-zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance/ https://lettersfromtheporch.wordpress.com/2010/03/07/what-yo... You are close, but I think the message is more nuanced than you state (as you guessed). What the book seems to be contrasting is the "romantic" view of something (the emotions it generates) and the classical view (the logic and order of something). This applies to a lot of things in life (cooking, music, programming etc) and the book uses the examples of motorcycles. One person doesn't mind tinkering with his motorcycle because it's part of the "experience" and he finds an emotional appeal to it. The other person only sees the motorcycle as a means to a different experience (traveling) and only cares that it works for their purpose. The summmary says, "Only by finding the middle ground that accepts both views can a person deal with the frustration and dissatisfaction of everyday life." I am not sure how finding the middle ground would make me more satisfied with life. I understand cooking has very romantic feelings for some people, but to me it's a chore. I don't have the same experiences, background, and emotional wiring as someone who enjoys cooking, and I don't think I ever will. Understanding that other people like it doesn't make me like it anymore. I guess maybe the point of the book is to try to view things romantically, and giving that view a chance.