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  • Book
  • © 2012

Managing Humans

Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

Apress

Authors:

  1. Michael Lopp
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  • Practical help in the form of humorous and biting anecdotes designed for managers, or anyone facing the role of "manager," and wondering why they would ever leave the safe world of bits and bytes for the messy world of managing humans.

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Table of contents (44 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
    PDF

  2. The Management Quiver

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
      PDF

    2. Don’t Be a Prick

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 3-5

    3. Managers Are Not Evil

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 7-16

    4. The Rands Test

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 17-25

    5. How to Run a Meeting

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 27-31

    6. The Twinge

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 33-37

    7. The Update, the Vent, and the Disaster

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 39-45

    8. The Monday Freakout

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 47-50

    9. Lost in Translation

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 51-55

    10. Agenda Detection

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 57-61

    11. Dissecting the Mandate

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 63-67

    12. Information Starvation

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 69-73

    13. Subtlety, Subterfuge, and Silence

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 75-79

    14. Managementese

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 81-83

    15. Fred Hates the Off-Site

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 85-92

    16. A Different Kind of DNA

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 93-96

    17. An Engineering Mindset

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 97-101

    18. Three Superpowers

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 103-107

    19. Saying No

      • Michael Lopp
      Pages 109-113
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About this book

The humor and insights in the 2nd Edition of Managing Humans are drawn from Michael Lopp's management experiences at Apple, Netscape, Symantec, and Borland, among others. This book is full of stories based on companies in the Silicon Valley where people have been known to yell at each other and occasionally throw chairs. It is a place full of dysfunctional bright people who are in an incredible hurry to find the next big thing so they can strike it rich and then do it all over again. Among these people are managers, a strange breed of people who, through a mystical organizational ritual, have been given power over the future and bank accounts of many others. Whether you're an aspiring manager, a current manager, or just wondering what the heck a manager does all day, there is a story in this book that will speak to you—and help you survive and prosper amongst the general craziness.

Lopp's straight-from-the-hip style is unlike any other writer on management. He pulls no punches and tells stories he probably shouldn't. But they are massively instructive and cut to the heart of the matter whether it's dealing with your boss, handling a slacker, hiring top guns, or seeing a knotty project through to completion.

This second editions expands on the management essentials. It will explain why we hate meetings, but must have them, it carefully documents the right way to have a 1-on-1, and it documents the perils of not listening to your team.

Writing code is easy. Managing humans is not. You need a book to help you do it, and this is it.

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About the author

Michael Lopp is a veteran engineering manager who has never managed to escape the Silicon Valley. In over 20 years of software development, Michael has worked at a variety of innovative companies, including Apple, Netscape, Symantec, Borland International, and a startup that slowly faded into nothingness. In addition to his day job, Michael writes a popular technology and management weblog under the nom de plume "Rands," where he discusses his management ideas, worries about staying relevant, and wishes he had time to see more of the world. His weblog can be found at RandsinRepose.com. Michael lives in northern California, never far from the ocean.
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Buy it now

eBook USD 19.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

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