Engineering Manager Reading Guide
Tags: books, learning, career
Published: 2020-02-27 15:52:32

---
title: Engineering Manager Reading Guide
published: true
date: 2020-02-27 15:26:33 UTC
tags: books,learning,discuss,careers
canonical_url: https://medium.com/@djglasser/engineering-manager-reading-guide-fa5d36b4f59a
---

This is a list of engineering management books, articles, and videos that I’ve found useful in my time as an Engineering Manager. I don’t intend to make a “definitive guide”, rather I hope it’s a useful reference for me and others when encountering some of the common challenges in management.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*_U5jhxfGlIZw3iUAkU98tg.jpeg)<figcaption>Image Source: Billion Photos | Shutterstock</figcaption>

### The 1:1

[Questions for our first 1:1](http://larahogan.me/blog/first-one-on-one-questions/) by [Lara Hogan](https://twitter.com/lara_hogan)

[101 Questions to Ask in One on Ones](https://jasonevanish.com/2014/05/29/101-questions-to-ask-in-1-on-1s/) by [Jason Evanish](https://twitter.com/evanish)

[The Update, The Vent, and The Disaster](http://randsinrepose.com/archives/the-update-the-vent-and-the-disaster/) by [Michael Lopp (rands)](https://twitter.com/rands/)

[Managing more experienced people](https://medium.com/the-year-of-the-looking-glass/managing-more-experienced-people-9893f9903649) by [Julie Zhuo](https://twitter.com/joulee)

[The Coaching Habit](https://smile.amazon.com/Coaching-Habit-Less-Change-Forever/dp/0978440749/ref=asc_df_0978440749/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312065696873&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10363138855951883313&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1021696&hvtargid=pla-464534314684&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=61316180399&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312065696873&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10363138855951883313&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1021696&hvtargid=pla-464534314684) by [Michael Bungay Stanier](https://twitter.com/boxofcrayons)

[Three Tools for Better 1 on 1 meetings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErWS-s2_XQI) by [Greg Dick](https://hudl.slack.com/team/U03NJ5QFT)

### Effective Communication

[Radical Candor](https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Candor-Kickass-Without-Humanity/dp/1250103509) by [Kim Scott](https://twitter.com/kimballscott)

[Power Up Your Team with Nonviolent Communication Principles](http://firstround.com/review/power-up-your-team-with-nonviolent-communication-principles/) by [Ann Mehl](https://twitter.com/annmehl)

### Performance

[Necessary Endings](https://www.amazon.com/Necessary-Endings-Employees-Businesses-Relationships/dp/B004JLU0ZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1507904395&sr=8-1&keywords=necessary+endings) by [Dr. Henry Cloud](https://twitter.com/DrHenryCloud)

[Crucial Conversations](https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Conversations-Talking-Stakes-Second/dp/B009S8GO14/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1507904488&sr=1-1&keywords=Crucial+conversations) by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler

[The Five Conditions for Improvement](https://medium.com/@royrapoport/the-five-conditions-for-improvement-20909f856dab) by [Roy Rappaport](https://twitter.com/royrapoport)

### Career Paths

[This 90-Day Plan Turns Engineers into Remarkable Managers](http://firstround.com/review/this-90-day-plan-turns-engineers-into-remarkable-managers/) by [David Loftesness](https://twitter.com/dloft)

[Work at different management levels](http://larahogan.me/blog/manager-levels/) by [Lara Hogan](https://twitter.com/lara_hogan)

[The Manager’s Path](https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Growth/dp/1491973897) by [Camille Fournier](https://twitter.com/skamille)

[On Being a Senior Engineer](https://www.kitchensoap.com/2012/10/25/on-being-a-senior-engineer/) by [John Allspaw](https://twitter.com/allspaw)

[Engineering Management: The Pendulum or the Ladder](https://charity.wtf/2019/01/04/engineering-management-the-pendulum-or-the-ladder/) by [Charity Majors](https://twitter.com/mipsytipsy)

### Engagement & Retention

[Shields Down](http://randsinrepose.com/archives/shields-down/) by [Michael Lopp (rands)](https://twitter.com/rands/)

[Work Rules!](https://www.amazon.com/Work-Rules-Insights-Inside-Transform/dp/1455554790) by [Laszlo Bock](https://twitter.com/LaszloBock2718)

[How Google Sold Its Engineers on Management](https://hbr.org/2013/12/how-google-sold-its-engineers-on-management) from Harvard Business Review

[Three Powerful Conversations Managers Must Have To Develop Their People](http://firstround.com/review/three-powerful-conversations-managers-must-have-to-develop-their-people/) by [Russ Laraway](https://twitter.com/ral1?lang=en)

### Leadership

[Dare to Lead](https://www.amazon.com/Dare-Lead-Work-Conversations-Hearts-ebook/dp/B07CWGFPS7) by [Brené Brown](https://twitter.com/BreneBrown)

[Good Strategy Bad Strategy](https://www.amazon.com/Good-Strategy-Bad-Difference-Matters-ebook/dp/B004J4WKEC/ref=sr_1_1) and [Richard Rumelt](https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/faculty-and-research/strategy/faculty/rumelt)

[How to be Strategic](https://medium.com/@joulee/how-to-be-strategic-f6630a44f86b) by [Julie Zhuo](https://twitter.com/joulee)

### Management Craft/Other

[An Elegant Puzzle](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1732265186/) by [Will Larson](https://twitter.com/Lethain)

[Resilient Management](https://resilient-management.com/) by [Lara Hogan](https://twitter.com/lara_hogan)

[44 engineering management lessons](http://www.defmacro.org/2014/10/03/engman.html) by [Slava Akhmechet](https://twitter.com/spakhm)

[Average Manager vs. Great Manager](https://medium.com/the-year-of-the-looking-glass/average-manager-vs-great-manager-cf8a2e30907d) by [Julie Zhuo](https://twitter.com/joulee)

[Awesome Leading and Managing](https://github.com/LappleApple/awesome-leading-and-managing) by Various Authors

[Engineering Management](https://leadership-library.dev/Engineering-Management-Books-c151ee522eba4bf8a092b11001b25767) from [Leadership Library](https://leadership-library.dev/The-Leadership-Library-for-Engineers-c3a6bf9482a74fffa5b8c0e85ea5014a)

[8 Keys to Happiness at Work](https://dev.to/djglasser/8-keys-to-happiness-at-work-3pja) by [Dan Glasser](https://twitter.com/djglasser)