Ever since my teenage self stumbled into the world of computer programming, I’ve been fascinated by how technology is built. This isn’t limited to just how the software or hardware is architected; I’m just as fascinated by how teams and companies work together in order to get the job done. I’m currently Director of Engineering at Shopify, and previously I helped grow Brandwatch from start-up to scale up to successful acquisition. Along the way I’ve blogged what I’ve learned and have published two books: one being the subject of this list, and the other being Effective Remote Work. I live in Cumbria, UK.
I wrote
Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager: How to Be the Leader Your Development Team Needs
This is the book that started to unlock the idea that management was a skill that could be learned, honed, and deployed effectively.
Although it was published before I was born, it was written by one of our industry greats — Andy Grove, who was the former CEO of Intel. He was an equally skilled writer as he was a leader; he ran one of the biggest semiconductor companies on the planet.
In High Output Management, Andy packs all of his company leadership skills into simple analogies such as how to start and grow a breakfast café that just beautifully describe the day-to-day challenges of leading technology companies.
When I wrote my book, I wanted to bring Andy’s book into the present day and hone it for front-line managers. Hopefully I did him justice.
The president of Silicon Valley's Intel Corporation sets forth the three basic ideas of his management philosophy and details numerous specific techniques to increase productivity in the manager's work and that of his colleagues and subordinates
If books about the military make you wince due to potential stereotyping, please just give me a minute to convince you otherwise.
Not only is this book riveting with real stories from the most decorated Special Operations unit in the Iraq war, it translates the lessons learned into compelling, actionable advice that you can use when facing any kind of challenge in your work or personal life.
Fundamentally it’s a book about taking complete ownership for outcomes: a refreshing and contrarian approach to dithering organizations that require twenty meetings to get anything done. It will make you a better leader and a better person.
Highly decorated Navy SEALs, now successful businessmen, show readers how to lead and win in business and in life with principles learned on the battlefield. In Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin share hard-hitting, Navy SEAL combat stories that translate into lessons for business and life. With riveting first-hand accounts of making high-pressure decisions as Navy SEAL battlefield leaders, this book is equally gripping for leaders who seek to dominate other arenas. Jocko and Leif served together in SEAL Task Unit Bruiser, the most highly decorated Special Operations unit from the war in Iraq. Their efforts contributed to the…
This book is one of the most skillful and actionable executions of an incredibly complex topic: how do we successfully work with people from different cultures?
The book covers techniques for unpicking cultural differences and better understanding our own so that people from dramatically different backgrounds can work better together: a topic that is close to the heart of all of us in an increasingly globalized and interconnected world.
The most fun part of this book is an exercise that you can do with your team to highlight and understand cultural differences. Despite sounding like a potential minefield, you’ll come out with a clear perspective on how each individual approaches building trust, prefers to give and receive negative feedback, and navigates decision-making in a group.
Whether you work in a home office or abroad, business success in our ever more globalized and virtual world requires the skills to navigate through cultural differences and decode cultures foreign to your own. Renowned expert Erin Meyer is your guide through this subtle, sometimes treacherous terrain where people from starkly different backgrounds are expected to work harmoniously together.When you have Americans who precede anything negative with three nice comments French, Dutch, Israelis, and Germans who get straight to the point ( your presentation was simply awful") Latin Americans and Asians who are steeped in hierarchy Scandinavians who think the…
It heartens me to see that more and more excellent material is being produced about how to be an effective senior individual contributor, and Tanya’s book is a fantastic guide for growth-minded engineers that want to become technical leaders in their organization.
More importantly, as a manager, you get a blueprint of how to turn your senior engineers into true leaders and partners.
I almost see this book as a sibling of my own that I wrote for managers: it skillfully dances between making yourself better, making your team better, and making your company better. Essential reading for any senior engineer to understand what lies ahead.
For years, companies have rewarded their most effective engineers by suggesting they move to a management position. But treating management as the default (or only) path for an engineer with leadership ability doesn't serve the industry well. The staff engineer path allows you to contribute at a high level, with more free time to drive big projects, determine tech strategy, and raise everyone's skills.
With this in-depth book, author Tanya Reilly shows you ways to master strategic thinking, manage difficult projects, and set the standard for technical work. You'll learn how to be a leader without direct authority, how to…
Getting the most from yourself and others requires an intrinsic understanding of why people do what they do.
And this book describes a framework that is both actionable and incredibly easy to understand. By showing how all of us desire autonomy, mastery, and purpose, we can reflect on what brings meaning to our lives and our work.
As a leader, you can map this framework into the goals and objectives that you set with your staff, and you won’t believe the difference.
The New York Times bestseller that gives readers a paradigm-shattering new way to think about motivation from the author of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing
Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with rewards like money—the carrot-and-stick approach. That's a mistake, says Daniel H. Pink (author of To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others). In this provocative and persuasive new book, he asserts that the secret to high performance and satisfaction-at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things,…
I wrote this book for my past self, but unfortunately there was no time machine available to go back and give it to me. It was the tool that I wish I had to hand when I got my first management gig. It offers practical, actionable guidance for engineers making that transition. In the book, we explore effective leadership by presenting techniques for being efficient and productive, organizing information, delegation, and how to do essential management tasks, such as hiring, firing, and conducting performance and salary reviews.
The book also delves into the psychology of leadership, including staff motivation, coaching, managing deadlines, and navigating workplace politics. Fundamentally, great managers can make the world a better place, and in this book we can show you how.
I’ve always been fascinated by group dynamics, large and small. Why things functioned well, why they didn’t. It’s possible my ability to empathize and use humor as a consensus-builder is the reason I was elected president of a homeowners association, a music production association, and even an agricultural group. Books were not particularly involved in this fascination! But in recent years, experiencing the breakdown of civility and trust in our political and cultural discourse, I’ve taken a more analytical view of the dynamics. These books, in their very different ways, have taught me lessons about life, understanding those with different beliefs, and finding ways to connect and move forward.
We’ve all experienced the overwhelming level of political and social divisiveness in our country. This invisible “virus” of negativity is, in part, the result of the name-calling and heated rhetoric that has become commonplace among commentators and elected leaders alike.
My book provides a clear perspective on the historical and modern-day causes of our nation's divisive state. It then proposes easy-to-understand solutions—an action plan for our elected leaders and citizens as well. Rather than a scholarly treatment of a complex topic, the book challenges us to take the obvious steps required of those living in a free democracy. And it…
Uniting the States of America: A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation
Lyle Greenfield's "Uniting the States of America―A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation" is a work of nonfiction and opinion. Incorporating the lessons of history and the ideas and wisdom of many, it is intended as both an educational resource and a call-to-action for citizens concerned about the politically and culturally divided state of our Union. A situation that has raised alarm for the very future of our democracy.
First, the book clearly identifies the causes of what has become a national crisis of belief in and love for our country. How the divisiveness and hostility rampant in our political…
