Ask HN: Recommended reading for IC transitioning to Manager track

15 points by renierbotha 3 years ago | 14 comments

Some context:

I'm a Software Engineer turned Data Engineer working in big tech (not MAANG) who has recently committed to (as in agreed with my manager) transition to being a manager next year.

The motivation for the change (which I think is important to share) is twofold: 1. The team needs it. We're growing ito ICs and we need to grow our managers to scale sustainably. 2. My core strengths are better aligned to a strategic role than an IC one. I tend to step back and ask "why", get clear on needs, think a couple steps ahead and look for reasons to say no, which often lands me into deep conversations with my manager which inevitably distracts me from getting really stuck into the technical details.

jinct 3 years ago |

The Manager’s Path

But also: 1) Actively listen to your direct reports 2) Prepare for and hold 1:1s; don’t skip them, and focus more on their concerns, achievements, and areas for growth than project status 3) Give continuous feedback, especially on areas for growth; give it immediately or in the next 1:1 4) Genuinely care about their success and show them that through your actions; it then makes giving critical feedback a cinch since they know it is coming from a good place 5) Pay close attention to other managers; there are things to learn from everyone 6) Every time you open your mouth, you audition to be a manager; be deliberate in what you say, always take the high road, know the impact of your words 7) Accept that you will have to manage your image, and embrace it. Put focus on this early - figure out the things that a world class manager would do, and then do them. Doing things to build your image as a good manager leads you to actually being a good manager; it’s not corporate red tape, and it’s not insincere or deceitful, it’s a tool for your own success and your team’s 8) Understand that if you put the same creativity and persistence into learning management techniques as you have in learning technical topics, the sky’s the limit

renierbotha 3 years ago | |

Thanks for the input!!

kwooding 3 years ago |

Kim Moir has a great blog post on this: https://kimmoir.blog/2021/11/30/my-favourite-books-for-new-m... which includes many of the choices talked about here (and many others)

jpgvm 3 years ago |

Yes read The Manager's Path.

When you are done with that focus on finding yourself a mentor. Leadership skills are even harder to wrote learn than engineering chops. A mentor will help you be more retrospective and find the areas you can improve. Naturally over time you will need to be better at self-introspection but having this come externally for a time helps a lot.

That said the things you describe can also put you in a good position to be tech lead if you can fix the technical depth issue you alluded to. Depends which path you want to go down, tech lead roles are more demanding on your decision making while managerial roles are more demanding on people skills, presentation, politics etc.

renierbotha 3 years ago | |

Thanks, really appreciate this input! Finding a mentor is easier said than done but agree that it's an important step.

kwooding 3 years ago |

Kim Moir has a great blog post on this: https://kimmoir.blog/2021/11/30/my-favourite-books-for-new-m... which includes many of the choices talked about below, and a great discussion of why

tyroh 3 years ago |

I'll add these two if you're pursuing a manager role:

- The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety

- Nonviolent Communication

Personally, having a servant leader mindset is one of the most important things to practice when taking on a leadership role.

sdrothrock 3 years ago |

The Culture Map; it really helps with understanding not only cultural differences, but also personal differences.

renierbotha 3 years ago | |

Thanks, putting The Culture Map on the list ^_^

cutthegrass2 3 years ago |

IC roles can also be strategic roles ;-)

That said, this book was a great read: The Manager`s Path, Camille Fournier

jcon321 3 years ago |

How to Win Friends & Influence People

but I'd personally reconsider that career change

renierbotha 3 years ago | |

Thanks, will put that one on the list :D

_boffin_ 3 years ago | | |

I’ll second this. It’s the gold standard of communication books.

Jugurtha 3 years ago |

I post this from time to time, incluing here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28422944 with some editing. Recycling some replies. More context here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26182988

Understanding codebases:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19924100

Testing pipelines, scaffolding, issue templates:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26591067

Making the most out of meetings and leveraging your presence:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22873103

Product development:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22827841

Giving a damn:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20356222

If I disappear, what will happen:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25008223

Consulting, understanding the problem your "client", who can be your manager, has:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24972611

On taking notes. When you're told something, or receive a remark, make sure to make a note and learn from it whether it's a mistake, or a colleague showing you something useful, or a task you must accomplish.. don't be told things twice or worse. Be on the ball and reliable:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24209518

Product, architecture, and impact on the team:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24503365

Onboarding new hires to a codebase, what if it were you, improve code:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22860716

Tips to learn from videos:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710623

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22723586

Communication with the team:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21598632

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21614372

Reduce information asymmetry, template for taking minutes of meetings to dispatch to the team. Notes are in GitHub/GitLab so the team can access them, especially if they haven't attended:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21427886

More meeting notes. Reply to a person who had trouble talking in corporate meetings:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20323660

Communication, alignment:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24177646

Useful things for the team and product that add leverage:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21808439

Management involvement as a spectrum:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22715971

Researching topics:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25922120

Keeping up with a firehose of information:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26147502

Fractal Communication: communication that can penetrate several layers of management and be relevant to people with different profiles and skillsets:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26123017

Remote work, use existing tooling and build our own. Jitsi videos, record everything, give access to everyone so they can reference them and go back to them, meetings once a week or two weeks to align:

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26179539

Write better. Always.