It's imperative that we as managers learn as much as we can and work on ourselves, so that our teams may enjoy a healthy working life and strong relationships. The book can both provide as guidance for engineering managers and it can guide developers to how they can understand, help, and of course get support from engineering managers. I’m sharing what I’ve learned- not so that you follow my concepts exactly, but rather so that you can be thoughtful about your own leadership and needs. It's not just important, it's crucial that we iterate on our own skills as managers so that we can properly support everyone around individuals, peers, leadership, and the business.

She also provides tips and tricks for how to reduce the risk of running into the problems that she has had to deal with in her career. Having said that, feeling well prepared and equipped te become a manager will go a long way, and Sarah Drasner proves to be an outstanding guide for this sinuous journey. I've been in my software engineering manager role for a couple of years only, yet it feels like it's been much, much longer than that.Join us at the next edition of Bookmarked where Suzan Bond will be joined by Sarah Drasner, who has 10+ years of experience in engineering management at all levels, from Lead to VP, to discuss her newest book ‘Engineering Management for the Rest of Us’. I wrote this book because there's so much no one told me about management that I wished I would have known. The most appealing aspect of the book is that it focuses on situations and real world examples, presented from Sarah's own experiences and learnings. The first part of building healthy teams is admitting you won't know everything, and this may be a time where you need to listen more than you talk.

Grab your post-its and notebooks, this is such a fun and practical read for anyone going into management from the engineering path. Empathize and Support Your Team: As an engineering manager, it’s vital to understand and empathize with your team members. Engineering for the Management for the Rest of Us is a book that will gear you up for a journey into engineering management (or honestly kind of management, frankly) by highlighting a lot of common technical aspects of the career.

In Engineering Management for the Rest of Us, she gives us a plethora of stories, through which she explores challenges and outlines processes that have worked time and again for her and her teams. Prioritize and Manage Time Effectively: Drasner suggests that effective time management is a crucial skill for engineering managers. Engineering Management for the Rest of Us” is a worthy addition to any aspiring or current engineering manager’s bookshelf. Drasner advises that managers should have strategies in place to resolve conflicts effectively, while maintaining a positive and respectful team environment. There are plenty of books you can go and read about growing a leadership mindser, or understand what outcomes you want, or your motivations.

Sarah Drasner’s “Engineering Management for the Rest of Us” is a practical and easy-to-read guide to the world of managing engineers. I later had the best manager I ever had and that was life changing for me, I started looking at this person as my friend, imagine the level of trust. This book won’t answer all the questions you might have as an engineering manager, but it covers a good deal of them and does an excellent job at that. Her practical, experience-based approach is a welcome departure from the often theoretical focus of similar texts. This book provided me with a clear framework for understanding and improving my role as a leader within my organization.

Drasner’s book, “Engineering Management for the Rest of Us,” attempts to lift the veil on these complex issues, providing insight and guidance for those embarking on the tricky path of managing technical teams. This doesn’t mean you need to be an expert in every technology, but you should understand the high-level concepts and be able to make informed decisions. The topics described feel relatable and palpable, as if they're directly taken from your own workplace.