Book Review: Managing Humans

I remember hearing about Managing Humans several years ago but I only got around to buying it and getting through reading it.

It is written by the well-known Michael Lopp otherwise known as Rands, who blogs at Rands and Repose.

The title is a clever take on working in software development and Rands shares his experiences working as a technical manager in various companies through his very unique perspective and writing style. If you follow his blog, you can see it shine through in the way that he tells stories, the way that he creates names around stereotypes and situations you might find yourself in the role of a Technical Manager.

He offers lots of useful advice that covers a wide variety of topics such as tips for interviewing, resigning, making meetings more effective, dealing with specific types of characters that are useful regardless of whether or not you are a Technical Manager or not.

He also covers a wider breath of topics such as handling conflict, tips for hiring, motivation and managing upwards (the last particularly necessary in large corporations). I felt like some of the topics felt outside the topic of “Managing Humans” and the intended target audience of a Technical Manager such as tips for resigning (yourself, not handling it from your team) and joining a start up.

His stories describe the people he has worked with and situations he has worked in. A lot of it will probably resonate very well with you if you have worked, or work in large software development firm or a “Borland” of our time.

The book is easy to digest in chunks, and with clear titles, is easy to pick up at different intervals or going back for future reference. The book is less about a single message, than a series of essays that offer another valuable insight into working with people in the software industry.