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"Managed Humans" by Michael Lopp

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I just finished reading "Managing Humans" by Michael Lopp, who writes at https://www.randsinrepose.com/.

My summary of it is "I've been around the block, I've got a lot experience, here's what I've observed". It's broken into concise chapters conveying practical points.

For example:

  • "success is silent" (page 98). Absolutely. The features that get the most attention are the ones that are broken. People may occasionally compliment on a working feature, but they'll always complain when something is broken.
  • "Meeting Creatures" (chapter 26) describes the different types of people at a meeting, such as "Chatty Patty" and "Mr. Irrelevant".

It's written in 2007, and he explicitly targets the software engineering audience, so the examples hit very close to home.

It's well written in a casual conversation format and an easy read. Rather than give meaningless ratings ("what does 4 stars mean?"), so I'll just say that the book was worth the time it took me to read (and I'm a slow reader), and entertaining too. It's a good mix of both substance and sharp comedy.