Worth Reading

These are the books, blogs, and newsletters that have shaped how I think about leadership, engineering, and building teams. Not a complete list — just the ones I'd actually recommend.

Books

Radical Candor Kim Scott

Giving feedback was one of the bigger shifts I experienced as a manager. This book helped me think beyond "give feedback" to actually examining how I was approaching people. It's not engineering-specific, just leadership in general, which is part of why it works. I've read it more than once.

The Manager's Path Camille Fournier

I read this before I even became a manager, which turned out to be the right call. It starts with "okay so you have a manager" — a genius move — and each chapter builds on the next level of career. Helpful to read once to orient yourself and revisit periodically as your role evolves.

The Effective Engineer Edmond Lau

Written for engineers, but still valuable as a manager of engineers. Understanding how your team thinks about leverage and impact makes you a better partner to them. I liked it enough to build an offsite discussion around it with one of my teams.

Accelerate Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble & Gene Kim

Crucial Conversations Kerry Patterson et al.

The First 90 Days Michael Watkins

These three I'd group together in how I'd describe them — all recommended to me when I became a manager, and all delivered the same thing: the sense that I had a hint of a plan and was capable of executing it. They cut down on time spent floundering. Hard to overstate how valuable that is when you're new.

Multipliers Liz Wiseman

This one captures the whole reason I became a manager. Unlocking potential and scaling impact through others — that's the job. Multipliers puts a framework around something I felt instinctively but couldn't always articulate.

Blogs & Newsletters

The Pragmatic Engineer Gergely Orosz

Smart analysis and interpretation of what's happening in the industry. The podcast is worth your time too — great discussions with interesting people across tech.

Charity Majors charity.wtf

I remember reading "Management is Not a Promotion" and having it blow my mind. As she puts it: "Management is not a promotion, management is a change of profession." I love how honest her writing is. I always respect her opinion. I've never read one of her posts and walked away without learning something.

The Shift LeadDev

Newer but worth it. I find it helpful to be exposed to new ideas and new voices focused on what's changing in the industry. It's centered on AI's impact on engineering and engineering roles.