1. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. 🔗
This book could probably be shorter and work just as well as 3–4 solid articles. That said, I still recommend giving it a read, even if there’s a bit of fluff here and there.
The main takeaway is the pyramid model, which is super insightful and easy to apply. It does a great job of breaking down the common issues teams face and offers practical ways to fix them.
A colleague recommended this book to me, and I’m very thankful for that! It’s become my go-to whenever I need to figure out team dynamics or keep myself on track with a high standard of collaboration. Definitely worth checking out if you’re working with or leading a team. This pdf can give good start.
This book is applicable in any people-management role.
This is one of the nine pictures I have on the desktop of my work laptop.
2. Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager: How to Be the Leader Your Development Team Needs 🔗
“The pragmatic programmers books have been consistently high quality.” - This is not an exception for this book. It can practically be used as a how-to guide for a beginner and help one on the job with valuable guidance.
The author focuses on actionable advice, covering everything from building trust within your team to handling the tricky balance between technical contributions and management responsibilities.
Whether you’re stepping into management for the first time or looking to level up your leadership skills, this book provides the tools and mindset shifts you need to be the leader your team deserves.
Just go read the “Contents” of the book, and you’ll immediately find it interesting and something you need right now.
I have a few more, but those two are enough for this post.
There are few important things to remember:
- Humans are hard and interesting.
- The output of your team is your output!
- Meaningful 1:1s are important.