Books
Reading list
Tech Leadership books library
If you want to be a good people leader, you have to be constantly learning. Here are the books our community recommends — pick up a few that speak to where you are in your leadership journey.
The Art of Leadership: Small Things, Done Well
Effective leadership isn't about grand gestures — it's about the small, consistent actions that build trust over time. Lopp draws on his experience at Slack, Apple, and Pinterest to show that great leaders earn their reputation through hundreds of tiny, deliberate choices.
Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager
A candid and often funny account of what it's really like to manage engineers. Lopp shares stories from the trenches of Silicon Valley that will feel familiar to anyone who has navigated the chaos of teams, org changes, and difficult people.
The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change
A comprehensive roadmap for every stage of technical leadership, from mentoring your first intern to becoming a CTO. One of the most practical and widely recommended books for anyone stepping into an engineering leadership role.
The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You
An honest account of becoming a manager for the first time, written by Facebook's former VP of Product Design. Zhuo covers the self-doubt, hard conversations, and gradual growth that come with the role in a way that is both relatable and deeply practical.
High Output Management
A classic from Intel's legendary CEO that treats management as an engineering discipline. Grove introduces frameworks for meetings, one-on-ones, performance reviews, and decision-making that remain as relevant today as when they were first published.
An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management
A systems-thinking approach to the challenges of engineering management, covering team sizing, organisational design, technical migrations, and succession planning. Dense with insight, and ideal for analytical leaders who want frameworks for complex problems.
Resilient Management
Short, practical, and full of actionable frameworks. Hogan distils the core skills new managers need — understanding what motivates your team, navigating difficult conversations, and building your own resilience — into a concise and highly readable guide.
Talking with Tech Leads: From Novices to Practitioners
A collection of candid interviews with experienced tech leads from companies around the world. Their stories reveal what the role is really like, the challenges they didn't expect, and the lessons it took them years to learn.
Becoming a Technical Leader: An Organic Problem-Solving Approach
An introspective guide that challenges you to examine your own habits, blind spots, and motivations. Weinberg argues that leadership is not a position but a way of being — one that develops gradually through self-awareness and deliberate practice.
Building Great Software Engineering Teams
A practical guide to the full lifecycle of building an engineering team — from recruiting and hiring to onboarding, culture-building, and retention. Grounded in real experience leading engineering organisations at scale.
Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter
Wiseman's research reveals two types of leaders: Multipliers who amplify the intelligence around them, and Diminishers who drain it. This book helps you understand which type you are — and how to consistently bring out the best in everyone on your team.
Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity
A guide to the most important skill most managers avoid: honest feedback. Scott's Radical Candor framework — care personally, challenge directly — shows how to have the hard conversations that help people grow, without being cruel or cowardly.
Leading Snowflakes: The Engineering Manager Handbook
A practical handbook for engineering managers covering the day-to-day realities of the role — from running effective one-on-ones and handling conflict to building culture and growing yourself as a leader. Written by engineers, for engineers.
Managing the Unmanageable: Rules, Tools, and Insights for Managing Software People and Teams
A pragmatic guide to one of the most notoriously difficult management challenges: leading software developers. Packed with tools, templates, and real-world scenarios that help you understand what makes technical people tick and how to get the best out of them.
Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility
The architect of Netflix's famous culture deck shares the principles behind it. McCord makes the case for treating employees as responsible adults, eliminating bureaucracy, and building teams of high performers who thrive under radical transparency.
Engineering Management for the Rest of Us
A warm, accessible guide to engineering management from a highly respected practitioner. Drasner covers the full range of leadership challenges — from difficult conversations and performance management to building inclusive, high-performing teams.