Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager QUOTES

1 " The key with a question offense is to move your freak from the emotional state to the rational one. I know I know and I know how good it feels when you’re stressed out to attack the source of that stress in what looks like a rational manner, but, um, you’re yelling, pointing your finger at me, and jumping up and down. Do you want me to react to the yelling or to the facts? "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

2 " You might very well have the requisite players, pros, and cons , but then again, you might have too many. If it’s 30 minutes in and you still can’t figure out what the issue is, it’s time to go: too many issues. Someone who cares more than you needs to distill this chaos down to a coherent statement so the pros and cons can argue about one thing. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

3 " My preference is that the manager is the person who is the bellwether for vision because that’s their job for the group. It’s not just that you know what the team needs, it’s that vision defines career path and you need to know, as early as possible, what it’s going to take to keep a future hire engaged. A strategic isn’t going to be with your team long because you simply don’t move fast enough, whereas a tactical is going to be happy as long as you keep the work relevant and constant. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

4 " The sound that surrounds a successful regimen of one-on-ones is silence. All of the listening, questioning, and discussion that happens during a one-on-one is managerial preventative maintenance. You’ll see when interest in a project begins to wane and take action before it becomes job dissatisfaction. You’ll hear about tension between two employees and moderate a discussion before it becomes a yelling match in a meeting. Your reward for a culture of healthy one-on-ones is a distinct lack of drama. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

5 " Do you feel your one-on-one with your boss is somehow different than every other meeting you have during the week? Part of a healthy communication structure is when information moves easily around the team, organization, and company. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

6 " Busy feels great, but busy is usually tactical, not strategic. If you have time in which you’re investing in yourself while at work, and your boss is cool with it—give yourself a point. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

7 " You’ll likely need to assess the magnitude of the reorg before you choose. You’re especially interested in whatever machinations are in play for your part of the building, but the key to remember is that reorgs represent opportunity. Even if this particular reorg doesn’t involve your team, it doesn’t mean that you can’t pitch your boss on fixing a long-standing organization problem in your group. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

8 " The best move here is to simply listen and maintain eye contact. Your calmness is a primal attempt to telepathically reflect the insanity back to the freak so they’ll realize they’ve gone off the deep end. This can be rough because the freakout may be pointed directly at you, but even under attack, your job is the same: Listen. Nod. Repeat "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

9 " You’ve got to use the simplest trick in the conflict resolution book : finding common ground. A better way to think about this is, “What do these disparate philosophies need from each other? "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

10 " Saying no forces an idea to defend itself with facts. It forces a manager under the influence of his top hat to stop and think. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

11 " They were designed to appease the folks who had just yelled at us, and while my confidence was shaky, I knew it was time to say no again—to them and to the executive team that wanted a quick turnaround. “No, we’re not going for mediocre. No, no one wants us to do me-too design. And, no, we’re not done with this roadmap until it’s something that inspires everyone in the room.” Now, the difference between me standing up in my office and giving a speech on inspirational product roadmaps and a manager who’s flirting with Crazy Town because of an executive beat-down is slim, but therein lies the art. Saying no is saying “stop,” and in a valley full of people who thrive on endless movement, the ability to strategically choose when it’s time to stop is the sign of a manager willing to defy convention. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

12 " First, you can assume all the engineers are players. They obviously have technical knowledge they may throw on the table, otherwise why were they invited? The product-management person is also a player as she represents the sales folks in this meeting. Program managers in these meetings are pawns. They’ll make sure action items are recorded and that the meeting ends on time. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

13 " There are two major types that you need to identify: players and pawns. The simple distinction between the two types is that players want something out of the meeting. This is their incentive to participate. They’ll be leaning forward, actively nodding, barely able to hold themselves back from spilling their agenda all over the table. Pawns are either silent or instruments of running the meeting. In either case, they’re adding very little to the meeting and can be removed from strategic consideration. The term pawns is not intended to be derogatory, of course. Pawns very well might be running your company, but in meetings, they don’t contribute . . . it’s just not their key skill. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

14 " The pros are the players who are currently on the winning side of the issue. They’re getting what they want and are not incented to negotiate. They don’t even have to be here, and yet, they’re here and appear willing to listen to the cons, right? Maybe. Maybe they’re just here to watch the cons squirm. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

15 " The first step in getting out of a meeting is to identify what kind of meeting it is. A meeting agenda would help, but as most meetings proceed without one, you’re on your own. Chances are you’re either in an informational meeting or a conflict resolution meeting. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

16 " Meeting Bail Tip #1: Identify the Type of Meeting. Meeting Bail Tip #2: Classify the Participants. Meeting Bail Tip #3: Identify the Players. Meeting Bail Tip #4: Identify the Pros and Cons. Meeting Bail Tip #5: Figure Out the Issue. Meeting Bail Tip #6: Give the Cons What They Want. Meeting Bail Tip #7: Figure Out the Issue. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

17 " The Wolf. The single most productive engineer you’ll meet. You’ve heard of the 10x engineer, but I am here to tell you about the Wolf. They are engineers, and they consistently exhibit the following characteristics: They appear to exist outside of the well-defined process that we’ve defined to get things done, but they appear to suffer no consequences for not following these rules. Everyone knows they’re the Wolf, but no one ever calls them the Wolf. They have a manager, but no one really knows who it is. They have a lot of meetings, but none of them are scheduled. Inviting them to your meeting is a crap shoot. They understand how “the system” works, they understand how to use “the system” to their advantage, and they understand why “the system” exists, but they think “the system” is a bit of a joke. You can ask a Wolf to become a manager, but they’ll resist it. If you happen to convince them to do it, they will do a fine job, but they won’t stay in that role long. In fact, they’ll likely quit managing when you least expect it. Lastly, and most importantly, the Wolf generates disproportionate value for the company with their unparalleled ability to identify and rapidly work on projects essential to the future of the company. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

18 " Forty-five minutes after the meeting began, I did something I’d never ever done before. I walked out of a meeting where I was a key player because I simply couldn’t waste any more time on this uselessness. Stood up, walked out, and slammed the door. Yes, it’s an emotional move that is almost always a bad move in business, but near the top of my list of professional pet peeves is the following: Do not waste my time. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

19 " Meetings are power struggles between those who want something and those who don’t want to give it to them. If you’re walking into a meeting and you need something, your first job is to identify this person. This person is the reason the meeting is happening, and if you don’t know who they are, you’re missing essential subtext. It’s actually pretty easy. Just wait for someone to say something controversial and see who everyone looks at. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

20 " First, you can assume all the engineers are players. They obviously have technical knowledge they may throw on the table, otherwise why were they invited? The product-management person is also a player as she represents the sales folks in this meeting. Program managers in these meetings are pawns. They’ll make sure action items are recorded and that the meeting ends on time.If you’re sitting in a meeting where you’re unable to identify any players, get the hell out. "

― Michael Lopp , Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager