Managing Humans is a selection of the best essays from Michael Lopps web site, Rands In Repose. Drawing on Lopp's management experiences at Apple, Netscape, Symantec, and Borland, this book is full of stories based on companies in the Silicon Valley where people have been known to yell at each other. It is a place full of dysfunctional bright people who are in an incredible hurry to find the next big thing so they can strike it rich and then do it all over again. Among these people are managers, a strange breed of people who through a mystical organizational ritual have been given power over your future and your bank account. Whether you're an aspiring manager, a current manager, or just wondering what the heck a manager does all day, there is a story in this book that will speak to you. You will learn:

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 34 Ratings

Mainly for entertainment - 2008-12-15
Reviewer Rating:
I read parts of this book two separate nights, then sent it to the recycle bin.

This books rambles quite a bit through various stories and occasionally touches some important points. This important points usually aren't explained well or deeply. If you feel like reading a good piece of fiction while gaining some insights into software development then this might a good read for you. If you're really looking to be a better developer or manager then are better books. I don't think the author is very mature, his attitude towards some people is a bit condescending in a "you can't change people" attitude.
One chapter I focused on was how to be effective in meetings. His technique encourages as one step separating the players from the pawns (so far so good). Then the example he gives is absolutely terrible. A meeting with 3 devs (1 senior) and 1 PM and some other people. He says the devs are players automatically because they write code (which has nothing to do with the useful definition of player needed in this context). He says the PM is automatically a pawn (sorry? I mock PMs as next as the much dev but considering what the PM wants is typically critical to handling a meeting well).

I haven't read too many management books- I focus on technical ones I am a developer by trade. But for this subject matter, I can recommend "Making Thing Happen" by Scott Berkun. Its full of lots of good ideas and techniques.

Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager - 2009-11-12
Reviewer Rating:
There are some interesting bits and pieces in this book (incl. the characterization of meeting participants such as "Translator Tim" and "Sally Synthesizer"). But I found the "tales" (if you can call the chopped up stories that) to be neither biting nor humorous. It's also evident that the author's main prior writing experience must have been in a personal blog: "Most folks love this sh** [...] Really? Wow? No way."

Witty take on software engineering management - 2009-05-24
Reviewer Rating:
A lot of reviews for this work have been posted here already, including a few which puzzlingly complain about the substance of what Michael Lopp has to share, even though the subtitle of "Managing Humans" contains the phrase "Biting and Humorous Tales". While Joel Spolsky, cofounder and CEO of Fog Creek Software, is quoted on the back cover as saying that this is "by far the most brilliant book about managing software teams you're ever going to find", I would argue that in my opinion this is by far the most witty book about managing software teams. The content that the author provides focuses on some of his personal experiences, the bulk of which were taken from previous contributions to his "randsinrepose" weblog, and abides by his premise to a T, which is to not offer a traditional management book based on the idea that there is a science behind management, but a witty book about how managers, "a strange breed of people who through a mystical organizational ritual have been given power over your future and your bank account", learn by doing. At the same time, the reader should not expect this book to explain the hows - it is simply about the software engineering management experiences of one individual and some of the insights he has gained along the way. Despite the fact that much of the content here consists of a wide variety of topics, sometimes seemingly random, for readers seeking more traditional content chapters 27-30 entitled "Incrementalists and Completionists", "Organics and Mechanics", "Inwards, Outwards, and Holistics", and "Free Electrons" provide some valuable content that is reminiscent of Frederick P. Brooks, Jr.'s "The Mythical Man-Month" chapter 3 entitled "The Surgical Team" (see my earlier review). In these chapters, Lopp takes a break from his customary humor and looks at some of the different work styles and associated personalities in this field. After a while, any successful professional will undoubtedly begin to figure out some of the traits possessed by colleagues, but Lopp does the best job that I have seen to provide some broad brushstrokes to help even those in the profession who are no longer neophytes; if anything, this portion of the book will serve as a second take into how professionals might approach different scenarios based on the individuals involved. This book is a quick read and recommended to anyone in the software engineering field willing to take a break for some humor about their own profession, and interested in hearing some life lessons provided by an individual who is not afraid to talk about himself.

Rands is in a class of his own - 2009-05-06
Reviewer Rating:
If you are reading a boring book, put it aside and take this one. You won't be disappointed. Rands' trademark sense of humour combined with his multi years manager experience makes this book an invaluable reading for all newly promoted software engineering managers and manager-wannabies. Rands knows his stuff and he's truly in a class of his own!

interesting and helpful - 2008-12-23
Reviewer Rating:
I found Rands' book to be both an interesting and helpful read. I'm not in management myself, but I still gained quite a bit from reading the book (and other articles in the blog). Rands explains many of the various personalities you come across in the (software development) workplace, which I found insightful from a purely psychological point of view. If you've ever wondered what makes your seemingly robotic micromanager tick, Rands provides an explanation. He explains some common events in professional life from the managers perspective, such as reorganizations/layoffs, Monday morning freak-outs, and various kinds of meetings. Rands also gives some sage career advice - from "both sides of the table" - about resumes, phone interviews, face-to-face interviews, and so on.

I think the topics in the book are applicable to many science-based fields outside of software development. To me, the take-home message is all about learning how to deal with people (including yourself). It's important to remember that the contents are just one man's opinions, though I feel that said opinions are very well thought-out and explained in an easy-to-read, entertaining manner.

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