Code, Lead, Succeed: Engineering Management in Practice
Who this book is for
In the dynamic world of technology, leadership is as crucial as code. Whether you're stepping into your first role as a Team Lead or you're a seasoned Chief Technology Officer steering a growing engineering department, the challenges of engineering management demand a diverse and adaptable skill set.
"Code, Lead, Succeed: Engineering Management in Practice" is your comprehensive guide to navigating the complexities of technical leadership. This book is designed for:
- Newcomers to Technical Leadership, Engineering Management, Head of Engineering, and CTO roles seeking a solid foundation
- Experienced professionals looking to expand their toolkit with fresh perspectives and battle-tested techniques
- Leaders managing engineering teams of up to 50 people
- Those in environments ranging from early-stage startups to rapidly scaling companies
Unlike traditional management books that focus on theory or attempt to convince you of a single "right" way to lead, this book takes a different approach. It's a practical toolbox, filled with actionable playbooks, frameworks, and techniques that you can immediately implement and adapt to your specific needs.
Tip
Some articles come with reusable components that you can directly rip out and modify for your organization. They are:
- 📗, there's a reusable spreadsheet (Google Sheets) or document (Google docs)
- 🖥, there's example code sans deployment options
- 📘, the page is wiki entry you can directly copy to your internal ones (like Confluence or Fibery)
You can choose to read this "book" end to end to have a breadth first, high level overview or as a reference playbook where you or your engineering managers can pick and choose what they need to a growing organization.
Key features that set this book apart:
- Practical Focus: Each chapter presents concrete, implementable strategies backed by real-world experience.
- Adaptable Resources: Accompanying code, documents, and spreadsheets allow you to tailor the book's insights to your unique situation.
- Diverse Perspectives: Drawing from a wide range of engineering management experiences, the book offers solutions for various team sizes and company stages.
- No-Nonsense Approach: Clear, concise advice without fluff or unnecessary theory—just the tools you need to succeed.
- Continuous Improvement: Emphasis on iterative learning and adaptation, mirroring the agile methodologies many engineering teams employ.
Whether you're looking to establish processes in a greenfield startup, scale your team effectively, or refine your leadership approach in an established organization, "Code, Lead, Succeed" provides the practical wisdom you need. Let's dive in and equip you with the tools to excel in your engineering leadership journey.
Update: Increased Appetite to try EMPlaybook's Methods
After speaking to a mix of VC firm, CTOs, CFOs, Head ofs, and Directors, many have indicated that this is a gap in the industry and would like to try some of the methods laid out here, starting with the performance framework. They are typically at ~10-20 engineers looking to scale up to 50+ engineers.
I've done no marketing of the website and would like to start organically to help people out and not over commit myself.
I've got some monthly 1:1s scheduled to tailor the framework for people after understanding their org a bit better.
To crowd source ideas and collaborate together, I've started a simple Slack channel. Hit me up on LinkedIn to get an invite.