Why did I read this book as a non-manager?

I’m an individual contributor (IC) without career plans of going into management. I like my primary problem space being code rather than people management. Why then, would I want to read Engineering Management for the Rest of Us? ICs don’t work in a silo, being an effective engineer means coordination and communication with a variety of internal and often external collaborators. While many of the topics in this book are focused on the managerial perspective, anyone who is part of an engineering team can get value from the tools, mindset, and processes she describes. Themes of effective and clear communication, leadership, and collaboration are abundant in the book and are applicable to any role.

The book is split into 3 sections. Section One is “Your Team” and covers the following themes: One-on-ones are critical, The Importance of Career Laddering, Mistakes I’ve Made as an Engineering Manager, The Value of Values, Trust and Vulnerability, Happiness and Drive, Feedback, Your Team is Not “Them”, How to Scope Down PRs. Section Two is “Collaboration” and covers Prioritizing Your Teams Work, Splitting Time Between Product and Engineering Efforts, Good Meetings, Managing Conflicts, Speed of Execution, Cross-Team and Open Source Etiquette. Section Three covers Prioritizing Your Own Work, Scheduling, and Filling your Cup. Looking over this list, sure there are some topics that might stand out as only relevant to management but my guess it that you’ll agree they apply to any mid-senior level engineer as well.

While my role isn’t managment, leading projects and initiatives as an IC requires many tools in this book. Running meetings, giving and receiving feedback, and managing conflict are skills that are vital as your careers progresses as an IC and these are all skills that Sarah teaches.

Long story short: I’d recommend this book not just to Engineering Managers, but also IC Engineers.

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You can follow the author of Engineering Management for the Rest of Us, Sarah Drasner, on Twitter, Github, Codepen, and her blog.