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

Book by Michael Lopp · 2 quotes · Delegate, Manager, Meeting

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

“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.”

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Book:Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager
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“My gig is the care and feeding of engineers, and their productivity is my productivity. If they all leave, I have exactly no job. Part of your credibility as a leader is your public and repeated declaration that it’s your job to help your team succeed.”

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