Name: Becoming a technical leader
ISBN: 9780932633026

Becoming a technical leader

A personalized guide to developing the qualities that make a successful technical leader. We all possess the ingredients for leadership, some better developed than others. The book focuses on the problem-solving style–a unique blend of skills in 3 main areas: innovation, motivation, and organization. Ways to analyze your own leadership skills, with practical steps for developing those skills.

What Hacker News says

readthenotes1Sep 2025

I recommend _Becoming a Technical Leader_ by Weinberg for a deeper take.

The software examples are dated, but the wetware observations and advice stands.

https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Technical-Leader-Gerald-Wein...

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groby_bNov 2024

There are a number of decent books.

"Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager", "The Manager's Path", "Becoming a Technical Leader", "An Elegant Puzzle", "Resilient Management".

But your best bet is either finding an experienced manager who's willing to coach you, or working with a management coach.

(There's a number of folks blogging as well. Gergely Orosz, Laura Hogan, Camille Fournier,...)

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rnjailambaDec 2023

Mindset and leadership (explore other titles by Gerald M. Weinberg as well)

- An Introduction to General Systems Thinking

- Becoming a Technical Leader: An Organic Problem-Solving Approach

So that you have a good answer to "when will it be ready"

- Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art

- Agile Estimating and Planning

People management

- The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change

- High Output Management

Besides Mythical Man Month already mentioned in other comments.

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vldxMay 2023

OTOH, this is how you grow. Every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence. If you haven't yet, the following book by Gerry Weinberg may resonate with you, as it has lots of insight in this context -- "Becoming a Technical Leader: An Organic Problem-Solving Approach".

> "It identifies which leadership skills are most effective in a technical environment and why technical people have characteristic trouble in making the transition to a leadership role. For anyone who is a leader, hopes to be one, or would like to avoid being one."

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pjmorrisDec 2022

'Becoming A Technical Leader', Gerald Weinberg. Jerry, working for IBM, designed the telemetry system NASA used to track early manned space flights and then spent a career helping organizations, teams, and people achieve their goals, both technical and personal. He wrote many books on the topics you mention, all of them worthwhile. I picked this one as a place to start.

'Making Things Happen', Scott Berkun. Berkun was a successful developer and product manager at Microsoft and the book captures his reflections and research on project management.

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pjmorrisNov 2022

My three favorites from Gerald Weinberg:

1. 'The Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully' I was put off for a decade by the click-bait title but this is a profound little book that helped me get perspective on problem solving in my work and myself.

2. 'Becoming a Technical Leader' The text is great; working the exercises for yourself will make you a stronger thinker.

3. 'An Introduction to General Systems Thinking' One of his densest, driest books, but a great summary of the highlights of the field with plenty of thought problems in the exercises and plenty of pointers for digging deeper.

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