The Manager's Path

A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change

By: Camille Fournier

Narrated by: Janet Metzger

Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Managing people is difficult wherever you work. But in the tech industry, where management is also a technical discipline, the learning curve can be brutal - especially when there are few tools, texts, and frameworks to help you. In this practical guide, author Camille Fournier (tech lead turned CTO) takes you through each stage in the journey from engineer to technical manager.

From mentoring interns to working with senior staff, you'll get actionable advice for approaching various obstacles in your path. This book is ideal whether you're a new manager, a mentor, or a more experienced leader looking for fresh advice. Listen to this audiobook and learn how to become a better manager and leader in your organization.

• Begin by exploring what you expect from a manager.
• Understand what it takes to be a good mentor, and a good tech lead.
• Learn how to manage individual members while remaining focused on the entire team.
• Understand how to manage yourself and avoid common pitfalls that challenge many leaders.
• And more...

©2017 Camille Fournier (P)2019 Tantor

hard to tell which chapter you're on

chapters are short and seem to blend together, hard to tell when you are on the next chapter

Great book, no technical input for narrator

Great stuff, very well structured and gives you great examples and lists that you can take and use in your work right away. Unfortunately, the narrator is inappropriate for the material. A lot of the technical abbreviations and terminology is read in a very I securely. She should have gotten some technical coaching on how to pronounce what. Otherwise great book.

The best book for tech leaders I read so far

I run a small startup, I am cto and cofounder. I found this book very insightful and helpful. After listing to the audiobook I decided to buy a physical copy to be able to go back to the book and specific sections more easily. Must read for all the tech leaders!

Practical and grounded

This book offers very practical advice on how to move up the IT management ladder. it is like a personal coach or mentor for each stage - giving you the mental map on what's important for each stage.

Blends Together & Kind of Boring

I have been listening to this while at work for the past week or so. And, the chapters definitely blend together as the big arching idea is not well stated per chapter. I also fine the book to be kind of repetitive (ie boring). It does give some nice remarks, but not enough to be as long as the book is. I would recommend increasing the speed of the reader if you gonna listen.

Software Engineering Focused

The book focuses more so on the author's experience with software engineering and managing people in that environment. However, there is still plenty of valuable information to be taken from the book for other disciplines of engineering.

A good, comprehensive book for tech mgrs

I wasn't expecting a lot from this book, but I found it to have solid advice for tech managers at all levels. It could have been more concise, and I'll have to listen to it again when I have time to take a few notes.

Good introduction to folks wanting to take on leadership roles

I loved how Camille took time to visit each level of leadership and management in a technology career ladder—especially the granularity of her tour (meaning she didn’t just jump from IC to management; she stopped to talk about mentoring and being a technical lead first, etc.).

I didn’t love that each stop on the path resulted in an unorganized splattering of every bit of advice she could think of for the specific role in question. Admittedly there’s good advice in every section, so I overall recommend reading the book. Just expect to not retain many of her points after a first pass.

a must read for all tech managers

it greatly helped organize my thoughts and taught me some highly important concepts. good stuff

Every tech manager shoud read the book

Personally, I feelt so guided with the book, As an engineering leader transitioning from writing code to use more time leading projects, I found a clear path over the issues that tech managers should take in consideration when we're passing to leading teams.

In relation with the content, I'll recommend the book to all juniors engineers looking for a path in their careers. Leadership shouldn't be seen as a part time job over other activitios. Serious management is a full time job, besides, the author share the core tips to focusing in the important aspects of engineering leadership, from seniors, tech lead, to more advance roles as vp of engineering and cto.

Hoping to read (some day) the second edition of the book. Camille is an awesome writer and her experience in management is clear a good example of how to deal and triumph the leadership.

Would have been more useful earlier in my career

This book has useful advise and anecdotes if you are a relatively junior leader in a software company. If you’ve been doing 1:1s, developing in agile, have tech leads, and a career ladder then this isn’t for you. The book could have used some editing, there’s a fair bit of filler.

All in all, if you’re early in your management path then listen, but otherwise skip.

A broad spectrum of scope

The book is a fab overview of all levels and scopes of management. From mentoring interns up to CTO.

I’ve taken away handfuls of tips that’ll I’ll be putting into practice.

gave up after half an hour

very basic, would only recommend for people very new to the industry. I am a senior software engineer and learned nothing in half an hour so gave up, life is too short, there are a lot better books out there

Great book about all things leadership and management

This book was a great insight into management and leadership across all levels. It was a great refresher on some of the things I know and an eye opener for the next journey in my career.

THE handbook for technical leaders

Full of practical advise for engineering managers at all levels. Narrated well. A book I will continually revisit. I heartily recommend it. Very thought provoking and sparked lots of ideas to do through with my team

Super useful advice

Useful advice for someone beginning their management journey. Has some overlapping concepts with other management books so can be a bit repetitive but still helpful nonetheless.

No. 1

I have listened to a lot of engineering leadership books and this one tops the list. Very good book.

Anecdotal and evidenced

This book has plenty of anecdotal stories and lessons learned from a diverse career path. It attempts to address all the different stages of management and give useful pointers along the way. Well written.
It would be nice to see more on how to take the plunge into junior management

never read a management book from a tech before

solid book with lots of key insights I can take into management so really good stuff

Great book

lots of essential tips and techniques. lots of reflections from this book and great things to implement in the workplace and to improve yourself and your teams.