Engineering Leadership Primer

Great book that does a good job covering broad topics with useful advice.

Easy to read, with the upside of being practical. If you even need to explore more, it offers many links to other sources, either backing up the story in the book or taking it further. I can recommend it to anyone who wants to steer their career into the executive path and people working with executives, as it builds a deeper understanding of the role and makes it easier to “speak their language.”

Encoding software is a highly technical task, but effective leadership is often anything but technical. Combining the two thus can be supremely difficult, but this pair of skills is necessary to fill roles like Chief Information Officer (CIO) or Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Unfortunately, advice is hard to come by in the literature since only a few extended books in this space. To better fill these gaps, Will Larson, known for his deep looks at engineering business practices, offers this guide. As the title suggests, this book’s intended audience is for aspiring engineering executives. It seeks to mentor the next generation of technical leaders. It does that fairly well by providing many actionable pointers and lessons from others’ experiences. Getting this information at the beginning of one’s new station can prevent impactful mistakes. I’m a researcher, not an executive, and don’t aspire to such a business role. Therefore, this book doesn’t apply directly to my life situation. I don’t feel able to critique its contents adequately. Nonetheless, I appreciate that many of those I communicate with regularly do fit into this camp. Understanding their professional situations is in my best interest. Larson certainly helped me dive deeper into the problems that they seek to solve regularly with their work.

This is the book I wish I had before taking on my first executive role. It is a must-read for any engineering leader looking to successfully transition into the executive suite and excel in their new position. The book offers a wealth of practical insights and strategies to help navigate the complexities of engineering leadership, including communication at scale, hiring and setting organizational values, and effective engineering processes. What sets this book apart is its emphasis on the dual role of the engineering executive: not only as a technical leader but also as a key member of the executive management team. Will offers invaluable advice on navigating this complex position and how to collaborate with other executives to shape the company's strategy and execution. The writing is engaging and easy to follow, with plenty of real-world examples and case studies that bring the concepts to life. Each chapter provides a concise overview of the topic, while also offering links to more in-depth resources and articles for those looking to explore specific areas further.

Covers all practical aspects of being a technology leader. Not a tactical book, but more about strategy and having the right frame of mind.