management – Page 3 – Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love

By Scott J. Pearson | October 15, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Since computers and digital technology have become so ubiquitous in contemporary life, creating good software and technology products has become an important business function. Many (exceeding 50%) technology products fail, despite significant design, engineering, and financial efforts. How can we make this process more efficient and profitable? That’s the job of a relatively new job title: the product manager. In this book, Marty Cagan discusses how to fulfill this role in an organization so that…

The Motivation to Work by Frederick Herzberg

By Scott J. Pearson | October 14, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

This classic study from 1959 describes, better than everyone else why modern men work beyond economic subsistence. Because it focuses only on men, it’s limited in a gender-diverse workplace, but because it studies two diverse occupations – accountants and engineers – it remains fairly generalizable. It concludes that the main reason people dislike their workplace is mismanaged environmental factors. But it also concludes that managing environmental factors properly does not positively motivate people to work.…

Management-Business

Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work & Succeed with Any Type of Boss

By Scott J. Pearson | September 29, 2023September 29, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

A pipe dream in college students is that your boss will always agree with your professional direction as you free yourself from teachers. The realities of the workplace often shatter this puerile dream. A boss’s personality quirks can sometimes drive their direct reports crazy. Mary Abbajay seeks to identify these personality traits and suggest adjustment strategies so that workers can get on with succeeding at their careers. I fully support the concept of managing up.…

Management-Business Software-Technology

Managing the Unmanageable: Rules, Tools & Insights for Managing Software People & Teams

By Scott J. Pearson | September 25, 2023September 25, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Many books on managing software development focus on small subsets of the management process. For example, many books on agile fill bookstores; others propose a well-studied answer to a particular problem; still others provide anecdotes and inspiration to often-overtaxed managers. This book fits into none of those categories. Instead, it seeks to provide a comprehensive treatment on how to manage software development by managing individuals instead of processes. This modern approach fits more in line…

Management-Business Mentoring

Brag, Worry, Wonder, Bet: A Manager’s Guide to Giving Feedback

By Scott J. Pearson | September 13, 2023September 13, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Regular performance reviews are part-and-parcel of just about every managed venture. They mark successes of direct reports while charting next steps towards a future path. Unfortunately, these reviews can sometime turn into routine affairs. In this case, feedback is not always useful; worse is when it doesn’t even strike a chord but instead discourages the employee. In this short book, business professor Steve King suggests a simple method to improve conversations in performance reviews. As…

Management-Business

The Feedback Fix: Dump the Past, Embrace the Future & Lead the Way to Change

By Scott J. Pearson | September 10, 2023September 10, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Feedback comprises a crucial part of leading people under you. Your feedback to them and their feedback to you provide a means to improve. Yet with how it’s conducted in many places, feedback in the form of reviews and grades can induce more anxiety than improvement. Giving effective feedback and receiving effective feedback are separate but vital skills. In this book, Joe Hirsch seeks to make feedback from managers and teachers more effective by unlocking…

Management-Business Software-Technology

Building Great Software Engineering Teams: Recruiting, Hiring & Managing Your Team from Startup to Success

By Scott J. Pearson | August 3, 2023August 13, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Building excellent software is an intricate task that requires a great deal of technical expertise. Managing people who build software is also an intricate task, but the required skillset is different. A manager has to be a good enough developer to be respected, but she/he must also have “soft skills” to finesse interpersonal situations. Instead of a technical challenge, management becomes a way of life and leading. With a particular focus on software engineering, Josh…

Leadership Management-Business

Best Team Ever: The Surprising Science of High-Performing Teams

By Scott J. Pearson | July 31, 2023September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Recent decades have witnessed the fields of neuroscience and psychology advance the insight that feeling a part of a vibrant community enhances a group’s success, however that is defined. This simple insight can be applied to many endeavors, ranging from civic organizations to businesses. When structured correctly, belonging can attract skilled employees while producing first-rate results. In this book, David Burkus seeks to instill readers with virtues that enhance a team’s well-being and success. Burkus’…

Indie Leadership Management-Business

At the Heart of Management: Process, Tools & the Ubiquitous Exponential Law

By Scott J. Pearson | July 20, 2023September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Management and leadership, often coupled together, require a certain amount of experience and training, and much of this is inaccessible through education alone. Like Lino Ciceri, who comes from the background of a chemist, we may have rigorous scientific, technical, or engineering skills, but by themselves, these do not equip us with the skills and character for leading teams. Ciceri tries to fill this gap with this guide to how to think as a manager.…

Management-Business Software-Technology

Product Management In Practice: A Real-World Guide to the Key Connective Role of the 21st Century

By Scott J. Pearson | June 24, 2023June 24, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Product management is a new role in the world of business. Mainly centered around building and deploying technology, product managers began to spring up in early-21st-century corporations. They have been pioneered by organizations around computer technologies, like Intel, Google, or Microsoft. As common with most new roles, figuring out how to meet the challenge on day one can be daunting. To fill that need, Matt LeMay provides a book filled with sage advice from somewhere…