Resources

A work-in-progress list of books and other resources I find myself coming back to and recommending in sessions. These are just a few of the things that have genuinely shaped how I think about leadership and work.

On engineering leadership

“The Leader Lab” by Tania Luna and LeeAnn Renninger Practical and research-backed, focused on the specific skills that make an effective communicator, not just a leader. Good on the difference between what leaders think they’re doing and what their teams actually experience. I come back to it regularly. The first few chapters are useful for anyone, even if you’re not in a leadership role, but the whole thing is worth reading.

“Engineering Management for the Rest of Us” by Sarah Drasner She writes clearly and practically about the human side of leading technical teams. The book is focused on the IC-to-leader transition, but I find myself recommending it to people at all stages of their careers. The chapter on “What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do” is especially good.

Lara Hogan’s work Her book “Resilient Management” is short and worth your time. Her website is a treasure trove of resources: frameworks for feedback, 1:1s, etc., and a great newsletter.

On time, priorities, and sustainable work

“Four Thousand Weeks” by Oliver Burkeman Not a productivity book, even though it looks like one. It’s about accepting that you can’t do everything and making deliberate choices about what actually matters. Changed how I think about priorities and the feeling of being perpetually behind.

“Deep Work” by Cal Newport The case for protecting time for focused work and what gets lost when you don’t. Practical even if you disagree with some of his specifics or find them impractical to implement.

On communication and influence

“Radical Candor” by Kim Scott Better as a concept than as a full book, honestly. The 2x2 (care personally, challenge directly) is worth knowing. If you don’t want to read the whole book, her talks cover it well.

On neurodivergence and work

“The ADHD Field Guide for Adults” by Cate Osborn and Erik Gude A practical and compassionate guide to understanding how ADHD shows up in adults and how to build systems that work with it instead of against it. I wish this had existed when I was first figuring this stuff out.

“Wintering” by Katherine May Not about work at all, but about the experience of going through a hard season and coming out the other side. I find it helpful when I’m in a hard stretch and need to remember that it’s temporary and that there’s a path through it.