Recommended with reservations

James Stanier’s Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager offers a calm, conversational guide for those stepping into the often ambiguous terrain of technical leadership. As someone whose career began in individual contributor roles and has gradually expanded to include informal mentoring and strategic planning – both professionally and through Scouting America’s Woodbadge and Leadership Challenge programs – I found Stanier’s servant-leader ethos immediately familiar.

The book opens strong, with early chapters offering reflective prompts and exercises that encourage readers to pause and assess their own leadership instincts. These sections felt structured, intentional, and grounded in empathy. However, as the chapters progress, that rhythm fades. Later sections cover topics like career ladders, diversity, and organizational design with surprising breadth, but often at a surface level. The shift from interactive coaching to summary-style exposition may leave some readers wanting more scaffolding or depth.

Stanier occasionally references external resources, and even reuses the title of ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ for one chapter. Compared to that classic, I found Stanier’s advice more applicable to modern engineering contexts. Still, the book would benefit from a more curated set of follow-up materials – especially in chapters that touch on complex or evolving challenges. For readers navigating those issues in real time, a few well-placed recommendations could have transformed these sections from overview to launchpad.

The book does leak some judgment calls – such as the assertion that diversity trumps monoculture – without fully supporting those claims. While I agree with the sentiment and have seen it better substantiated elsewhere, ACCU readers may wish for more rigorous argumentation. Similarly, Stanier recommends weekly one-on-ones but offers little rationale for that cadence. In the mentoring chapter, he notes that buy-in from both sides is essential for effectiveness, but that idea is underdeveloped when it comes to other ceremonies. From my experience at CSX, Microsoft, and Wheaton Van Lines, the core element of these rituals is their value not their frequency. Too often, teams fall into the ‘just doing them’ rut, where the ceremony persists but the impact fades.

I listened to the Ogg audio version at standard speed, and the narration was smooth and reassuring – qualities that could be especially comforting to new managers facing early stress. That said, a few minor hiccups stood out: a mispronunciation of “NVIDIA,” a repeated phrase, and references to diagrams that lacked any pointer to supplementary materials. These didn’t derail the experience, but they do suggest that print or eBook formats may offer a more complete engagement.

While the book is clearly aimed at engineering managers, many of its lessons map cleanly onto broader leadership roles – particularly in smaller companies where strategic vision and team-level coaching often blur. In my own exploration of the CIO role, I found Stanier’s emphasis on clarity, trust-building, and career development especially relevant.

I’d recommend this book to anyone considering – even tentatively – a move toward the management track. It’s best suited for those early in that transition, when the shift from technical execution to team stewardship can feel disorienting. Readers with a purely technical focus may find the content too soft-skills-centric, but for those beginning to value the social architecture of engineering work, Stanier’s guidance offers both reassurance and practical framing.

This isn’t a tool for tightening org charts – it’s a guide for navigating the human dynamics beneath the technical scaffolding. And for those learning to lead by listening, it’s a worthy companion in the journey.

Website: https://pragprog.com/titles/a-jsengman/become-an-effective-software-engineering-manager/