Four years ago, I made the leap from Lead Data Scientist to management. My company backed me up with an Engineering Management course. Although the course offered a solid introduction to practical management, I prefer learning through reading, so I turned to books for guidance on management and leadership.
Recently, my colleague Dani Arribas asked about my favourite management books. I realised that this might become a frequent question, especially as more Individual Contributors around me transition to management roles. So, I’m turning this post into a living resource—a place where I’ll keep updating my reading recommendations. Below, you’ll find a structured path for new managers, blending core management principles with insights tailored to data science and AI.
Essential Management Reads
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The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo is perfect for anyone stepping into leadership from an individual contributor role. Zhuo draws on her experiences as a young manager at Facebook, covering key topics like hiring, feedback, and team culture. Her focus on empowering others and seeing management as a continuous learning process really hit home for me. The book’s lessons on building trust and fostering feedback are invaluable for technical managers who need to create space for innovation. Zhuo’s blog, The Looking Glass, is also worth following for additional tech management insights.
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The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni examines the common pitfalls that undermine teamwork. Lencioni’s model—focusing on trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and results—highlights how easily teams can get derailed. The concept of vulnerability-based trust stood out to me. Without it, teams waste time managing perceptions instead of solving problems. In my daily work, where fostering collaboration between domain experts, engineers, and product teams is crucial, this book serves as an essential guide.
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High Output Management by Andrew S. Grove provides timeless wisdom on leadership and productivity. Grove introduces the idea of managerial leverage, where success is measured by the output of your team. When you first start managing, it’s easy to focus on individual tasks, but Grove is a strong reminder that your priority should be the company, then your team, and finally yourself. He emphasizes high-impact tasks and hybrid structures, which resonate in data science teams that often have dual reporting lines. His focus on training and clear goals is critical for building high-performing technical teams.
Technical Leadership for Data Teams
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The Manager’s Path by Camille Fournier is essential for technical leaders managing engineers. Fournier guides readers through the stages of management, from leading small teams to overseeing managers. Her advice on communication and team scaling is invaluable for those moving into leadership. Pair this with An Elegant Puzzle by Will Larson, which dives into navigating complexity and balancing strategy with execution. Together, they form a comprehensive toolkit for managing technical teams as they scale.
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Scaling People by Claire Hughes Johnson is a masterclass in building management systems that scale as companies grow. Johnson shares practical frameworks for hiring, decision-making, and fostering a culture of accountability and inclusion. As teams grow, balancing agility with structure becomes critical. This book offers clear strategies to achieve that.
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Building Analytics Teams by John K. Thompson is a practical guide for building and managing high-performing analytics teams. Thompson offers strategies for recruiting, developing, and retaining top talent while ensuring alignment between team goals and business objectives. He emphasises clear vision, strong leadership, and fostering collaboration across diverse roles like data scientists, engineers, and analysts. The book also stresses the importance of a data-driven culture, where data becomes a strategic asset for decision-making. It’s essential reading for scaling analytics functions and integrating them into core operations—serving almost as a self-help book for those of us navigating the challenges of leading Data and AI initiatives.
Broader Perspectives on Systems and Leadership
Sometimes, the best management lessons come from unexpected sources. Systems thinking and problem-solving approaches provide valuable insights:
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Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows is a must-read for understanding systems thinking. Meadows explains how small shifts can lead to significant change within interconnected systems, which is crucial for managing complex environments like AI or data-driven projects. Her take on stock and flows is particularly useful for visualising how elements within a system influence each other.
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Team of Teams by Stanley McChrystal shows how organisations can thrive in today’s complex and fast-paced world by adopting decentralised leadership and fostering shared consciousness. McChrystal uses examples from military operations to illustrate how teams can move from rigid hierarchies to more dynamic networks. His approach emphasises breaking down silos and empowering teams to make decisions independently while staying aligned with the larger organisational strategy. For Chief Data Officers managing diverse or multidisciplinary teams, McChrystal’s insights into fostering interdependence and resilience are invaluable.
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The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt teaches the Theory of Constraints through a compelling business novel. It emphasises identifying and managing bottlenecks, a principle that easily translates to data science workflows. Bottlenecks often appear in data pipelines or model deployment stages. I enjoyed the graphic novel edition, which brought a fresh perspective to the subject.
Change and Transformation
Whether you like it or not, managing AI or digital transformation means you’ll face change resistance and corporate antibodies. These books help guide organisational change:
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Good to Great by Jim Collins reveals how companies move from good to truly great through disciplined, deliberate actions. Collins introduces the Flywheel Concept, where small efforts build momentum over time. Good to Great also focuses on Level 5 Leadership—leaders who blend humility with relentless drive. Collins’ idea of getting the “right people on the bus” before defining direction is especially relevant for data science teams, where rapid growth can cause misalignment. In a time of fast AI innovation, the book’s message about focusing on core strengths (the Hedgehog Concept) couldn’t be more timely.
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Leading Change by John P. Kotter provides a framework for managing organisational transformation. Kotter outlines an eight-step process—from building urgency to anchoring change in company culture—that is essential when implementing AI or new data initiatives. His emphasis on a guiding coalition is particularly valuable when navigating complex technological changes within a fast-moving organisation.
Communication and Relationships
Strong relationships are as important as technical skills in management. These books aren’t traditional management reads, but they offer crucial insights into communication and influence:
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Radical Candor by Kim Scott and Crucial Conversations offer complementary strategies for handling tough conversations. Radical Candor focuses on being direct while showing personal care, which builds trust. Crucial Conversations provides a more structured approach to handling high-stakes discussions with empathy and clarity. Together, they ensure you can navigate difficult conversations without damaging relationships.
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How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie is a timeless guide to human relations. Carnegie’s principles—like avoiding criticism, showing appreciation, and taking a genuine interest in others—are essential for any leader. His advice on building strong relationships is key to motivating teams and fostering collaboration.
Over the years, I’ve read many management books. This list is a curated and opinionated path to help you learn about management, while sparing you from some of the truly bad ones I’ve encountered. Some offered little practical or foundational knowledge, others could have been condensed into a 20-page essay, and a few were simply dull. I hope this list is helpful and makes your journey into the rewarding world of management more enjoyable.