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The Making of a Manager cover

Julie Zhuo

The Making of a Manager

★ 4.2 on Goodreads201912 minLeadership

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Zhuo documents her journey from engineer to manager at Facebook, tackling real challenges like hiring the right people, giving critical feedback without crushing them, and handling conflict constructively. She emphasizes that management is a learnable skill developed through deliberate practice, not something only naturally gifted people can master.

What readers sayAbout The Making of a Manager.

MR Monica R.2 weeks ago★★★★★

Finally a book that acknowledges being promoted to manager is confusing. Her honesty about mistakes actually helps.

AK Arjun K.1 week ago★★★★★

The section on giving critical feedback without crushing someone actually worked. My report got better, not defensive.

SL Sophie L.3 weeks ago★★★★☆

Relatable and practical but leaned heavy on Facebook examples. Still useful for smaller tech companies though.

TG Tobias G.2 days ago★★★★★

Just transitioned to manager. Used her framework for my first one-on-ones and actually felt prepared.

KB Keisha B.4 days ago★★★★★

The chapter on handling underperformers was exactly what I needed. Confronted my weak hire and improved.

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