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Become the leader your engineers need

New to Engineering Management? You can do better than "fake it till you make it"

We all started our professional journey as a "Maker" – a designer, programmer or tester. Our ability to make things is what brought us so far.

We all love the feeling of getting things done.

This is why when we go from a "Maker" into a "Manager" role, we so often fall back to our comfort zone. We're neglecting managerial responsibilities working to complete yet another task instead. It's the power of old habits.

But let's face it – you were NOT being promoted to a managerial position to increase your own productivity. Your job as a manager is to amplify your teammates.

Scaling your software becomes increasingly easier, but what about scaling your engineering team?

You were never taught the subtle art of building a team or leading people. As if this isn't enough, these unique individuals (hence "snowflakes") in your team tend to be incredibly smart, analytical, opinionated and ambitious. You know, engineers.

Leading Snowflakes offers you proven tools and practices for improving your management skills that you can implement – starting today.



The New Engineering Manager's Handbook — tools & techniques for programmers who want to lead
  When I first became a manager, I was hungry to learn as much as I could. If this book had existed back then, I would have bought 3 copies.
- Eli Goodman, former Director of Engineering at Etsy

This isn't another 350-page book you'll agonize yourself over not reading. It's short, concise and pragmatic. You're busy, I get that.

What's in the ebook?

Each lesson starts with the motivation behind the tools and techniques you're about to get to know,
followed by a list of tasks you can use to track your progress.

"Leading Snowflakes" is chockful of great and actionable advice. Even reading the first two chapters has given me lots to think about on how to improve my own behavior and management. This book is a goldmine!

— Mathias Meyer CEO at Travis CI

10 Video Interviews to boost your learning

Over 7 hours of video interviews with great leaders, working for some of the best companies in the world.
Kris Gale - VP Engineering at Yammer
Kris Gale
VP Engineering at Yammer
We developed a pretty good culture of encouraging people who had sort of de-facto leadership within the company taking on formal management roles.
Elias Torres - VP Engineering at HubSpot
Elias Torres
VP Engineering at HubSpot
The team needed me to do something else, which is to provide the vision and mentorship. My role changed to being an advisor.
Michael Lopp (aka Rands) - Director at Palantir
Michael Lopp (rands)
Director at Palantir
We as engineers are control-freaks – we have to own every input, every output and every scenario that could happen with it. That doesn't work well with people.
Eli Goodman - former Director of Engineering at Etsy
Eli Goodman
Former Director of Engineering at Etsy
As a manager, I have two primary job functions: ask questions and make people think. That's it.
Alexander Grosse - VP Engineering at SoundCloud
Alexander Grosse
VP Engineering at SoundCloud
You shouldn't optimize your organization to prevent mistakes; you should rather optimize how you react to mistakes.
Eli Chen - Engineering Manager at Twitter
Eli Chen
Engineering Manager at Twitter
If you have people that are independent, smart, communicative and capable of working together, then engineering management is really minimal. It's almost as if as the goal is to engineer your way out of the job.
Ben Kamens - Lead Dev at Khan Academy
Ben Kamens
Lead Dev at Khan Academy
As a good manager you should always be uncomfortable that you're pushing yourself to do things that aren't natural for you.
Boaz Sedan - Engineering Manager at Netflix
Boaz Sedan
Engineering Manager at Netflix
When you reach the point where you realize that it's better to explain rather than do the task yourself, that's roughly when you're ready for a management position.
Edmond Lau - former Engineering Lead at Quora
Edmond Lau
Former Engineering Lead at Quora
When you understand how your work fits into the business, there is higher likelihood that you're building the right thing.
Jade Rubick - Engineering Manager at New Relic
Jade Rubick
Engineering Manager at New Relic
If you're running, you want to run at a pace you can keep running forever.

I am often in awe as I keep finding Leading Snowflakes addresses the exact challenges I face as a new manager. Reading this book lets me know I'm not alone and provides great perspective and tools to overcome these issues. Leading Snowflakes has definitely made me a better team leader!

— Ohad Laufer Engineering Manager at HP Software

Great book that every engineering manager should read! In his own fluent and "Cut to chase" style , Oren Ellenbogen brings the challenges and dilemmas of the technical management world, addressing almost every aspect of it.

— Shaked Simchi Group Leader at Outbrain

3 ways to suit your needs…

Which package is best for you?
  • THE BASIC EDITION

    • The book in PDF, ePub, and Mobi formats
    • The audio book
    • Track your progress online
  • THE COMPLETE EDITION

    • The book in PDF, ePub, and Mobi formats
    • The audio book
    • Track your progress online
    • 6 Video Interviews with my key takeaways
  • THE STRATEGY EDITION

    • The book in PDF, ePub, and Mobi formats
    • The audio book
    • Track your progress online
    • 10 Video Interviews with my key takeaways
    • Free, 30-minute consultation call with Oren
Purchase the full package Team license for $999
Share with up to 10 members of your team.
Everything's immediately available for download & covered with a full 30-day money back guarantee! No Questions asked.

THE STRATEGY EDITION

Everything you need to kick your leadership skills up a notch.

THE BASIC EDITION

(Audio, PDF, ePub and mobi)

All 10 Interviews

(7 hours, video & audio formats)
Kris Gale - VP Engineering at Yammer
Michael Lopp (aka Rands) - Director at Palantir
Elias Torres - VP Engineering at HubSpot
Alexander Grosse - VP Engineering at SoundCloud
Eli Chen - Engineering Manager at Twitter
Ben Kamens - Lead Dev at Khan Academy
Jade Rubick - Engineering Manager at New Relic
Boaz Sedan - Engineering Manager at Netflix
Edmond Lau - former Engineering Lead at Quora
Eli Goodman - former Director of Engineering at Etsy

30-minute consultation

(Ask me anything)

Online Tasks Tracking

(Track your progress)

Want to share with your team?

All these resources can be useful not only for you; they can also help your entire engineering management team to become more engaged and effective. Since you care about copyright as much as I do, I have a team license that allows you to share it with up to 10 members of your team. No, there isn't any DRM involved, just trust.

Purchase a team license for $999

Share with up to 10 members of your team.

THE COMPLETE EDITION

If you want a smaller package, we’ve got the book and some of the videos and resources for you.

THE BASIC EDITION

(Audio, PDF, ePub and mobi)

6 Video Interviews

(4 hours, video & audio formats)
Elias Torres - VP Engineering at HubSpot
Eli Chen - Engineering Manager at Twitter
Ben Kamens - Lead Dev at Khan Academy
Kris Gale - VP Engineering at Yammer
Boaz Sedan - Engineering Manager at Netflix
Edmond Lau - former Engineering Lead at Quora

Online Tasks Tracking

(Track your progress)

THE BASIC EDITION

The budget option (but still great!)
I want to make sure the book alone doesn’t get undervalued. It really is where I spent the most time and effort. The interviews are very useful, but let's not overlook the book itself. You will be referring back to the tools and practices in this book for years to come.

So, if a budget is an issue, I highly recommend getting the book by itself. You won't regret it.

Questions?

Which package should I buy?

That mostly depends on your budget. Obviously The Strategy Edition is the best, but the book by itself is packed with practices and ideas that will completely change your the way you lead.

Who is this book for?

The book is written primarily for Engineering Managers, but aspiring managers and Director/VP of Engineering will value from it just as well.

Note about .ePub & .Mobi formats:

For better viewing of the graphics and illustrations, consider using the PDF version of this eBook. The .ePub and .Mobi formats provide limited control over graphics and typography. I've made every effort to ensure they are readable and useful for quick reference.

What if I hate it?

Well, hate is a strong word... but if you hate the book, I'll gladly refund you the money. Just reply to your purchase receipt email within 30 days and I will issue a refund, no questions asked.

Where can I learn more about you?

This one is easy, here.

Oren’s book made an immediate impact on me from the very first chapter. The book contains a ton of pragmatic advice and tips, reading through the pages it often made me realise: “Aha! That is a very clever approach, I can totally practice it at work!"

— Fred Wu Team Lead at Locomote

I recommend Leading Snowflakes to anybody who's learning to lead a software team.

— Brandon Ballinger Software Engineer (ex-Google, Sift Science, healthcare.gov)

I'm sure Oren is getting plenty of praise for this book already - but it's worth repeating: it's awesome. Really. Awesome. Oren nailed it in simple terms that make sense with clear examples that I can follow. Really appreciate his effort to write this book.

— Joe Cincotta Managing Director at Pixolüt

About the author

Oren Ellenbogen

As managers, our job is not to solely own risks, quality and mentorship, but rather to design a process that will distribute them.

Hey, My name is Oren Ellenbogen, a Software Engineer with a unique passion for people and culture. Some of you may know me as the guy behind Software Lead Weekly and Manager README.

I'm currently working as the VP Engineering at Forter. Before that, I've worked for big companies such as Mercury (acquired by HP) and small startups such as Delver (acquired by Sears), Cleeqa and Commerce Sciences (acquired by Taboola). I had the privilege working with amazing people, serving in different roles such as Technical Lead, Engineering Manager and Director of Engineering.

As much as I enjoy building tools and products, I find myself most fascinated with "Company DNA" - which companies in the world change the way we build software? How do they approach it? How are they hiring people? Which process do they apply? How do they measure themselves?

I enjoy writing and lecturing about these subjects, hoping to provide practical and pragmatic tips people could apply.

P.S. I’d love to meet you on Twitter.


Sharing my lessons learned:

So, are you ready to buy the book now?