These 4 Books will make you a better Data Science Manager

There’s one way to learn to manage people and that is by doing it.

Still, books are one of the best alternatives to the real challenge. And even if you have been leading a team of Data Scientists for a while, these books might provide new perspectives to approach the task.

These are not books specifically aimed at Data Scientists. Two of them are tech-related and two are industry agnostic. Even so, any reader focused on Data Science will be able to take the information in these books and apply it to their day to day activities.

The Basics: The New One Minute Manager — By K. Blanchard and S. Johnson

So, you’ve just been given a role as a Manager and wonder what to do next.

Read this book. It’s short and covers the basic areas you need to function: setting goals, being people-oriented v being result oriented, how to correct mistakes.

The best thing: you can read it in a couple of hours.

The drawback: it’s not very specific. It won’t give you clear guidelines to follow or schemes you can put in action (e.g. have a weekly meeting with your team, monthly one-on-ones, etc.). It’s more broad than anything else. Still, it will give you a helpful and healthy framework to conduct yourself in.

The Broad Perspective: How Google Works by E. Schmitt and J. Rosenberg

Right from the start, Google had a reputation for doing things in a different way. This book covers what attitudes and processes made that possible.

While not oriented to Data Scientists in particular, many of the points in this book apply without many changes to the reality of managing Data Science teams.

Once again, this is a broad book about management in the XXIst century. You won’t find specific templates of behaviors to follow but it will guide you in all aspects related to managing smart and creative teams. From the type of people you want in your team, your role as a communicator and the importance of getting your culture right from the start to how to lead innovation in your organization, this book covers you on all fronts.

If you can only read one book of this list, let it be this one.

The More involved: An Elegant Puzzle by W. Larson

If you want depth over breadth, go with this one.

Grown out of blog posts, in turn grown out of the author’s experience, this book discusses any and all aspects of managing engineering teams in tech companies. From how to build teams to scale to succession planning and staffing, this book lays out in detail what to do, how and when. In contrast to the previous picks, it gives clear and actionable insights you can take to your day to day job.

Perhaps it is a tough read if you go in with the cover-to-cover mindset, but I’ve found the insights very valuable. Chapters are self-contained, so you can read them directly whenever you have a specific issue you want to tackle.

For Successful types: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by M. Goldsmith

Maybe you already have some experience under your belt and want to step up your game.

The truth is, the higher you go on the managerial ladder the more your problems become behavioral rather than technical.

This is a book written by an executive coach about behavioral change in top management positions. It covers everything from the logical pitfalls successful people fall victim to (e.g. “I have been successful behaving like this, so I’ve been successful because I behave like this”), to the steps he goes through with his clients to change their behavior.

A book is not a coaching session. You won’t be able to replicate everything that is told here, but the author gives reasonable alternatives to most points so that you can get the most out of the book regardless.

Even if you don’t think your behavior is an issue, the book makes a compelling case for auditing it and looking out for small things that, over time, can cause problems (do you thank and congratulate people enough?).

If you feel there’s some behavioral issue you want to work through, this is the book you should pick.

While there’s no real substitute for dealing with actual people and real problems, I hope you’ll find these books good companions along the way.

Happy reading!