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In a perfect world, software engineers who produce the best code are the most successful. But in our perfectly messy world, success also depends on how you work with people to get your job done. In this highly entertaining book, Brian Fitzpatrick and Ben Collins-Sussman cover basic patterns and anti-patterns for working with other people, teams, and users while trying to develop software. This is valuable information from two respected software engineers whose popular series of talks—including "Working with Poisonous People"—has attracted hundreds of thousands of followers. Writing software is a team sport, and human factors have as much influence on the outcome as technical factors. Even if you’ve spent decades learning the technical side of programming, this book teaches you about the often-overlooked human component. By learning to collaborate and investing in the "soft skills" of software engineering, you can have a much greater impact for the same amount of effort. About the Authors Brian Fitzpatrick leads Google's Data Liberation Front and Transparency Engineering teams and has previously led Google's Project Hosting and Google Affiliate Network teams. He cofounded Google's Chicago engineering office and serves as both thought leader and internal advisor for Google's open data efforts. Ben Collins-Sussman, one of the founding developers of the Subversion version control system, led Google's Project Hosting team, and now manages the engineering team for the Google Affiliate Network. He cofounded Google's engineering office in Chicago and ported Subversion to Google's Bigtable platform. Table Of Contents Chapter 1 The Myth of the Genius Programmer Help Me Hide My Code The Genius Myth Hiding Is Considered Harmful It’s All About the Team The Three Pillars HRT in Practice Learn to Both Deal Out and Handle Criticism Next Steps Chapter 2 Building an Awesome Team Culture What Is Culture? Why Should You Care? Culture and People Communication Patterns of Successful Cultures High-Level Synchronization Day-to-Day Discussions Using an Issue Tracker Communication as Part of Engineering It Really Is About the Code After All Chapter 3 Every Boat Needs a Captain Nature Abhors a Vacuum @Deprecated Manager The Servant Leader Antipatterns Leadership Patterns People Are Like Plants Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Motivation Final Thoughts Chapter 4 Dealing with Poisonous People Defining “Poisonous” Fortifying Your Team Identifying the Threat Repelling the Poison A Final Thought Chapter 5 The Art of Organizational Manipulation The Good, the Bad, and the Strategies The Ideal: How a Team Ought to Function Within a Company The Reality: When Your Environment Is an Obstacle to Your Success Manipulating Your Organization Plan B: Get Out All Is Not Lost Chapter 6 Users Are People, Too Managing Public Perception How Usable Is Your Software? Managing Your Relationship with Users Remember the Users Appendix Epilogue A Final Thought Appendix Further Reading