When I transitioned into management last year, I was told that there is no book out there that could teach me how to be an effective manager. It was like Morpheus telling me that no one can be told what managing is. You have to see it for yourself. That's only half true. Like most things, you can't just read about it, you have to experiment, think on your feet, and establish some kind of feedback loop that can yield growth from experience. However, your feedback loop should include as many high signal inputs as possible. Your team, your peers, your mentors — and a thoughtful and practical book like this — are some of the best signals you can leverage to maximize your growth.

The Making of a Manager is an immensely valuable field guide for anyone interested in managing. If nothing else, you'll walk away with a clear understanding of what your role really is as a manager, but more likely you'll end up with a greater understanding of how to lead a group of people, earn their trust, build a cohesive team, connect with and support others, foster a healthy culture for feedback, and — of course — actually get things done.

At this point I've read several books about managing and I'd prioritize this one above the rest for being so well-written, focused, clear, practical, engaging, etc. If you're a new manager or just curious about what managing is about — or you've been doing it a while and want to level up by learning from one of the best leaders out there — pick up this book. You'll be very happy you did.

Highly recommend this book for anyone starting out or for someone who is already a manager. Lots of great insights and information about how to look at things in different ways. She talks about mistakes she has made to help you think of things differently. Very much enjoyed this book and plan to read it again.

When I was partway through The making of a manager: what to do when everyone looks to you I was sure that I would be giving this an unqualified five-star review. Then, I got to the second half. 

There are two very different halves to this book. I'll cut to the chase about whether this is a great book for you. 

The first half of the book is excellent and helpful for almost anyone. The second half of the book may be for you if you work at Facebook or a company very much like it. 

Here's how Ms. Zhuo defines a manager's job. "A manager's job is to help her team get better results." That's the key insight for the book. It's clear and actionable. It's true no matter who you are or where you work as a manager. 

If you're thinking about becoming a manager this is a great book for you. 

If you're thinking about becoming a manager. buy this book. In the section that begins on 28, Ms. Zhou asks you questions about who you are and what you're like. She describes how your answers can help you decide if management is for you. Those few pages are worth the price of the book. They may keep you from making a terrible, irreversible mistake. If management is not for you, it's good to know before you become one. The key insight is that you must love the work. 

If you're a new manager, this is a great book for you. 

It usually takes a new manager a year or two to settle into the job, learn the basics, and manage effectively. If you're somewhere in that first two years, buy this book. Ms. Zhuo's descriptions of a manager's work are clear, and you'll be able to see yourself in them. Her analysis is good and includes ideas about what you can and should do. She describes her mistakes and misconceptions. 

Now for the second half of the book.

The second half of the book will be great for you if you work at Facebook. It will be good for you if you work in a creative job in a tech company, especially one experiencing hyper-growth. It will not be so good for you if you work at a trucking company or a clothing store or any smaller company. Here’s why I think the second half of the book is so different from the first half. 

Ms. Zhuo implies that she's new and remembers the beginning well. Here’s a quote from the Introduction.

"I thought, Maybe I can write this book, because it’s more relevant for a certain group of people now: new managers thrown into the deep end, overwhelmed managers wondering how to best help their reports, managers dealing with fast-growing teams, or those simply curious about management. I was one of them not so long ago."

When this book came out, she had been at Facebook for more than a decade and she was the VP of Product Design. In February 2020, she left Facebook to become a cofounder of InSpirit. But here’s the thing. The first half of the book sounds like “not so long ago.” The second half sounds like reflections of someone who’s been a manager for a while.

I suspect she may have written the first at one time and the other material much later. 

The writing styles are very different. The first half flows easily and sounds natural. The second half is how authors write when they must finish by a deadline.

I would have preferred an excellent book for new managers in any kind of company. That's the first 150 pages. I could have done without the last 150 pages, even if the publisher thought it was necessary. 

In A Nutshell

If you're thinking about becoming a manager, buy The making of a manager: what to do when everyone looks to you. Read the section on what managers do that begins about page 28. 

If you're a new manager, especially if you're in your first two years, buy this book and read the first half. 

What about the second half? Start reading it. You've already invested in the book and gotten your money's worth from the first half. Read the second half as long as it stays interesting and helpful. 

What makes this book most unique is the author’s target audience and tone. It’s written for managers on the ground, with teams you could feed with two pizzas. The majority of management books are really written for C-levels and focus on setting vision, hiring department leads, or shutting down underperforming business units. This was much more practical for the everyday manager, and In a way, is the Andy Grove book re-imagined 30 years later –– except much more eloquently-written and without advice for cooking eggs.

It’s one of those that you finish way faster than expected, because it was useful, but also a page turner. Every piece of advice stems from a story that was described in enough detail to put yourself in the author’s shoes.

The most important takeaway for me was the reminder that even the most successful people are human and started somewhere. Feeling like an imposter at times is normal. And doing the right thing is hard for everyone. In the long run, good managers get better results, and the book has great tips for laying the foundation for great team culture and individual relationships, brick by brick.

This is a must read on management & leadership, its also pretty honest, glad i came across this wonderful piece

I have been reading Julie's blog for years. When I heard she would be releasing a book I was super psyched as I wanted to have a nice collection of all her articles on management easily accessible. I also had very high expectations of her book, and she went way beyond what I expected.

I have read several books on management and most of them are good, but they rarely stick with you. However, Julie's book hits a nerve, especially if you're new to being a manager. You immediately realize there are so many things you can do better that will help your team be successful.

She writes from her experience how what was it like being a new manager, and it's written so vividly.

All her advise, and learnings are insanely actionable and so relatable! It's literally my go-to guide whenever I face any issues with my team.

Within reading like 30% of the book, I just went and bought like four copies for all the executives on my team, and the feedback I got from them was very similar. They all love it so much. Most of them have only her book that's always on their desk.

This book is for managers in all phases of their careers. But this is an exceptionally good book for new managers. I would urge them to only read this book before they touch any other book.

Thank you, Julie, for writing this book!

A simple yet effective read on management by Julie Zhao who was the 1st intern at Facebook and is now the VP of Product and Design. This book is a great reference for new and experienced managers, specially managing small to medium size teams. The concepts are relevant and relatable too. Julie explains relevant problems and perspectives to watch out on the management path. However, at times, I missed 'how' did she solve the problem.

The best chapter in this book is the 'art of giving feedback' and Julie decodes this the best. I've been regularly providing task-specific and behavior-specific feedback to my directs and the more I give, the more positively my team responds.

The best phrase in this book is 'building a great bench'. Having a great bench is one of the strongest signs of stellar leadership because it means the team you’ve built can steer the ship and thrive, even if you are not at the helm. I recently received this feedback when I was unavailable and my team had to take over and hearing this only made me smile. Aim to always build a great bench.

This was a well written book with good examples of effective leadership! It covers key aspects of management and explains how to lead and deal with challenges.

Nice suggestions and work principles, explained with real life examples, crisp writing and storytelling. Good read, even for non managers or senior managers to brush up the essentials and basics, some could be really new pointers

Libro interessante con buoni spunti (an che se a tratti troppo di parte e troppo "gender oriented" = chi sbaglia e` sempre lo stesso sesso, chio fa bene sempre l`latro)

Esse livro é um excelente guia introdutório sobre o que é ser um gestor. Na minha empresa o utilizamos como objeto de um Clube do Livro para gestores e o feedback foi muito positivo.

Acho que os temas são apenas pincelados no livro, o que o torna um bom mapa mental de conceitos de gestão de pessoas, mas não acho que ele aprofunda o suficiente.

É uma leitura boa , o livro tem termos de fácil entendimento.

I enjoyed it. Blasted through it in a couple days, no problem (even for a slow reader like me). It is written with very casual language, not pretentious or preachy or pedantic.

The book is divided in such a way that you can reference particular chapters as needed. Some of the information is obvious, but it's nice to have it said nonetheless.

This book has got be excited for my future in management (and beyond)!

I can relate to so many things written in here. Also, I think it's pretty easy to read even for non-native English speaker like me.