Ask HN: Whats something you wish you knew when you started managing people
I'm in a position where I've got to be managing people in my company. Not a strength of mine, especially the project management piece. Where I'm more of a founding engineer that knows the niche industry product _too_ well, so we can't hire around it, only train around it. While we are expanding, I'm the head of impossible amounts of projects. I'm in a constant make the best, worst choice to keep things moving situation. Everyone exec level knows all of this and is being very gracious as I learn on the fly. Still, I really want to improve but struggling as it feels like I never have time to even do project/people management the 'right way'.
If there are books, courses, or anything that had a big impact on your management skills, I would love to hear your story!
Potentially helpful citations below:
So you're a manager now - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44745123 - July 2025 (185 comments)
The Manager’s Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change [Learning Notes] - https://keyvanakbary.github.io/learning-notes/books/the-mana...