The Unheroic Art of Managing Engineers: How to Lead Brilliant Minds Without Losing Yours

— —

John H Huber

The Unheroic Art of Managing Engineers

How to Lead Brilliant Minds Without Losing Yours

John H Huber

$34.95 $31.24

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Three Rivets Press
28 October 2025

Management & management techniques; Management: leadership & motivation; Project management

The Unheroic Art of Managing Engineers is not about charisma, vision, or swooping in with last-minute genius. It's about the real work of managing brilliant, stubborn, system-obsessed engineers-and doing it without losing your mind.

John Huber, PE, PMP, draws on decades of experience in compliance-driven, high-stakes industries to show what engineering management actually looks like on the ground. With dry humor and practical stories, he explains how to:

Hire for technical fit instead of buzzwords. Balance trust and accountability with people who think in equations. Handle conflict between principled engineers without an HR babysitter. Onboard, mentor, and eventually replace yourself.

Unlike generic leadership books, this one doesn't try to turn engineers into corporate citizens. Instead, it accepts what makes them different-their intolerance for fluff, obsession with edge cases, and uncanny ability to spot misaligned incentives faster than HR can schedule a town hall.

The result is a candid, unglamorous guide to keeping technical teams working, engaged, and grounded in reality. You'll learn how to manage performance based on measurable outcomes, steer projects through shifting priorities, and build systems and structures that outlast you.

The measure of success in engineering management isn't whether you're remembered as irreplaceable. It's whether the people and systems you shaped keep running long after you're gone.

For senior engineers considering management, and managers already in the trenches, this book is a practical companion for the unheroic, everyday work that makes engineering organizations succeed.

By: John H Huber
Imprint: Three Rivets Press
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 127mm, Spine: 11mm
Weight: 200g
ISBN: 9798999900005
Pages: 196
Publication Date: 28 October 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

John Huber is a mechanical engineer with over 38 years of experience, 25 of those in engineering management. He holds Professional Engineering licenses in four states and a Project Management Professional credential from PMI. This is his first non-fiction book.John has led teams in heavy industry, compliance-driven fields, and the kind of projects where technical debt isn't just a metaphor-it's buried under concrete.When he's not writing or managing, he enjoys time with family, writing, playing golf, and building PCs that run quieter than his job sites ever did.He lives in Knoxville with his wife, son, two dogs, and a cat.

Reviews for The Unheroic Art of Managing Engineers: How to Lead Brilliant Minds Without Losing Yours

The Unheroic Art of Managing Engineers will be a fun read for other functional and project managers in the field of engineering of any discipline."" -Melissa B. Slater, Ph.D., NPPQ