Rafa Páez
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rafapaez.bsky.social
Rafa Páez
@rafapaez.bsky.social
Senior Engineering Leader | Scaling Teams & Platforms | Generative AI Enthusiast | Remote & Async Work Advocate.

Author of The Engineering Leader Newsletter https://newsletter.rafapaez.com 📥
The real meaning of Agile
May 26, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Most engineers ignore the one thing that makes impact scale: Social capital

It’s not favoritism.
It’s trust, credibility, and relationships.

Today's newsletter:
🔹 3 core pillars
🔹 Why high agency isn’t enough
🔹 2 simple visuals

What’s 1 thing you do to build social capital?
May 25, 2025 at 9:32 AM
2,000 subscribers on The Engineer Leader! 🎉

I thought only my mom would read. Now it's 2k engineers and leaders reading it every week.

Huge thanks for every read, like, share.

Not onboard? Subscribe in 2 seconds (link in my bio)
May 18, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Have you ever seen someone get promoted while someone else, more technically skilled and harder working, stays stuck?

The first learned to decode the system.

Every company runs on two playbooks:
1. The official one: what they tell you.
2. The real one: what actually works.
May 18, 2025 at 12:43 PM
This made my day:
May 15, 2025 at 8:43 PM
No LeetCode.
No endless take-homes.
No 8-round interview marathons.

These are just 3 of my 7 non-negotiables for a fair interview process.

Full list in my latest newsletter.

What are your own non-negotiables when you're on the candidate side?
May 11, 2025 at 1:29 PM
📚 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲: 46 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘧‑𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 & 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵.

Every title on this list nudged my thinking, sharpened my leadership, or helped me see the world a shade clearer.

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲? 👇
May 4, 2025 at 8:53 AM
May has started strong for 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 newsletter. 🚀

This Sunday, I’m dropping a bold, controversial take that 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿.

Not on the list yet?

📥 Subscribe now and don’t miss it (check my bio)
May 2, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Please answer
May 1, 2025 at 9:13 AM
AI won’t take your job.

Being passive will.

Silent layoffs quietly phase out low-agency engineers—the ones who wait for instructions instead of shaping outcomes.
April 27, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Ever hit that zone where work flows, time vanishes, and everything just works?

That’s flow, and it’s where your best work lives.

In my latest post, I div into how to reach it, protect it, and lead teams that thrive in it.
open.substack.com/pub/rafapaez...
April 20, 2025 at 12:30 PM
How to get lucky.
April 16, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Is AI going to replace Software Engineers? Not exactly.

But it is rapidly transforming what it means to be an engineer.

In my latest newsletter issue, "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 (𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀)", I explore how AI is reshaping our profession:
newsletter.rafapaez.com/p/the-end-of...
April 13, 2025 at 12:09 PM
If I have to tell my best engineers how to do the work, they’re not my best engineers.

Great leadership is about trust, not control.
April 10, 2025 at 9:48 PM
“Hey, can you give me a quick estimate for this project?”

It sounds harmless. But hidden in that simple question, there is a can of worms just waiting to explode.

If you’ve been around long enough in tech, you’ve probably lived some version of this drama.

So how do we fix it?
April 6, 2025 at 1:32 PM
If your team isn't operating in their optimal zone—where they're challenged, engaged, and empowered to do their best work—you're falling short as a manager.

Your job isn't just about assigning tasks; it's about crafting an environment where each individual thrives and collectively lifts the team.
April 3, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Traditional management is dead. Old ways of managing people and leading teams no longer work.

100x Product Engineers vibe coding. Startups moving at crazy speed. Leaders in founder mode.

Good luck leading by the book.

But there's a way to thrive: Introducing Vibe Leading. 👇
March 30, 2025 at 2:29 PM
What if the move from engineering to management wasn’t one-way?

With GenAI lowering the barrier, some managers are returning to code, not out of failure, but love for building.

Have you seen this shift?

Ever thought about going back?
March 26, 2025 at 9:41 PM
𝐕𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.

Well, it does—if your goal is to destroy your team.

Inexperienced managers often confuse:
– Visibility for impact
– Lone-wolf heroes with team multipliers
– Flashy achievements with long-lasting results
March 26, 2025 at 10:10 AM
“We evaluate our employees' performance based on their impact.”

But what exactly does 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 mean? Is it just about short-term, flashy achievements — or should it be something more?

Today's newsletter article is a guest post from Jose Parreño Garcia: newsletter.rafapaez.com/p/measuring-...
March 23, 2025 at 10:06 AM
𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿—𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿.

Great managers do not simply demand more. They create the conditions for sustainable high performance. 𝗣𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱.

👉 Read more here: newsletter.rafapaez.com/p/sustaining...
March 16, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Once you become a manager, 2 scenarios:

1/ You realize you love it: leadership, team growth, strategic thinking, and all the challenges it brings
2/ You quickly realize it’s not your road: you urgently steer back toward the technical path (just like the car below!)

Have you ever taken this detour?
March 10, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Climbing the career ladder isn’t the only way to grow. In fact, sometimes it’s the fastest path to burnout.

What if actively choosing not to chase promotions could become one of your best career decisions?
March 9, 2025 at 1:02 PM
You don't win by delivering more—you win by delivering what matters

Speed is crucial, but it’s pointless if you’re building the wrong thing

To succeed, you need:
✅ SPEED: Move quickly to stay ahead.
✅ DIRECTION: Focus on what creates real impact.

Don’t just race—race toward the right finish line.
March 7, 2025 at 4:16 PM
The rise of the 𝟭𝟬𝟬𝘅 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 is shaking up the tech world. Yet, many are skeptical about this.

Have you met an engineer who’s not just a coding genius, but also a product visionary and an AI-savvy leader?

They deliver 𝟭𝟬𝟬𝘅 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁—or more.
March 5, 2025 at 5:43 PM