Hey, Raphael here.
I’ve realized that I’ve never introduced myself. I just created this newsletter, started writing, and that was it.
Shame on me.
I’m a Brazilian dude, based in Portugal, passionate about the intersection of technology and people. I must say that over time, my passion to understand what makes people stretch their boundaries and achieve top performance overlapped (by far) my passion for tech. Suddenly, I saw myself replacing my Gang of Four copy with books on psychology and the human mind.
And this became one of my root principles in my leadership style.
At first, it sounded pretty off. “WTF, why are you reading this?” became a question more common from my peers than I would expect, I confess. Every attempt to explore a new concept, apply it, and observe the effects on my direct reports and organization fascinated me beyond my own expectations.
It’s weird how we preach and glorify the act of building high-performing teams but focus only on deliverables, technologies, revenue, etc. But how is this possible if we don’t focus on the main asset that drives “performance”? (If you answered “people”, I’m proud of you.)
After two decades leading engineering teams, fail multiple times, and succeed a bunch of others, I realized that you can create a freaking insanely perfect team from… imperfection.
In 2023, I started coaching ambitious engineers and tech leaders who were looking for a way to stand out and get a promotion or embrace a new challenge. The ambition to understand the nuances of how to deliver hyper-value beyond their main output… code.
The more people I supported, the clearer it became that I could give something special back to the community. Something that is not taught in books or courses. Something grounded in my uncommon experience of blending human behavior, psychology, and tech.
Results were great: over 70 people supported; more than 1M euros aggregated in customer offers.
In 2023, I wrote a book called “The Engineering Leadership Playbook” that got published by Apress.
In 2024, I started investing more in writing. So I decided to create a Medium and Substack account and embrace the daily habit of posting on LinkedIn. In the meantime, I embraced AI to optimize my writing flow.
What a disgrace!
I became lazy. My passion for writing went away. I created a huge anxiety and pressure to create content. Focused a lot on coaching, meaning that my writing became a means to generate leads.
Business-wise, it worked. Personally, not much.
In 2025, I decided to bring Raphael back to the game. That feeling to give back to the community, instead of generating leads or selling coaching services. The desire to discuss my experience, see my blindspots, and learn while sharing... I love it.
So, here I am. 10-ish posts later, this is now getting tracked on my mood… under my terms… driven by the human.
Here, you will find topics related to engineering and people management, leadership, career advancement, and personal insights around tech overall.
The cadence? I have no idea… depends on my mood.
My commitment is once per week… maybe more.
The topics will vary from deep dives to quick thoughts. From personal experiences to how-tos.
But without the freaking fluff.
If you read until this point, thank you so much. Please consider subscribing to my newsletter to support my work, and follow me on LinkedIn for daily insights.
Spoiler: I have a gift for you in my welcome email =)
If you are not ready to subscribe, no hard feelings. Enjoy the ride as much as you can. Here are a few articles to get started:
The middle-manager crisis: When your greatest strength becomes your biggest obstacle
Summer of 2018. Great weather in Portugal. I’d recently relocated from Brazil, my homeland. I was getting traction on my international career. Living my dream.
Performance reviews must die.
Biip! You get a calendar invite notification: “Performance conversation."
Stop Waiting for Permission to Grow: Why Self-Ownership Is Your Career Superpower
I spent years watching talented engineers wait for growth plans that never materialized and feedback that never came. They'd sit in their annual reviews, disappointed yet again that nobody had mapped out their future.
See you around.
— Rapha