The Caring Techie Newsletter | Irina Stanescu | Substack

The Real Efficiency Bottleneck Isn’t Planning, it’s Thrash

Why planning aversion isn’t productive and how to find the sweet spot

Sep 22 • Irina Stanescu

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Recent posts

3 Critical Skills You Need to Grow Beyond Senior Levels in Engineering

Applicable to both technical and managerial tracks

Apr 29, 2024 • Irina Stanescu

How to Think Like a VC When Evaluating a Startup Role

A venture capitalist inspired checklist for choosing your next startup role. The questions to ask before you invest your time and energy.

Aug 12 • Irina Stanescu and Oana Olteanu

Lessons in Leadership from Formula 1: Christian Horner vs Toto Wolff

High pressure is a given in F1 and Tech. What changes everything is how you lead.

Jul 10 • Irina Stanescu

High Performers and The Cost of Relentless Self-Critique

If you want to perform at your best, you need to fire your inner critic and hire your inner friend instead.

Jun 20 • Irina Stanescu

Getting People to Listen is a Skill → Here’s Where to Start

A practical guide to understanding why your message isn’t getting through and what to do about it

May 15 • Irina Stanescu

How to Avoid Sleepwalking into Irrelevance in the Age of AI

Let’s be real: most people in tech are still too chill about AI.

Apr 23 • Irina Stanescu

What High Performers Know About Doing Hard Things

The mindset, habits, and brain science behind pushing through

Mar 27 • Irina Stanescu

The Key to Asking Great Questions

Hint: It’s not just about what you ask, but how you ask it.

Mar 11 • Irina Stanescu

8 Guaranteed Ways to Annoy Your Senior Engineer

A comprehensive list of things that grind the gears of most software engineer, especially the seniors

Feb 12 • Irina Stanescu

Announcing: Re-launching "Impact through Influence"

Why I built this course and who it’s for.

Jan 29 • Irina Stanescu

Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Self-Assessments

Tips to help you sound like the awesome human you are

Jan 17 • Irina Stanescu

Setting Yourself Up for Success in 2025

By infusing clarity, purpose and focus in everything you do

Jan 8 • Irina Stanescu