Most engineering teams are great at debugging code.

But when the “bug” is human, like misalignment, friction, or feedback, we often default to silence, assumptions, or escalation.

In this episode, @Shani Horowitz-Rozen speaks with @Shai Cohen, Director of Engineering and Core Group Lead at Optibus, about what it takes to build something rare in R&D: a safe place without lowering the bar.

They talk about:

Why active listening is one of the most underrated leadership skills in engineering

What Shai does differently in 1:1s with teammembers

Why strong teams don’t “avoid” feedback, they normalize it

What communication skills does Shai look for when hiring new developers

Where AI helps and what it can’t replace.

If you lead engineers (or want to), this episode is a practical reminder:  psychological safety is not a soft value, it’s your execution infrastructure.

🎧 Listen here:

 

 

@dafniel Magen

#develeap #podcast #communication