The Quiet Power of Listening: How It Transforms Dev Teams


“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” — Stephen R. Covey
In software teams, we often celebrate speed, clever solutions, and clean code. But there’s a quieter force that holds everything together — listening.
Not the kind that nods while waiting for a turn to speak, but the kind that remembers, responds, and reorients. The kind that says: you matter.
💡 Listening Builds Safety — and Loyalty
The difference between a leader who listens and one who doesn’t is night and day.
A leader who listens understands the person behind the engineer. They feel the pain of a missed deadline, they fight for fair scope, and they help their team grow — even if it means reworking a roadmap.
A leader who doesn’t? They end up with burned-out, disengaged teams — teams who’ll eventually leave for somewhere they feel heard.
Listening isn’t just a soft skill. It’s a retention strategy.
🧠 Your Team Will Remember That You Remember
Some of the most meaningful leadership feedback I’ve received wasn’t about my decisions or tech strategy — it was about how I remembered.
One teammate told me years ago they wanted to start something that could make a difference in their country. We hadn’t spoken about it in a long time — but in a recent 1:1, they mentioned a project that they were working on with a friend. I said, “That’s amazing — I remember you telling me this is something you always wanted to do.”
The look on their face said everything.
Listening isn’t passive. It’s cumulative. It builds trust brick by brick.
⚙️ Listening Powers Better Decisions
As a dev manager, knowing what my team wants and needs shapes every decision I make — from project allocation to timelines.
If a project has more breathing room, I’ll match it with someone eager to explore new skills or deepen their expertise. When a project demands high efficiency and rapid delivery, I look for someone whose current skill set aligns well with the task — someone who can hit the ground running without needing to ramp up.
It’s not just about getting the job done — it’s about aligning opportunities with where each person is in their growth journey.
🖥️ Remote Work Needs Intentional Listening
Having been the quiet, shy one growing up — I learned early on how to really listen. Not just to words, but to tone. To what’s not said. To body language.
That skill became essential when I started managing remote teams.
Cameras on. Shoulders slouched? Voice a bit off? I’ll notice. And I’ll check in — gently, respectfully, privately.
Listening remotely takes effort. But it’s effort that pays off in trust, retention, and connection.
🧭 Listening Is How We Align Careers and Companies
To me, listening is leadership.
Your team is the lifeblood of your company. If you don’t know what drives them — what frustrates them, what they dream of — then how can you lead?
When you listen, you build more than good software. You build a team that wants to build with you.
🧩 Listening Isn’t Flashy — But It’s Transformative
Listening may not show up on dashboards or burndown charts, but its impact is everywhere — in the trust we build, the clarity we gain, and the culture we create. As leaders, the more we lean into this quiet power, the stronger and more resilient our teams become. Because when people feel heard, they don't just stay — they thrive.
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Written by

Megan Tipps
Megan Tipps
Hey there! I’m Megan—full-stack developer, dev manager, and a firm believer that great code starts with great people. I’ve been surrounded by tech since dial-up tones were still a thing. My dad was a COBOL programmer, so while other kids were outside, I was inside building websites in Notepad with HTML and inline CSS. (Yes, it was chaotic. No, I have no regrets.) These days, I lead with empathy and scale with code—mentoring teams, building real-world apps in Vue and Node, and navigating the rollercoaster from dev manager to future CTO. The best part of my job? Watching someone I’ve mentored level up and suddenly realize they’ve got this. I'm proud of how far I’ve come—not just technically, but personally. It took grit (and more than a few boss battles, both literal and metaphorical) to find my voice in this industry. When I’m not writing code or crafting dev blogs, you’ll find me in my garden, in the kitchen experimenting with something delicious, or immersed in a good single-player game—just me, the storyline, and a quest that definitely doesn't involve coordinating with strangers online. This blog is where I share the lessons I’ve learned (and am still learning) as a hands-on leader in tech. Welcome to my corner of the internet. Let’s build better teams, better software, and a better tech culture—together.