Yaniv Preiss

I’m a leadership coach, management consultant, and former engineering manager with over 25 years in software engineering. Over my career, I’ve managed and coached teams at leading technology organizations, from startups and scale-ups to global companies such as Amazon.

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I help engineering managers and heads of engineering build the leadership skills needed to lead high-performing teams, communicate with clarity, and create sustainable impact without burnout.

My coaching combines hands-on engineering leadership experience with evidence-based management practices, helping technical leaders turn insight into consistent execution.

My clients typically work on:

• Transitioning from individual contributor to manager
• Giving feedback that actually changes behavior
• Delegating effectively and building trust
• Managing conflict and difficult conversations
• Agile transformation
• Group and team structure
• Using DORA metrics and productivity gains
• Retaining the best people

I offer 1:1 coaching, team workshops, and consulting for growing tech organizations.

Why

It was the evening before the performance review conversation with my manager.

I was very stressed because my manager skipped many of our 1:1 meetings and did not share feedback with me, so I had no idea how I was doing. I was glad to finally find out!

A few days prior, I submitted my self-assessment including facts, explanations and examples I had been continuously gathering for the past 6 months.

I was utterly shocked when my manager presented an empty performance review to me. It included only numeric ratings on the four questions, which he rationalized as subjective.

The whole thing took a few minutes and did not give me any idea what I had been doing well and what to improve on.

That day I decided that I would change this.

Very often, the “best” team member (whatever “best” means) is “promoted” into a management role with zero guidance and training. They then repeat trivial mistakes on the backs of their direct reports, leading to poor results and attrition, mistakes that could have been prevented with a short time investment.

I spent a long time learning about management and eventually became a manager, where I could apply all the knowledge and actionable guidance.

My mission is to help managers by spreading this knowledge to prevent repeating the same mistakes over and over.

Nerd Path 🤓

Started programming when I was 7, studied Computer Science and worked in various roles – QA automation, development, DevOps, CTO, failing Entrepreneur, Engineering Manager and Head of Engineering.
Over 20 years as an individual contributor, team lead and manager of managers.

Experienced tiny startups to huge companies, desktop, mobile and web, internal tools, B2B and B2C, legacy to shiny technologies, zero to huge volumes of traffic and data, on-premise to cloud and waterfall to agile.

I have been successful in increasing productivity and engagement, as well as shortening the cycle time of my teams, while increasing retention, even in times of mass-resignation in the industry.

Passion ❤️

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” – as a person who cares and is a believer in constant improvement, I am passionate about professional growth in a psychologically safe environment, where collaboration, relationships and trust play a major role in getting results. I care about effectiveness, value and technical excellence.

Podcast guest 🎧

My Strengths Finder 💪

My DiSC Profile 🥏

My 6 Types of Working Genius ⚙️