In reply to Sally G.

"more willingness to hear and address concerns of developers"

For this to happen I have to stress that developers must speak up.

Tweeting "I did not like XXX" is not speaking up.
Being angry on Post status slack is not speaking up.
Going to the WPTavern comments section saying "requirements are too difficult", but choosing to not even reply when the team follows up asking which requirement?, that is not speaking up.

That kind of failed, one way communication only causes frustration and a lot of stress and it is the kind of communication that places us further apart instead of helping us work to improve things.

If people do not communicate, if concerns and expectations are not voiced, the team and WordPress leadership has no, zero, chance of hearing and addressing those concerns.

Actively participating in meetings and suggesting ideas. Reading the blog posts about upcoming changes, replying to the discussion posts when the team asks for feedback. Opening Trac tickets and actively working on and following through on those ideas.
- That is how you make your expectations and your concerns heard.