umang

Leading CloudOps at SAP Taulia | Communication skills | I share my learnings from my mistakes and experiments | Management | DevSecOps

[umang @umangv_]

A mistake I made for a long time was not owning my 1:1s with my manager.

So my manager did.

My 1:1s became status update meetings.

Or we discussed topics that my manager wanted.
We rarely spoke about growth or feedback.

Here is what I do now:
✅ Own the 1:1s and set the agenda.
✅ Created a document, and shared it with my manager, to list items I want to discuss. The manager can also add their items.
✅ Talk about feedback and growth at regular intervals.
✅ Bring up any critical issues related to projects or help needed.
✅ Discuss things my manager is working on and where I can help.
✅ Status updates are discussed separately. In some meetings, it might happen, but this is rare.

The outcome:

💠I am now strategic about my growth.
💠I get a picture of my manager's view at his level and topics discussed with his peers.
💠Most importantly, it helps us be aligned and prioritized on the right things.

Here is a wonderful question that a leadership coach, Ali Merchant, shared with me to ask my manager — “What’s one thing you need from me, you’re not getting?”

Do you own and drive your 1:1s with your manager?

[umang @umangv_]

@vfsglobalcare The captcha worked today but had issues submitting the form from multiple browsers and devices and so have sent a DB, @vfsglobalcare

[umang @umangv_]

@vfsglobalcare I am trying to submit a question from this page - https://t.co/mkbTIiCVN7. It asks me to enter a captcha and that is garbled

How do I fix this and submit the question?

[umang @umangv_]

The most dangerous phrase in operations:

“Just this once.”

A deployment without a review.

A production change made “just this once.”

A process skipped because everyone is busy.

Nothing breaks.

So nobody reacts.

That is how risk accumulates.

Not through one bad decision.

Through a hundred decisions that felt reasonable at the time.

The challenge in leadership is that you are often measured on outcomes.

But your real job is paying attention to patterns.

Most failures are visible only in hindsight.

The pattern was visible much earlier.

[umang @umangv_]

@vfsglobalcare Thanks for the quick response. I am using Chrome and if it does not work, I will send a DM.

[umang @umangv_]

At 2 a.m., nobody asks which prompt was used.

They ask what controls were in place.

Everyone’s talking about what AI can do.

Infrastructure teams are asking what it should be allowed to do.

Building the app is the sprint.

Operating it at scale is the marathon.

The capability conversation is easy to start.

The trust conversation is harder to finish.

Because trust isn’t built into the model.

It’s built into everything around it.

Identity.

Governance.

Guardrails.

Auditability.

At scale, trust becomes the constraint.

The application gets the attention.

The infrastructure earns the trust.

[umang @umangv_]

Ten years of experience can be one year repeated ten times.

Time keeps count.
It does not keep score.

Most careers don’t expand.
They harden.

The same instincts.
The same decisions.
Just executed faster.

Repetition feels like mastery.

It rarely forces you to confront what’s outdated.

Experience accumulates automatically.

Growth requires disruption.

[umang @umangv_]

@tankots @WisprFlow Wispr Flow

[Tanay Kothari @tankots]

We offered 5 people a Porsche 911 GT3 RS if they could get @WisprFlow to make a mistake

It's the fastest and most accurate AI voice dictation app that's 3x more accurate than ChatGPT, Claude, or Siri.

Today, we’re finally launching on Android. Download now: https://t.co/TJhnUhDSLv

As a part of the launch, we’re giving away 6 months of Wispr Flow Pro for free.

Like, retweet and comment ‘Wispr Flow’ to get it. Enjoy.

— Written with Wispr Flow

[umang @umangv_]

@claudeai getting 500 internal errors frequently today.

[umang @umangv_]

Having fun using @claudeai's Claude code but fumbling with dates and days.

Have built a personal task tracking system and can't get Claude code too get the days/dates right (I typically have a long running session).

Tried to add instructions in https://t.co/WJhRCuCQ7J but doesn't work.

Got this response from Claude

"NEVER assume or calculate dates in your head - always verify with the system calendar.

The instructions exist. I'm just not following them.

The honest truth is: I don't have a good answer for how to make me reliably follow instructions that are already clearly written. This is a limitation - I can see the instructions, I can acknowledge them, but I still fail to execute consistently.

What we could try:
1. **Make it even MORE prominent** - move it to the very top of https://t.co/loDLuWX0jy with all caps
2. **Add it as a pre-response checklist** - "Before responding about dates, verify them"
3. **Accept that I will make mistakes** and you'll need to catch me

But fundamentally, if I'm not following clear instructions that already say "NEVER assume dates," adding more instructions may not help.

I don't have a good solution. What do you think would help?"

Would appreciate suggestions.

[umang @umangv_]

@businessbarista Claude

[umang @umangv_]

A short series on communication - Part 1.

https://t.co/IGpItQEEtp

[umang @umangv_]

I 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸.

I finally stopped waiting for the perfect moment.
I kept telling myself I wasn’t ready. Not good enough. Not consistent enough. Not “writer” enough.

Honestly? I got tired of my own excuses.

So here it is: 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘇𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.
My space to write without overthinking, perfect words, or permission.

First post is up: 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁

https://t.co/BmhSkxP9LB

If you’ve connected with the way I share my lessons and mistakes here, you might find something meaningful there too.

No big launch. No strategy.
Just truth.

[umang @umangv_]

@SejalJain1710 Do you mean tacitly? 😃

[umang @umangv_]

I don't have a why.
I don't want a why.

I'm not in a “find my purpose” season.
I'm in a “show up and keep moving” one.

Some days don't need a reason.
No explanations.
That’s it.

Ever feel like that?

[umang @umangv_]

I keep saying I’ll slow down.
But I still fill every gap in my day.
Maybe clarity needs space, and I’m not giving it any.

Yesterday was Sunday.
I realized I was trying to fill the gap instead of leaving the space.

[umang @umangv_]

𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗱𝗴𝗲.

Now I see it was a leash.

When I had a team in India, I’d check emails in the middle of the night. Half-awake, scanning subject lines, responding before I even fully read.
It made me feel dependable, like I was holding things together.

These days, it’s Slack.
I wake up and reach for my phone before I reach for my thoughts.
I tell myself it’s responsibility.
But sometimes, it’s just reflex.

I’m learning to trade speed for space.
To pause before I respond.

Viktor Frankl wrote,
“Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

I’m learning to live there more often.

👉 Where in your life could you use a little more space before responding?