On-the-Job Training Practices

It was 3:42 AM. A junior data engineer had just deployed an update to a core ETL pipeline. Minutes later, critical data jobs started failing, no reports were loading, dashboards were blank, execs across 5 time zones started pinging Slack. Panicked, he called the on-call senior. His first words were exactly, “I think I broke something in the latest DAG. Data isn’t moving. I’m really sorry, it’s on me. How should we tackle this?” The senior didn’t say: → “Did you not test locally?” → “Why didn’t you follow the migration checklist?” → “This is why we don’t deploy at night.” Instead, he said: “Breathe. I’m here.” Within 15 minutes, they had looped in another data engineer and the analytics lead. They spun up a staging pipeline, checked data snapshots, and started tracing the failure. By morning, the pipeline was fixed. No critical data was lost. The dashboards were live before the CEO even noticed. Was it a serious incident? Absolutely. Could it have been avoided? Most likely. But it was also a huge learning moment. No one sent blame emails. No one asked for “accountability reports.” In the post-mortem, here’s what was said: When production’s on fire, it’s not about who to blame. It’s about who steps up, who calls for help, and who’s willing to fix it together. He flagged the issue early, owned up, and asked for backup. That’s what you want in a teammate. Mistakes will happen. Even in big data. Even with your most careful plans. But when someone tells you the pipeline’s on fire at 3 AM, → Don’t make them feel smaller. → Hand them a playbook, not a punishment. Lessons come after. First, you help put out the fire. That’s real data engineering leadership. That’s what I’ve learned leading teams in the trenches as a Senior Engineer

I wanted to become an expert in ‘Behaviour Change’ But I struggled till an incident showed me what I was missing The story & the 2 Behavior Change principles every leader must know… It’s May and the Indian summer is at full strength. I am taking a session for school teachers but they don’t want to be here. They don’t want to attend another training that will be boring, disrespectful & useless. But our research had revealed these issues so I have some tricks up my sleeve. Our content is bite-sized, actionable & solves their top problems. Our trainings are full of games & movie themes. Most importantly we treat teachers with genuine respect. It works & the trainings go incredibly well. Teachers tell their friends & next day the attendance doubles. At the end, I ask: “Will you apply all this ?” “Yes” they answer. Then I follow up: “Do you think they will work ?” ”No” they reply. I am taken aback: “So why will you apply them ?” ”Because you were kind to us & you really believe they will work. We will try them for you.” This was unexpected. I wanted to convince teachers with our rigorous research & testing. But the trust was established by how we had treated them & our passionate belief in the content. Then I remembered Everett Rogers. Most know his innovation model: Innovators → Early adopters → Early majority… Few know his core insight behind the model: “Change is a social process. People change because of other people.” This explained what was happening here. Then teachers went back to their classes, tried our stuff & blew up our messages: ”OMG!! This works. Why were we not taught this before ?” ”This child who had never answered, answered today. I now believe every child can learn.” We had assumed these mindset shifts would take a long time. But many teachers were making them a lot faster. Guskey’s model provided the explanation: People do mindset trainings for teachers but that rarely works. What works better is to make it easy for teachers to try new behaviours. Once they experience success, they change their own mindsets. So ❌ Mindset Change → Action Change → Success ✅ Action Change → Success → Mindset Change ————————— Generalising these 2 principles for any leader trying to change behavior: 1️⃣ MESSENGERS MATTER → Make sure they are kind, fun, inspiring & respectful → It all starts with people liking & trusting them 2️⃣ FOCUS ON MAKING PEOPLE EXPERIENCE SUCCESS QUICKLY → People can disagree with you. They can’t disagree with their own success → Focus on them experiencing success quickly with the new behavior & adoption will skyrocket. We overhauled our model based on these 2 counter-intuitive principles. This helped us scale our model to 1000s of teachers & become one of the top training organizations in India. I now use these principles with 100s of entrepreneurs & leaders I support. They work just as well. #Change #Leadership #Management Any behaviour change insight you have stumbled onto ?

I can’t stop thinking about this. If you invest in your people from day 1, they’ll invest their talents in your company tenfold. It sounds obvious, but I’ve seen firsthand how often this gets missed. I joined companies and startups with zero training: - no documentation - unclear processes - no real onboarding I was expected to figure it out as I went, and honestly, it was brutal 😭 So here’s what *actually* sets people up for success: —— 1️⃣ What does a new hire need to know but feels awkward asking? Think back to your first 30 days. ↳ How do things actually work here? ↳ Where do I go for answers? ↳ What mistakes should I avoid early on? If the answers live only in someone’s head, that’s the gap. ✅ Document anything you explain more than once. —— 2️⃣ Where are people guessing instead of being guided? When training doesn’t exist, people improvise. ↳ Clicking the wrong thing ↳ Following outdated steps ↳ Copying work that isn’t quite right That’s how errors and rework happen. Tools like Tango make this easy by turning workflows into step-by-step guides. ✅ Record one common task this week and turn it into a reusable guide. —— 3️⃣ What tribal knowledge needs to be documented? You know it’s a systems problem when there are: ↳ Constant pings ↳ Repeating the same answers ↳ Little time for deep work ✅ Have your strongest team member document one core process they own. —— 4️⃣ Are you onboarding people or overwhelming them? More information doesn’t mean better onboarding. People need: ↳ Clear priorities ↳ Time to practice ↳ Space to build confidence ✅ Use a simple 30-60-90 day framework for all new hires —— 5️⃣ Are expectations clear or just assumed? When expectations are vague: ↳ People second-guess themselves ↳ Feedback comes too late ↳ Performance feels personal instead of fixable ✅ Check in early and often and schedule 20-minute check-ins with your manager or onboarding buddy in the first 8 weeks. —— When you give people the right tools, training, and support, you get: → Faster onboarding → More consistent processes → Fewer mistakes and support tickets → Happier, more confident employees 💙 You can’t expect people to thrive without setting them up properly. Set people up to win and they will 🫶 Do you agree? #TangoPartner

Stop blaming “bad hires.” Your expectations are killing your business. I’ve seen it happen too many times: Months spent recruiting the best people. Then they join and they're forgotten about. Within weeks: The new hire checks out & eventually quits. How To Set New Hires Up For Success: 1️⃣ Provide A Structured Onboarding Plan ↳ A clear roadmap for the first 30, 60, and 90 days. ↳ Outline key responsibilities, goals & success metrics. 2️⃣ Assign A Mentor Or Buddy ↳ Someone they can turn to for guidance & quick questions. ↳ Helps them feel supported and connected. 3️⃣ Create A Training & Development Plan ↳ Teach the tools, processes & skills they need to thrive. ↳ Learning shouldn’t stop after onboarding. 4️⃣ Set Clear Job Expectations ↳ Define what success looks like in their role. ↳ Align expectations early to avoid confusion later. 5️⃣ Celebrate Wins & Show Appreciation ↳ A simple “great job” goes a long way. ↳ Recognise contributions early to build confidence. 6️⃣ Encourage A Healthy Work-Life Balance ↳ Don't overload them from day one. ↳ Set realistic expectations & support their well-being. 7️⃣ Be Patient & Give Time To Adapt ↳ Even top performers need time to settle in. ↳ Support their learning curve instead of expecting instant results. Invest in your onboarding & training. Just as much as your recruitment. Hire well. Onboard better. Great onboarding isn’t a “nice to have” - it’s a necessity. Do you agree? Comment below ⬇️ ♻️ Repost to share with your network. 👋🏼 Follow Dan Mian for more insights.

Then next frontier of #AI: building adaptive expert systems that learn and evolve. Adaptative AI goes beyond Static AI: While large language models (LLMs) are impressive, they currently lack the ability to autonomously learn and evolve over time. Adaptive Expert Systems are AI-driven “teachers” that not only answer questions but continually acquire new knowledge and evolve. Core Components: - Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG): Enhances AI’s ability to pull accurate information from up-to-date sources, critical for specialized fields. - Active Learning: By analyzing user questions, adaptive systems focus on relevant knowledge gaps. - Automated Data Collection: Enables AI to autonomously gather new information to fill identified knowledge gaps. - Self-Tuning: Fine-tuning itself, an adaptive AI maintains expertise without overfitting, akin to a professor updating knowledge for their students. Real-World Examples: There are many projects but the most known projects are AutoGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, BlenderBot 3, and Squirrel AI are paving the way with features like autonomous data collection and feedback-based learning. Challenges & Ethics: Ensuring data quality, avoiding model drift, and maintaining ethical safeguards are vital as AI systems become more autonomous. Adaptive expert systems represent the next frontier in AI – interactive, ever-evolving “professors” that not only teach but learn from their interactions. As AI technology grows alongside human understanding, industries like education, healthcare, and business intelligence could transform through real-time, continuously updated insights. https://lnkd.in/ex-cbVMM

🔎 When analyzing the onboarding processes of various companies from a DEI perspective, I have noticed that some organizations understand the importance of having a buddy system, providing DEI training during onboarding, and introducing new hires to ERGs. However, there are also overlooked foundational steps that can drive significant change: 💡 Step 1: Conducting a DEI Audit of an Existing Process Before designing your inclusive onboarding program, it is crucial to conduct a DEI audit of your current process. This audit involves assessing your onboarding materials, procedures, and practices through a diversity and inclusion lens through employee personas. It helps identify any gaps, biases, or exclusions that may exist, enabling you to make targeted improvements. 💡 Step 2: Developing Pre-Onboarding Resources Pre-onboarding plays a vital role in setting the stage for an inclusive onboarding experience. Create materials that introduce new hires to practical information, but also your organization's culture and DEI initiatives. Providing this information in advance helps new hires familiarize themselves with your commitment to DEI and sets expectations for their onboarding journey. 💡 Step 3: Designing an Inclusive Onboarding Program for the First Year Extend the onboarding process beyond the initial few days or weeks to encompass the entire first year of a new hire's journey. This extended timeline allows new hires to deepen their understanding of your organization, build relationships, and fully integrate into the company culture, fostering a sense of belonging. 💡 Step 4: Training Onboarding Facilitators and Buddies While many organizations recognize the importance of training onboarding facilitators, they often overlook the significance of training buddies in DEI. These people play a crucial role in supporting new hires and shaping their onboarding experience. Provide comprehensive DEI training to both facilitators and buddies, empowering them to create an inclusive and supportive environment. This training should cover topics such 🧠 unconscious bias, 💬 inclusive communication, 🗺 cultural competence, ensuring that they can effectively guide new hires through the onboarding process in an inclusive way. ________________________________________ Are you looking for more practical tips and DEI content like this?  📨 Join my free DEI Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dtgdB6XX

My daughter was bored in high school. Here is the model she wished existed. While we debate AI in K through 12, a few operators are building. MacKenzie Price at Alpha Schools is shipping a full school solution. Ulrik Juul Christensen and the team at Area9 Lyceum provides an adaptive learning platform districts, networks, and universities can deploy. The latest Possible podcast episode with Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger explores how this can work at scale. The shift that matters most Teachers focus on coaching, mentorship, and motivation. AI runs in the background, handling pacing, diagnostics, and feedback. That is how we bring more humanity back into the classroom. Life skills we are missing, and why it matters When my daughter was in high school, she and her classmates were asking for real life skills during the school day. Not as electives, as essentials. This can be a game changer for the future workforce and for families. • Personal finance and taxes. Budgeting, credit, fraud prevention, and tax basics. Make this universal and measurable. • Home economics for all. Cooking, nutrition, sewing and repair, household planning, and basic safety. • Communication and public speaking. Rehearsal, structured feedback, presence, and storytelling. Employers still flag this as a top gap. • Media and digital literacy, the Norway model. Norway bakes critical thinking and source evaluation into its LK20 curriculum and uses classroom ready fact checking lessons through Faktisk.no’s Tenk program. Treat this as a core strand in every grade. Why this matters now: models like Alpha compress core academics with AI guided mastery in the morning, then use the afternoon for projects, teamwork, and real coaching. Alpha is the whole school example. Area9 Lyceum is the platform path for existing schools. What stands out • Time shift, better outcomes. Two hours on core academics, then life skills, projects, and teams in the afternoon. • Evidence loop. Adaptive assessments feed individualized plans that change what students do next. • Teacher economics in the open. Pay coaches well. Alpha lists guide roles at 100K per year. • Platform cost today, down tomorrow. Alpha cites a meaningful 10K per student AI platform cost today, with room to decline as the technology matures. • Solution versus platform. Alpha is a complete school model. Area9 Lyceum is a deployable adaptive learning platform used across sectors. What to watch Access and affordability at scale. Independent, multi year results across diverse communities. Robust data governance and age appropriate guardrails. Facilities and zoning. A sustainable path for teacher development as coaches. Grateful to Aria and Reid for putting this conversation on center stage and drawing out the builders doing the work. I will add sources and the podcast link in the comments. Open to thoughtful debate.

Just Wrapped Up My First On-Call! It was a great learning experience, and I’m pleased with how it went. Here are a few tips that helped me handle it effectively. 👥 Shadow: - Watch different team members handle incidents. Everyone has a unique approach, and you’ll learn new ways to troubleshoot by observing multiple people. 🔍 Get Hands-On Early: - Don’t just watch, start troubleshooting small issues yourself before your official rotation. If you’re stuck, explain what you’ve done so far and ask for guidance. The more you ask, the faster you’ll learn. 📱 Turn On Alerts: - Make sure on-call notifications are enabled on the right channels! You don’t want to miss a critical incident because you forgot to enable alerts. 📝 Document as You Go: - We get Slack alerts for incidents, and replying directly to those messages with your findings or any relevant info helps keep everyone in the loop. It makes handing off at the end of your on-call smooth and ensures the next person is up to speed on what’s been resolved or what needs attention. 📚 Leverage Past Incidents: - If you hit a tricky issue, search for similar incidents and see how they were resolved. Always build on the team’s existing knowledge. Add any new insights to your incident thread so future on-call engineers have a solid reference. 🛠️ Boost the On-Call Docs: - I added frequent troubleshooting steps and patterns to our on-call documentation. A solid, updated doc can save a ton of time for the next person on duty! What’s your best on-call tip? Drop them below! #TechTips #OnCallLife #EarlyCareer

Women learn, lead, and take risks differently when they are in rooms full of women, and decades of research shows those rooms can change trajectories. This is a small but mighty group of saleswomen in the Reno-Tahoe area that are part of the Reno-Tahoe Women in Sales meetup. We had a wonderful evening solving each other's challenges. Why all women? Well, men are welcome and . . .   In See Jane Win: The Rimm Report on How 1,000 Girls Became Successful Women (1999), psychologist Sylvia Rimm reports that graduates of women’s colleges go on to take more leadership positions in their careers than women who graduate from mixed‑gender colleges. Her work underscores that when girls and young women learn in women‑only environments, they are more likely to build the confidence and aspirations that lead to leadership.   Fast‑forward to today, and the data on women’s peer networks is even clearer. A recent study of MBA graduates by researchers affiliated with Yale School of Management and Opportunity Insights found that just a 4 percentage point increase in female peers in their sections translated into an 8.4% higher probability of women reaching senior management roles, largely because women relied on those peers and alumnae networks for candid insight and guidance. Imagine if there were even more female peers for them.   Networking research on women leaders shows similar patterns. Survey data published by WomenTech Network in 2024 found that over 80% of women leaders use networking to drive their career success, including 90% who say it helped them join a board, 84% who used it to break into the C‑suite, and 81% who used it to secure higher‑paying roles, with professional and women‑only networks cited as especially powerful. This is why groups like Women in Sales, Women in Revenue, Wednesday Women of Pavilion and many others, matter so much. When women in sales and other go‑to‑market roles sit down together, they are more likely to: 😊 Share the hard truths about deals, pipeline pressure, and compensation that they might soften in mixed groups. 😊Exchange concrete strategies for navigating bias, getting promoted, and choosing companies with truly women‑friendly practices. 😊Build the kind of peer network that not only lifts their performance today but also opens doors to future leadership roles.   This is not about excluding men. It is about creating intentional spaces where women, and anyone who identifies with women’s experiences, can be fully candid, fully ambitious, and fully supported as they learn and grow together.   And if you happen to be in the Reno-Tahoe area and want to join us, let me know. There are also meetups all over the country you can join. Just ask me if you need help finding one. And keep an eye out for information about the #SalesDecadesProject by Lori Richardson, which this year will celebrate women who sold in the 80s with an award ceremony and a full day of sales conversations with these women and other experts.

I bet this truth about soft skill programs will not surprise you If you have experienced it yourself Imagine doing a 4-hour communication skill development program for your team You get 👉🏻The best resource person 👉🏻The entire team in a fancy meeting room 👉🏻A lot of activities to make them feel better At the end of the program, they give a 5-star rating and leave Why? Because in the moment, they definitely enjoyed But after stepping out, have you checked - If they are making the same mistakes in drafting an e-mail? - If they are talking to clients in the same unstructured manner? - If they are listening to queries actively? This is where the program must get evaluated Real-life change never happens through a 4-hour program It’s like going to the gym for 4 days and expecting 6-pack abs This is why, at Talk2Grow™, even our short training programs have these 3 things in common 1. Context-based activities A team building activity in a communication program is fun but not contextually appropriate. We have done away with such strategies to get positive reviews 2. Follow-up action plans Our post-session resources ensures that we don’t leave participants with a one time learning experience but a long-term actionable outcome 3. Evaluation of change We focus on assessing change during and after the training program to ensure that the participants have experienced a mindset shift A small note to companies out there: ❌ Stop chasing paper. ✅ Start chasing results. The next time someone pitches you a soft skills program, ask them: "What happens after the training?" Their answer will tell you everything you need to know. PS: Looking for an intervention that's less about fun and more about outcomes? DM right away for more details #softskills #softskillstraining #outcomes #personaldevelopment #careergrowth #corporatetraining LinkedIn Guide to Creating