Mounica Veggalam

Mounica Veggalam, Leadership Coach

Most impactful leadership lies at the intersection of:
- Personal growth
- Showing up with strong presence
- Learning to connect and lead other humans

I support leaders to scale their impact and create business results by guiding them through the above areas.

Career and Leadership Coach

Microsoft

I often get asked, “How are you a leadership coach when you haven’t been a manager yourself?”

The leadership I talk about is not strategic or tactical.

It’s self-leadership.

Your career trajectory — whether you reach C-Suite heights, or stay stuck in the middle — it starts with you. With what’s going on inside you.

This is the powerful lesson I realized at Microsoft. 

I observed inadequate leadership, average leadership, and excellent leadership. 

I was in heated design discussion rooms, witnessed managers make technical choices from their insecurities, and noticed the best empathetic leaders lost in overwhelm without any recognition.

I also saw powerful leadership from people who challenged the status quo. And challenged their own beliefs.

They were the people who did the right thing
- even when they’re anxious,
- even when they’re frustrated,
- even when they were at the edge of saying, “screw this sh**”

Your frustrations, disappointments, and resentments are where your growth opportunities lie.

When you understand and transform your inner landscape, your capacity for leadership expands, and you'll see the outside results: the promotion, the better project, and the better titles.

That’s the best way to make an impact in this world.

This is transformational leadership.

If you want to learn to lead your people from the inside-out, reach out and we’ll talk.

I am deeply invested in my personal transformation and leadership. That’s how I’m a leadership coach. That’s how I lead my clients to discover entirely new ways of presenting themselves.

I offer trainings, coaching and deep personal transformation, so you can feel fulfilled in your leadership mission. Send me a private message and we’ll chat.

Software Engineer

Practice Fusion

One of my mentors there asked, “Would you rather teach your kids to be smart or to be kind?”

What if I could do both?

With that question, I realized how starkly I’m drawn to deep philosophical concepts and the nature of the human mind. 

And this realization would set it in years later. But I didn’t know that then.

This internship was my entry into the software engineering world. 

It was incredible, surrounded by brilliant people in the startup culture. This is where I released my first feature into production, had my first exceptional manager, and gave my first talk in front of 200 smart people (I was terrible). 

It paved the way for another incredible role at Microsoft.

I won’t lie— I was arrogant about my IQ and my ability to grasp technical concepts quickly.

But I also had crippling self-doubt and introversion that got in the way of my impact.

Even through all that, a couple of things are common today:
— I value people and human connection. Regardless of my arrogance and self-doubt.
— I’m constantly pushing myself beyond my comfort zone. No matter how scary it is.
— I always look at my side of things. Even when I don’t want to. Especially when I don’t want to.

Today, this helps me serve my clients powerfully, 
— I point to the truth at the risk of them not liking me.
— I can deeply support them in facing the risks and uncertainities.
— I invest time and energy in confronting my beliefs and blindspots, so they don’t have to manage my ego.

It's a deeply rewarding experience.

Software Development Engineer Intern

Life & leadership coach for professionals, leaders and entrepreneurs | Software engineer turned coach & inner-work guide

Hi there! 👋 I’m Mounica. I help visionary tech leaders fast-track their careers so they can create more impact, build stronger teams, and bring their vision to reality, all with joyful life-balance.

I’m a software engineer turned transformational coach. Throughout my career, I was driven and confident on the outside. I achieved accolades, promotions, and patents. On the side, I tried to handle all my dissatisfaction with life through meditation and spiritual studies.

But none of that changed the *experience of life.*

I was always looking into the future for everything to settle down. My conversations lacked joy. I was subtly controlling in my relationships so I didn't break down. I was obsessed with achievement. 

Now I have a general sense of creative joy while taking up big projects. And I'm more present with my family.

It wasn't an overnight transformation (nothing worthwhile ever is). I approach this work from an intersection of developmental psychology (think ontological leadership and Robert Kegan's constructive map) and Eastern non-dual spirituality. 

Here are 3 levels of transformation you can expect through working with me:
1. Embodying your leadership voice & an internal compass, so you show Executive Presence.
2. Holding multiple, often conflicting, perspectives, so you bring a vision you deeply desire to reality.
3. Holding multiple identities, so you find creative joy in every choice you make (and have you ready for non-dual interconnected perception of the world).

This work is not about adding knowledge or skills but creating a *fundamentally different kind of mind* that takes the largest perspective, is more complex, and can handle more uncertainty.

My clients report:
- Influence without losing their ethics or empathy
- Command respect in a room full of brilliant (or skeptical) people
- Have ease, joy, and fun creating the results they want

If you’re curious, send me a DM!

Helping tech managers fast-track their careers with personalized 1:1 coaching.

I help with -
- Making tough career decisions
- Landing the next big role and making a vertical moves
- Transforming into a leader who delivers, impacts, and inspires.

Management skills and Relationships come easy to people managers. But what sets you apart is the Leadership mindset. I help managers become leaders and achieve their career goals along the way. 

The typical titles of my clients include:
- Engineering Manager
- Director of Engineering/Program/Product Management
- PM Manager
- Senior/Principal Engineers/PM

The Chief Excellence Officer™️ Academy

I teach and coach frontline managers to how to build an operating system that transforms strategy into excellence through their team.


ACCOMPLISHMENTS
---

1
―
Invented the OKR Quality Matrix, a tool used by managers in hundreds of companies to craft OKRs that measure what really matters.

2
―
Invented the OKR Activation Canvas, a tool used by managers in hundreds of companies to create operational clarity and link it to the strategic clarity brought by OKRs.

3
―
Creator of the following online programs:

• Questexcellence: The OKR Accelerator for Managers.
• Zero⭕️ → 🟢OKR Playbook for Managers

4
―
Author of "How to Activate OKRs - The 3 Step Uplift Protocol That Determines OKRs That Get Accomplished From Those That Languish"

Founder

AFRINIC

Scale and integrate AFRINIC's training offerings into a capacity development and professional services program from strategy development to execution and quality control.


ACCOMPLISHMENTS
---

1
―
Built afrinic.academy, a bilingual e-learning platform used by 4700+ engineers from over 80 countries with a median course Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 47 by developing all the required skills in-house, saving the company $250,000/annum.

2
―
Designed & launched the company's cohort-based course (“Zero to IPv6 Certified in 21 days”), which has received a median NPs of 57 from 2500+ engineers from 61 countries by implementing Agile Instructional Design.

3
―
Invented the Deployathon, which helps 150+ network operators to achieve 400+ IPv6 & RPKI deployment milestones yearly.


4
―
Launched certi6.io, the only bilingual IPv6 Forum Gold Certified certification with a 3-person team by implementing 4DX (the 4 Disciplines of Execution) creating a 500-question bank covering all 6 Bloom levels within 1 year.

5
―
Built my team into the company’s model for operational excellence by implementing 11 ISO 9001:2015-certified processes to a median maturity level of 7 on a 10-point scale.

6
―
Drove adoption of OKRs as the company's strategy execution framework across 80% of teams by facilitating a 5-day leadership retreat.

7
―
Designed the U-Connect partnership program and onboarded 17 universities in 3 countries to train 250 post-graduate students.

8
―
Earned an induction into the global IPv6 Forum Hall of Fame as an evangelist by training and advocacy of 7000+ engineers in 70+ countries.

Head of Capacity Building

Research, design and develop training courses to promote next generation (IPv6) Internet technology development in Africa. Targeting network engineers, governments and business executives.


ACCOMPLISHMENTS


1
―
Created the IPv6 Forum Certified Systems Engineer program by analysing gaps in the current certification offerings with respect to systems engineer’s job requirements. 

2
―
Developed a program which trained at least 600 engineers across 16 countries with a median NPS of 70 each year by designing curricula, building a team and standardising processes.

3
―
Grew demand 550% and participants’ satisfaction 60%(from 2010 levels) through systematic analysis and implementation of workshop feedback in key areas of trainers’ delivery, content and event logistics. 

4
―
Designed a testbed that's been used by over 50,000 engineers through 15 labs on 4 continents by standardising an architecture that integrates virtual machines to physical routers.

5
―
Secured $150K from the European Commission (6Deploy project) by showcasing the excellent ratings (median NPS of 70) we were consistently getting from 600+ engineers each year.

6
―
Cut per workshop costs by 60% ($65k p.a) while increasing duration from 3 to 4 days by creating a course experience for which all partners were willing to sponsor all fixed costs and 25% of travel costs each year.

7
―
Created the world’s first IPv6 Strategy & Planning course, which has been taken by 500 executives with a median NPS of 82 by analysing the implications of IPv4 exhaustion and IPv6 through the lenses of the business and mission model canvas.

8
―
Delivered a keynote presentation to 500 tech leaders, including 7 gov't ministers, at the African Development Bank's first Ministerial Forum on ICT Integration in Education (2013).

9
―
Rated “Excellent” on all KPIs for trainers by at least 90% of all course participants by continuously adapting my delivery based on course feedback.

Training Manager

UNDP

During this brief stint, I developed the agency's IT strategic plan to leverage IT in medical records management, improving interest in and access to education in order to support the MDGs.

ICT Coordinator

Ahmadu Bello University - Zaria

Manage the development evolution of a 7000+ node  IP network.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
---

1
―
Cut network outages by 80%  by redesigning the internal network to replace multiple levels of internal address sharing (NAT) with dynamic routing using OSPF.

2
―
Created the university’s Standards for Networking & Documentation policy which improved IT contract sustainability by ≥ 50% and was adopted by 20 other universities.

3
―
Increased project post-handoff success by 50% by creating standardised templates for documenting the work done by contractors.

4
―
Designed and implemented the university’s first traffic monitoring system, increasing networking traffic visibility by 95% using free open-source software.

5
―
Wrote “The Ntop User’s Guide”, which was used by 4000+ engineers worldwide to get started with free open-source traffic monitoring using the ntop utility. 

6
―
Designed and installed a 75 access-point enterprise WiFi network which served 1,500 nodes on time and on budget as proof of concept of my undergraduate project.

7
―
Initiated and co-taught the Effective IT-management track for ≥ 150 ICT Directors at the annual Nigerian Network Operators’ Group.

8
―
Led the development of the first network services strategic plan by facilitating SWOT & goal-setting brainstorming sessions. 

9
―
Increased adoption of Linux on the desktop by 100% within the team by modelling Ubuntu’s functional & aesthetic elegance. 

10
―
Implemented eGroupware to enhance internal collaboration, resulting in a 60% decrease in email reliance and a 57% increase in productivity.

Systems Analst/Network Engineer

Nigerian Network Operators' Group (ngNOG)

Objective: promote effectiveness use of ICTs in the Nigerian universities through training.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1
―
Co-authored (with Prof. Len Liverpool and Geraldine Daloengg) “Guide to ICT Policy & Strategy for African Higher Educational Institutions” to help ≥ 500 universities in Africa develop effective IT strategies. 

2
―
Initiated and co-taught the Effective IT-management track for ≥ 150 ICT Directors at the annual Nigerian Network Operators’ Group.

3
―
Selected as one of 7 trainers in Nigeria that reviewed the curriculum and strategic plan of Nigerian Network Operators’ Group. I introduced mind mapping to the group and led its use in brainstorming sessions.

Instructor (volunteer)

Kaduna Business School

Led organization´s IT development and general innovation, developed and taught IT-Business Integration, Six Sigma & Project Management executive development courses and consulting jobs.


ACCOMPLISHMENTS
---

1
―
Designed and implemented an engagement campaign across 5 states, which would later become the Nigerian Research & Education Network, by recruiting and leading a 5 team of former bosses & professors.

2
―
Rated “Excellent” on all KPIs  by at least 60% of ≥1000 executives in Project Management & Lean Six Sigma executive education courses by experimenting with different delivery methods.

3
―
Mapped 7 core processes at the military ordnance factory in Kaduna, setting the stage for Six Sigma implementation, which doubled factory output without increasing CAPEX.  

4
―
Delivered the inaugural presentation (“Internet Business Intelligence”) at the school’s launch, attracting an “Excellent” rating from 90% of the 25 participants.

5
―
Raised the median score of presentation quality for executive education content from 40% to 91% by pioneering the use of movie clips within slides & case studies.

6
―
Raised the quality of the school’s presentations by 60% by designing standard presentation templates & modelling engaging presentations to the other instructors.

7
―
Developed the proposal that won the school its first in-house training contract for 75 senior staff of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology.

Management Consultant & IT Coordinator

WWL Ltd

Responsible for developing proposals to client solutions, managed a 25 node CyberCafe network and providing technical support to clients. 


ACCOMPLISHMENTS
---

1
―
Raised equipment uptime by 60% by implementing a rigorous Friday night maintenance schedule.

2
―
Implemented an email system that served 500 staff of the Energy Commission of Nigeria by using Sendmail deployed on RedHat Linux. 

3
―
Boosted cybercafe revenue by $10,000/month by using  Windows Registry hacks to prevent bypass of the billing software to steal Internet services. 

4
―
Performed routine maintenance of 120 PCs in three cities (Jos, Gombe & Yola) over 3 days for First Bank of Nigeria.

Junior IT Consulting & Support Engineer [Internship]

Do you believe the best way to motivate a team is to get them to experience #excellence? then you'd love working with and for me. 

I created certi6.io (with a team of two) - the world's only bilingual IPv6 certification platform. I have trained over 3000 executives, managers and engineers in over 40 countries.

I design and implement systems that:

💎 Inspire people to do work that fills them with pride, producing services that clients adore.

💎 Produce learning experiences that captivate and drive people to flourish.

💎 Take the guesswork out of strategy execution.

Check https://www.perfexcellence.com for my resources and services.

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Mounica Veggalam

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