CEO @ Fotando | Building AI-ready systems for non-technical companies | Founder @ SalesRing

We help non-technical companies use AI the right way: by simplifying their business first.

Most growing companies want to use AI. 

But the business already feels hard to manage.

1. Information is spread everywhere.
2. Processes aren’t clear.

Adding AI on top of that usually makes things worse…  More tools, more activity, but not much actually changes.

That’s why so many AI projects get stuck in “almost there” for months.

 At Fotando, we help non-technical companies simplify how their business works first and then apply AI where it actually makes a difference.

The goal is real change in 8 weeks, not 18 months. 

If AI feels important for your company but also confusing or overwhelming, feel free to reach out.

Happy to have a straightforward conversation and see if this makes sense for you.

Uladzimir Ausianikau

WHAT I DO:
I support Fortune 500 mid-to-senior overworked leaders breakthrough to their next level with ease and become the success they know they can be.

WHERE HAVE YOU SEEN MY WORK: 

🏥 Duke Health
🚢 Royal Caribbean
🔍 Google
🧬 CZI
🧪 Tricentis
🎮 SONY
☁️ AWS
💾 NetApp
🏥 Kaiser Permanente
🌐 Cisco
🎯 Target
🏦 Royal Bank of Scotland
🎯 Publicis Sapient
⚖️ Clifford Chance
🛡️ Aon

WHY WORK WITH ME
I have moved countries, pivoted to different companies, and industries numerous times and bring 20 years of Fortune 500 transformation leadership combined with ICF-certified coaching experience. I've navigated change related challenges-establishing Centers of Excellence, leading transformations, working at the intersection of technology, process, and people.

What I HELP LEADERS WITH:

★ Build an influential executive brand that opens doors
★ Shift from tactical firefighting to strategic thinking
★ Develop commanding presence and authentic charisma
★ Transform self-doubt into executive-level confidence
★ Master difficult conversations and manage challenging personalities
★ Surface blind spots sabotaging your success
★ Apply Fortune 500-tested leadership strategies

WAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT:

Focus on strategic positioning at your specific transition moment tailored to your needs. 

BENEFITS MY CLIENTS REALIZE:
→ Greater clarity on direction
→ Increased confidence articulating value
→ Stronger strategic positioning
→ Successful leadership transitions
→ Breakthrough on limiting patterns

Your results depend on your commitment to the work and the collaborative process. 
You do the work, I provide the support, challenge, and partnership.

SERVICES
➤ 1:1 Executive Coaching – Strategic positioning and transition support
➤ Group Coaching for Direction + Story + Reputation Alignment 
➤ New Leader Transition Support
➤ Leadership & Team Coaching

IS THIS RIGHT FOR YOU?
This resonates with leaders who:
✓ Are a mid-senior leader at Fortune 500 companies
✓ Are ready to explore your next move
✓ Are open to examining patterns and perception

May not fit if:
✗ Seeking job search tactics or resume optimization
✗ Want consultant to prescribe solutions
✗ Not open to examining own patterns

NEXT STEPS
Message me to start a conversation. We can then schedule an exploratory call to see if working together makes sense. Clarity comes from exploration. Let's explore together.

Meenu Datta

Most leaders exploring their next step struggle with the same thing:
Every option feels equally possible. And equally uncertain.
Here's what creates certainty:

Honesty + Leveling + Positioning

All 3 create the foundation for your next step. 
Skip one, and you'll second guess every option.

↳ Without Honesty: You consider moves based on what feels right or what others expect. You explore options without a clear read on where you actually are.

↳ Without Leveling: You use your current title as your baseline. But titles don't transfer across companies, industries, or ventures. Real leveling comes from scope, complexity, impact, autonomy, consequence. Not your business card.

↳ Without Positioning: You explore everything. Every opportunity feels equally possible and equally uncertain.
Strategic moves require clarity. Not just effort.

Here's the work I help my clients focus on before the external search:

1) Honesty: Map the last 12–24 months:

What did you own end to end?
How big was the problem?
How much freedom you had to decide?

This cuts through wishful thinking and impostor syndrome. 
Both distort the same data in opposite directions.


2) Leveling: Map yourself against real leadership standards. 

The transitions look like:

From doing → to owning outcomes
From being guided → to setting direction
From shipping work → to shaping strategy

Then ask trusted leaders: "Where would I land in your organization and why?"

You're looking for patterns. Not validation.


3) Positioning: Separate one-time wins from your track record.

One-time win: "I led a transformation once."
Track record: "I consistently lead transformations at this scale."

Hiring decisions are based on behavioral patterns. Research shows past performance predicts future success. 

So positioning yourself around what you reliably deliver matters more than highlighting what you did once.

Then you choose your next step strategically. 
Not the move that proves something. A move where your track record positions you to succeed from day one.

Most leaders skip to exploration. 
But exploration without positioning leads to decision paralysis.

The leaders who move with confidence do something less visible first. 
They calibrate. They get clear on where they are and where they can credibly land.

👉 If every option feels uncertain, the work might be internal clarity first. 
💬  Serious about your next clear move? Let's talk.

I help accomplished tech executives (Directors, VPs, C-suite) make their next move with clarity minus sacrificing sleep, self, or family. | 20+ yrs in Big tech → ICF-certified coach | Internal shift, not external tactics

When I left tech, I went back to coaching school. Then I started my own business. And almost right away, I heard the same thing in a dozen different ways.

Most people stayed polite. But the message landed the same.
"What the f* are you doing with your life?"

It showed up as small talk.
"How old is your son?" "How long until he goes to college?"

It showed up as warnings.
"I've seen people try this and come back to corporate within a year."

It showed up as praise (that felt heavy).
"You're so brave. I could never do that. I have too many responsibilities."

It showed up as a timeline verdict.
"Starting over in your 40s must be so difficult."

They were not wrong to be concerned. The financial pressure was real.
Walking away from stability looked questionable.

They were not trying to stop me. They were processing their own relationship with risk through my decision.

And I got it. Because I asked myself every one of those questions first.

Late at night. 
In spreadsheets.
In that quiet moment when the house is asleep and your brain gets loud.

I ran the numbers. I played out the worst case.
I pictured the awkward conversations.
I pictured the regret.

Then I did something that changed everything.

I did the math on both sides.
Not just the cost of leaving.
The cost of staying.

Staying had a price tag too. It just did not show up on a bank statement.

It showed up as slow drain. 
Less energy. Less honesty with myself.
More Sunday dread. More waiting for the “right time.”
More years of being safe and quietly disappointed.

So I stopped treating the decision like a single risk.
I treated it like two risks.

Risk #1 was leaving.
Risk #2 was staying.

And I realized most people only calculate one side.
They only ask the safe question.
"Can you afford this risk?"

I started asking the other one.
"Can I afford not to?"

Both questions matter. The answer depends on what you measure.

If you measure only steady paychecks, leaving looks reckless.

If you measure your life in decades, staying can be the bigger gamble.

Three years later, many of those same people reached out.
Some made their own changes. 
Some stayed put and felt good about it.
Some are still thinking.

If you are hearing these comments right now, take them for what they are.
People are not trying to stop you.
They are naming what you already think about at 3am.
The concerns are valid. The pressure is real. The fear is normal.
What matters is knowing which question you are actually asking.

My takeaway:
Do the math on both sides.
Not to prove anything to anyone. To tell yourself the truth.

Three years in, I know this.
The questions people asked were the right questions.
I just needed to answer them for myself, not for them.

Now I help other leaders do the same.
That is what makes it worth it.

Your last performance review: "Exceeds expectations."
Your team's anonymous feedback: "Micromanages everything."
Which one is true?

Both.

You exceed expectations because you step in when things stall.
You micromanage because you step in when things stall.

Same behavior. Different lens.

This is the gap most executives miss. 
The strength that built your career becomes the pattern that blocks your next level.

"If I don't handle it, quality drops."
"Leaders need certainty."
"Conflict damages culture."

These beliefs made sense when you were an IC. They limit you as a VP.

The 7 traps in this carousel are patterns I see with executives caught in this gap. 

Each one shows the hidden belief. 
Each one served you once.

Swipe through. See which one you recognize.

The question isn't whether you have them. 
The question is: which one are you ready to see differently?

7 Traps That Derail Even Strong Leaders

Feeling stuck is not failure.
And not all plateaus are the same. Why?

High performers hit plateaus even when they do everything right.

Most people call it burnout.
Most of the times, it is something else.

Identify your plateau.
Then move through it, strategically.

Here are 5 plateaus that look similar from the outside, but inside the stories are completely different.

⚪ Burnout Plateau

Signal:
You feel tired, small tasks feel heavy, you can see you're losing your edge.

What is happening:
Your system runs hot for too long.

Response:
• Cut scope before you cut standards  
• Protect sleep and deep work  
• Remove one meeting block per day  
• Take real time off, not “light weeks”

⚪ Mastery Plateau

Signal:
You perform well, but nothing feels new.

What is happening:
You outgrew the learning curve.

Response:
• Raise the bar with harder problems  
• Teach what you know to expose gaps  
• Switch from output goals to skill goals  
• Find a new constraint, speed, quality, scale

⚪ Identity Plateau

Signal:
You keep winning, but it feels wrong.

What is happening:
Your role no longer matches who you are becoming.

Response:
• Rewrite your “I am the kind of leader who…” statement  
• Drop one label you keep protecting  
• Take one project that fits the next version of you

⚪ Invisible Growth Plateau

Signal:
No big wins, but you feel steadier.

What is happening:
Quiet growth, better judgment, stronger foundations.

Response:
• Track leading indicators, not applause  
• Document decisions and lessons weekly  
• Stay consistent and let compounding work

⚪ Misaligned Plateau

Signal:
You work hard and still feel off.

What is happening:
Your effort points at the wrong target.

Response:
• Recheck priorities against strategy  
• Stop “good work” that does not move your mission  
• Take more time to say yes.

There is wisdom in the pause. 
It brings you clarity that you miss because you no longer can discern right from wrong.

👉 Then, what matters is how you choose to respond to the clarity.

🔖 If it helps, save it to ponder over it again over the weekend. 
♻️ Feeling generous? Repost to help someone in your network.

A Plateau is not a failure. Not all plateaus are same.

After 20 years in Fortune 500 tech, here's what I got backwards for most of my career:
I thought the org chart was a one-way care system.

My manager takes care of me.
I take care of my team.

I was excellent downward. I knew whose kid had a recital. Whose parent was in the hospital. I protected them fiercely.

With my manager?
"Tell me what you expect. I'll deliver it."
That was it. 
No curiosity about what landed on their desk that morning. 
No acknowledgment of their constraints. 
Just: here's the output you asked for.

What I didn't see: they were managing 8 direct reports, 3 skip-levels escalating, and a VP who changed priorities twice a week.

The shift happened when I stopped asking "Why am I hearing about this now?" and started asking about upstream constraints instead.

Sometimes the answer was: "The board moved up the deadline." 
Sometimes it was: "Two people are out sick and I'm covering their escalations."

Suddenly I wasn't just receiving tasks. I was seeing the system my manager was navigating.

What happened next surprised me:
My managers started looping me in earlier. Not on every fire drill, but on the ones where my context would help. I got pulled into conversations no one at my level was part of before.

For some leaders, this opens up real strategic partnership. For others, especially in highly political or command-and-control cultures, it backfires. 
They interpret curiosity as weakness or see it as your attempt to manage them.

So, you need to be mindful of the openness of your manager. And when it works, you stop being just an executor. You become someone who sees the whole board.

I still pushed back. I still challenged timelines. The difference was I understood what I was pushing against because I stopped treating every request like it existed in isolation.

Where in your chain could you ask one more question before reacting?

I talked to three tech leaders this week who are navigating the job market.
Two of them said something similar: "I know I'm good at what I do, but the silence and uncertainty is hard and makes me doubt everything."

Here's what I keep noticing, and what might help:
The market's response isn't a referendum on your value.

When applications disappear into black holes and recruiters go silent, it's easy to make it personal.

But a lack of interview calls doesn't mean you're not capable. 

Deep down you know that it means:
- ATS systems filter out qualified people, 
- Hiring freezes are real even when jobs are posted, and 
- Timing is off in ways you can't control.

None of that is about your worth.

Here's what I learned from 20+ years of hiring in tech:
The role goes to the person who feels like the lowest-risk choice to the hiring manager. Not the most qualified. The least risky.

That's why referrals work because someone already de-risked you by saying "I've seen them deliver."

If you're applying cold, you're competing with hundreds. If someone says "I worked with them, they're the real deal," you're competing with three.

Your play: 
One conversation with a former colleague at your target company > 50 applications to strangers.

What helped the leaders I've worked with:
1. They stopped checking email 12 times a day for responses that aren't coming. 

2. They set two blocks per week:
One for applications and follow-ups
One for reaching out to their network

The rest of the time? 
You can do something that reminds you you're still capable. 
-Mentor someone. 
-Write about what you know. 
-Solve a problem for a friend.

The job search is brutal on your sense of self. Protect it by staying active in ways that prove your value to yourself, even when the market isn't showing it yet.

The uncertainty is real. Your capability isn't in question.

For those navigating this: what's helped you stay grounded?

Most people chase big goals. Winners build small systems.

7 habits that'll pay off forever:

1. Daily movement

Start with 10 minutes
Link it to something you already do (after coffee, after lunch)
Progress comes from showing up, not going hard

2. Deep work blocks

One 45-90 minute block daily. Protect your best brain hours.
One task, one goal, decide the "done" point before you start
Phone in another room, notifications off
Why: Deep work builds rare value. Rare value gets paid.

3. Sleep protection

This is the base habit. Without it, every other habit breaks.
Simple shutdown routine: dim lights, cool room, no screens
Stop stealing from tomorrow

4. Money autopilot

Willpower fails. Systems win.
Auto-save, auto-invest, auto-pay bills on payday
One rule: if it's not in the plan, it's not bought
Why: This habit buys freedom. Not later. Over time.

5. Skill stacking

One skill changes your year. A stack changes your life.
Pick one core skill (writing, sales, coding, design)
Add one support skill (communication, storytelling, systems)
Ship something small weekly
Why: Skills compound faster than motivation.

6. Relationship deposits

Your network is your safety net and your launch pad.
One thoughtful message daily
Keep a list of 20 people you care about
Make deposits before you need withdrawals
Why: Strong relationships create strong opportunities.

7. Weekly review

This is the habit that keeps the other six alive.
Same day, same time each week
Review: what worked, what failed, what gets fixed
Plan three priorities for the next seven days
Why: Clarity beats hustle. Every time.


You might say: "I already know this. I just can't stay consistent."
Without the weekly review, the other habits die. 
That's the one that makes them stick.

🔖 Save this to come back to it when motivation fades.
♻️ Repost it to help someone who needs systems, not just goals.

➕ I, Meenu Datta work with successful senior tech leaders who are ready to achieve audacious goals in 2026 without burning out.

That urgent message you just interrupted your focus to answer?
It's costing more than you think. 
This Fortune 50 CTO learned it the hard way.

Your brain can't make quality decisions in constant interruption mode. After 90 minutes of task-switching, your strategic thinking capacity tanks.

I worked with 15+ senior leaders trapped in this cycle last year. 

She started working with me after spending years of answering every message within 15 minutes. Her team loved her "responsiveness."

Until they didn't.

Her decisions grew reactive.
Her strategic vision narrowed.
Her team became dependent rather than capable.

This wasn't stress. It was neurological depletion.

The solution wasn't becoming unreachable or unresponsive. 
It helped becoming strategically unavailable though.

Here's the framework that worked for her:

(The hard part? Her first instinct was "my team/CEO will never accept my special schedule." Sound familiar?)

1. Created untouchable deep work blocks
90 minutes, twice daily. Sacred space for strategic thinking.

2. Established predictable communication windows
Batched responses 3 times daily instead of random availability.

3. Documented decision frameworks
Clear guidelines for which decisions needed her input versus which her team could own.

Within 8 weeks:
⚪ Her strategic clarity doubled 
(her team noticed she was "seeing around corners" again)

⚪ Team autonomy increased 60% 
(measured by decisions made without escalation)

⚪Decision quality improved across the organization

Most surprising thing? 
Her team felt more supported, contrary to what she thought.

So, your constant availability isn't leadership generosity.

It's training dependency, programming reaction over creation, and valuing urgent over important.

The leaders who scale know precisely when to connect and when to protect their focus.

Open to an experiment? 
Try this Monday: Block 90 minutes as "strategically unavailable."

One thing that makes this 3x easier? 
Preparing your stakeholders first.

👉 Ever tried implementing something like this? What got in your way?
🔖 Save the steps to come back to later.
♻️ Feeling generous? Share it with your network.

"Don't boil the ocean."
If you're leading transformations in tech, you've heard this. Probably dozens of times.

Along with:
"We need a quick fix that doesn't create more work for our teams."
"Can't we just skip the process stuff and get to results?"

These concerns came up in almost every transformation I've led.

Leaders wanted results yesterday. 
Process improvements felt like overhead.

And I'm aware that the pressure to show immediate results is real. 

Board expectations, quarterly targets, stakeholder demands - all of it creates a very real constraint on how much space leaders have to invest in the longer path.

And then some leaders found a way to create that space anyway.

Same board pressures. 
Same "show results by Q2" demands. 

But they managed up differently - reframed timelines, built internal case studies, educated stakeholders on what sustainable transformation requires.

They invested in process. Process became habit. Habits shifted behavior. And when behavior changes, you get both - culture transformation and measurable results.

Slowly, I started noticing the parallel.

We face the same tension in our own career development:

-Conference networking or strategic relationship building?
-Bootcamp certifications or sustained leadership development?
-Profile optimization or genuine thought leadership?

It's not that one is wrong. It's that the pattern is the same. 

The pressure to show immediate progress pulls us toward the faster signal, even when we know the deeper work compounds differently.

Twenty-seven studies confirm it: behavior-based goals stick 3x more than outcome-based goals.

Your career progression is change management too.

Same choice. Same tension. 
Same opportunity to decide which investment serves you better.

👉 What habits/patterns are you reinforcing?

Credit: to Adam Grant for the image and for triggering this thought.

------------
👋 I, Meenu Datta, work with tech leaders who are ready to build strategic influence that lasts beyond the next quarter. If this resonates, let's connect.

Three executives this month. Same story. Different companies.

"I'm stressed about making the wrong call on this hire." "I'm losing sleep over this reorg decision." "I can't stop thinking about how my CEO will react to my proposal."

All three thought they had a decision-making problem.

They didn't.

They had inherited a belief that came up during the session:
"My job is to have all the answers before I speak."

That belief came from somewhere. A manager who rewarded certainty. A culture that punished questions. 
An early experience where not knowing = not safe.

It brought memories for me because I lived it too.

I had a manager who needed every possible question anticipated before presentations to the VP.

No gaps. No "I'll get back to you on that."

My belief that 80-90% prep is enough got buried. 
I adapted. Over-preparation became my new norm.

The cost? Constant stress. 
Missed deadlines on other projects. 
Pressure I passed straight to my team. 
Sleep I'll never get back.

I thought I was being strategic. I was being compliant.

His fear. My nervous system. 
One inherited belief: incomplete = unsafe.

Here's what most executives miss:
The voice pushing you to over-prepare, over-deliver, or over-function?
Sometimes, it's not even yours.

It's borrowed. And it's exhausting because you're performing someone else's pattern.

The question that reveals this:
"If no one was watching, would I still be doing this?"

If the answer is "probably not," you're operating from external validation, not inner clarity.

That's the pattern I help executives see. 
Because you can't shift what you can't see from inside your own system.

The most capable leaders I work with have the same problem:

They're too good at too many things. And their teams have learned to wait. 

It doesn't have to stay this way.

Whether you've seen this pattern in your organization or recognized it in yourself, here's what I keep noticing as we head into 2026:

What Being the Go-To Person Actually Creates:

🚧 You Become the Constraint
↳ The business moves at the speed of your availability.

😤 Your Team Stops Developing
↳ When you're always the answer, they stop building their own judgment.

🔥 Everything Becomes Urgent
↳ If only you can solve it, every request needs you now.

⚖️ Your Value Gets Stuck
↳ Too critical to move up. Too stretched to think strategically.

If you're ready to build a team that doesn't require you for every decision, here are 3 approaches worth trying:

1️⃣ The Decision Authority Matrix

A way to see what actually needs you vs. what you're holding onto.

Draw two columns:
Decisions Only You Should Make: 
Strategy shifts, major resource allocation, high-stakes consequences.

Decisions Others Can Own: 
Execution details, tactical choices, operational adjustments.

Map your last two weeks of decisions. Notice where they actually fall.
Some things you're approving could be owned by someone else. Worth examining why they're still routed through you.

2️⃣ The 70% Standard

A way to think about developing others without needing perfection.
The concept:

Your team member can get to 70% of your solution on their own.
That 70% is enough to move forward.

The gap between 70% and your 100% often doesn't matter as much as you think.

Ask yourself: "What would happen if they decided this at 70% without me?"
When the answer is "nothing critical." That's a decision you can let go.

3️⃣ The Vacation Test

A simple check on how dependent your team has become.

The question:
If you disappeared for two weeks with no access to email or IM, what would break?

Make a list. Be specific.
Then ask: "Does this need to break, or have I just trained people to wait for me?"

The goal isn't to be replaceable in your role. It's to be replaceable in the daily grind so you can focus on the work only you can do.

Building systems that work without you doesn't mean you're not valuable. It means you're valuable in a way that scales.

Indispensable sounds like job security.
It's actually a constraint on everyone-including you.

The strongest leaders build teams that can execute without them.
Then they focus on the problems no one else is positioned to solve.

Not every decision needs your input.
Not every problem needs your solution.
Not every question needs your answer.

Being needed for everything isn't leadership. It's a system design problem.

What's one decision you could let your team own in 2026? ⬇️

Want to lead with clarity? Start by letting go.

Effective leaders prioritize what truly counts.  
They concentrate on fewer tasks, but execute them with excellence.

Here's what top leaders stop doing:

- Rushing to fix. They pause and listen first.
- Saying yes without clarity. They ask before agreeing.
- Overexplaining. They let results speak.
- Joining every meeting. They choose wisely.
- Reacting to everything. They stay calm and pick their battles.
- Filling silence. They let ideas breathe.
- Rushing decisions. They take time to decide well.
- Doing it all. They delegate and trust.
- Working nonstop. They rest so they’re sharp.
- Taking things personally. They keep ego out.
- Needing to be smartest. They learn from others.
- Confusing busy with progress. They focus on impact.
- Overexplaining boundaries. They keep it simple.
- Speaking to be heard. They talk when it matters.
- Controlling every detail. They trust the process.

Leadership is characterized by the legacy you create.  
It’s not just about the moment, but what endures after you’re gone.

Ready to lead with less noise and more purpose?

Let’s connect for tools to lead with clarity.

Looking forward to speaking to this community of agile practitioners in an hour's time. We'll be talking about how to add agility to agile implementations, what breaks when pressure hits, what needs protecting, and what needs to let go in that scenario. Join us!

Co-Creator of Agile Leadership Program @ Chingu | CSPO | Product Manager | Diversity and Inclusion Advocate

✨ We're so excited to host Chingu's first Lean Coffee session of 2026 with the amazing Meenu Datta, Executive & Leadership Coach and Founder of Leadership Edge Accelerator. 

Meenu brings over 20 years of experience leading transformations across Fortune 500 organizations and will share practical insights on what Agile looks like in real teams; not just in textbooks. We’ll talk about adapting Scrum, leading through change, and making Agile actually work in day-to-day practice.

Looking forward to an honest, engaging conversation on Agile in the real world. 🚀

#AgileLeadership #LeanCoffee #AgileinPractice #TechLeadership #Chingu

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Meenu Datta

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