With the fast-growing technological world often full of hindrances along one’s way to leadership, very few can get through such complexities with the same balance between innovation and empathy. A career in engineering management and coaching is not for the faint of heart—especially when it means addressing scalability issues that can impact an entire platform, or helping talented professionals break through barriers on their journey to leadership.
Naz Delam thrives in this space, constantly adapting and empowering others to reach their peak potential. As the Director of Engineering at Salesforce, she leads with the kind of insight and adaptability that allows her to tackle the toughest problems with a strategic mindset. But her true power lies in her ability to mentor. Founding Peak Potential Professional Coaching, Naz used her firsthand experience with the challenges faced by professionals advancing into leadership roles to create a coaching platform that’s as practical as it is empowering.
By combining actionable feedback with frameworks that help her clients think independently, she doesn’t just guide people through their careers; she equips them with the tools to shape their own futures. It’s this unique ability to foster growth in others, while driving innovation in her own teams, that makes Naz Delam an extraordinary force in the tech industry.
Empowering Engineers
Naz is the Director of Engineering at Salesforce and the Founder and CEO of Peak Potential Professional Coaching, where she helps ambitious professionals, particularly in engineering, accelerate their careers and unlock their highest potential. Her journey into tech was driven by a passion for problem-solving and innovation, alongside a desire to create tangible value.
Over the years, Naz worked her way from engineering roles to leadership positions, during which she recognized the need for a structured approach to career advancement tailored specifically to technical professionals. This insight led her to transition into coaching, where she now empowers others to excel not only in their technical expertise but also in confidence, communication, and leadership.
Empowering Tech Professionals
Peak Potential Professional Coaching was founded by Naz, drawing from her extensive experience as both a career coach and engineering manager. Throughout her career, she witnessed the unique challenges that talented professionals face when moving into leadership roles. While many coaching services offer broad, generalized career advice, Naz identified a gap in the market for a more specialized, hands-on approach tailored specifically to tech professionals.
At Peak Potential, the focus is on the key growth areas that enable clients to transition into high-impact roles. The programs emphasize developing leadership skills, strategic thinking, and effective career navigation. With a clear, results-driven approach, Peak Potential aims to deliver measurable outcomes in just 90 days, helping clients secure promotions, salary increases, and more fulfilling career paths.
From Layoff to Leadership
Naz once worked with a mentee who had been laid off from Twitter and was uncertain about his next steps. Facing a challenging job market, he sought guidance to navigate this uncertain period. Together, they implemented a structured, skills-focused approach, honing his technical interview abilities, expanding his network, and strengthening his resilience.
Within three months, the mentee not only received multiple job offers but also secured a senior engineering role at Salesforce. His success story exemplifies how combining technical expertise with mindset coaching can lead to remarkable outcomes, enabling individuals to rebound stronger, with renewed focus and clarity on their career goals.
Fostering Innovation and Balance
In distributed systems, Naz understands that collaboration is the cornerstone of success. She prioritizes transparent communication, goal alignment, and trust, creating an environment where every team member is empowered to take ownership of their work. By setting clear expectations and fostering a culture of autonomy, she ensures that innovation thrives and that each individual feels integral to the team’s overall success.
Naz also champions asynchronous communication and flexible working hours, which support diverse lifestyles and promote productivity without compromising personal balance. Through this approach, she cultivates high-performing teams that are both innovative and resilient.
Fostering Innovation Through Collaboration and Creativity
Naz fosters innovation by encouraging experimentation and embracing risk-taking. She initiates “innovation sprints,” where team members are free to explore passion projects and new ideas beyond their usual responsibilities. Regular brainstorming sessions and feedback loops ensure that every team member’s voice is heard, cultivating a collaborative environment where creativity is highly valued.
Naz also emphasizes the importance of recognizing and rewarding creative contributions, reinforcing the idea that innovation is not just an individual effort but a shared value across the team. This approach nurtures a culture of continuous growth and breakthrough thinking.
Empowering Teams Through Empathy
Empathy, active listening, and adaptability are at the core of Naz’s approach as a mentor. Empathy allows her to deeply understand each client’s unique journey, while active listening ensures she’s fully attuned to their specific challenges. In the ever-evolving tech industry, adaptability is crucial, as every client’s career path is different. Naz focuses on providing actionable feedback and equipping her clients with frameworks that encourage independent thinking, ensuring they have the tools for long-term growth.
In one notable project, Naz and her team encountered a major scalability issue that impacted user experience across the platform. Rather than imposing a top-down solution, Naz empowered her team members to brainstorm and propose potential solutions, tapping into their expertise.
Her role was to facilitate, offering guidance and necessary resources. This collaborative approach not only resolved the issue but also led to improvements in the system architecture, demonstrating the power of inclusive leadership in driving meaningful solutions.
Balancing Technical Expertise and Coaching
Balancing Naz’s technical and coaching roles presents both challenges and rewards. In her engineering position, she thrives on hands-on problem-solving and innovation, while coaching offers her the opportunity to empower others and witness their transformative growth.
These two roles complement each other; her technical expertise enriches her coaching, and in turn, her coaching experience enhances her leadership abilities, making her more empathetic and insightful. The most fulfilling aspect of coaching for Naz is seeing clients reach milestones they once believed were beyond their grasp.
Speaking at international events has further broadened Naz’s understanding of leadership and mentorship. Exposure to diverse perspectives on team dynamics, communication, and problem-solving has deepened her appreciation for inclusivity and adaptability. These insights have shaped her coaching methodology, making it more nuanced and empathetic—especially when working with individuals from varied cultural backgrounds.
Collaborative Journey of Growth and Learning
Naz approaches mentorship as a collaborative partnership, where both she and the mentee set clear goals and expectations. Through regular check-ins and feedback loops, the mentorship process remains adaptive and engaging. Naz values learning from her mentees, particularly those with diverse experiences, which allows her to grow alongside them. This mutual exchange keeps the sessions dynamic and rewarding for both parties.
Committed to continuous learning, Naz stays current by reading research papers, attending conferences, and engaging in communities where tech professionals discuss emerging trends. She shares this knowledge with her mentees, offering insights into the latest industry developments and guiding them in developing the skills to stay ahead.
For example, if machine learning is becoming increasingly relevant in a mentee’s field, Naz might direct them to resources or projects where they can gain hands-on experience and apply machine learning in practical ways.
Nurturing Inclusion and Innovation
A few years ago, Naz led a diverse team with varying cultural backgrounds and communication styles. To foster an inclusive environment, she initiated workshops on cross-cultural communication and encouraged each team member to share their unique perspectives on projects. By making diversity an ongoing conversation rather than a one-time initiative, she cultivated an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding, where everyone felt valued and heard.
Naz also applies principles from cognitive science to her leadership. By understanding how individuals process information, make decisions, and collaborate, she creates a psychologically safe environment where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas. This approach, grounded in cognitive psychology, supports diverse thinking styles and boosts team performance and innovation.
Fulfillment of Empowering Others
Naz measures success by the tangible milestones her mentees achieve: promotions, new job offers, heightened confidence, and greater clarity in their career direction. Feedback plays a crucial role in this process, as she regularly seeks input from mentees on what’s working and what can be improved.
For Naz, the true indicators of success lie in her mentees’ growth and satisfaction. Moreover, seeing them excel in their careers and give back to their communities provides her with a deep sense of fulfillment and accomplishment.
