Watch Out Gal Gadot, There’s a New Wonder Woman in Town. Meet Jennifer Nath Doc-Habany
Written by: Leslie Siegel
What do Gal Gadot and Jennifer Nath Doc-Habany have in common? Well, they’re both wonder women taking on the world by storm.
Jennifer grew up in the Washington D.C. area and has been living in Israel since 2012. She studied political science and international relations, which brought her on a winding path to Israel. Currently, Jennifer works at WalkMe, a digital adoption platform pioneer that enables any business to simplify the digital user experience and minimize software confusion. Jennifer juggles her successful marketing career while also being a mother to soon-to-be two children, and not to mention she has a blackbelt in taekwondo.
Jennifer has three jobs: corporate marketing, executive assistant to WalkMe’s president and most importantly, being a mother. She stressed how WalkMe’s environment aids her in aspiring to achieve the balance she seeks to find in all three of her jobs. Since WalkMe’s ultimate goal is to improve the human experience, working at WalkMe conveys the same mission; it has been a refreshing and inspiring experience for Jennifer thus far.
When speaking with Jennifer, it is clear she did not hide that being a mother and a woman in the workforce comes with challenges. She appreciates her experience at WalkMe and their approach to making it easier for their employees to do it all, but in the wider working world, there’s still more to accomplish. Jennifer brought up a strong analogy stating, “It’s not enough that the doors are open for women now. The shape of the room still doesn’t take families into account.” She emphasized the concept that a whole family is joining a company’s workforce, a concept companies have to begin accepting.
“It’s not enough that the doors are open for women now. The shape of the room still doesn’t take families into account.”
Being American-Israeli, Jennifer has a unique perspective into the two cultures. When comparing these two work cultures, they are almost polar opposites. In the United States, the question people ask themselves is “what is the protocol?” Employees strive to become the ideal business man/woman that society has so graciously arranged for them. On the other hand, in Israel, the question is “what do I want to do and how should I get there?” The Israeli work environment is more relaxed and goal-oriented. Employees often look towards their superiors as collaborators, rather than run from them. Israel’s culture juxtaposed next to the United States’ culture brings to light one jarring difference: Israel has fewer and more relaxed social norms. There is no large mass media market broadcasting the ideal image and there certainly are no movies or shows showing people “this is how you should be.” Could this be because of the mandatory enrollment into the army? Jennifer explains how the army definitely acts as one tool for social leveling to some extent, but there is still a larger story.
This larger story unfolds with the dynamic and unstable nature of Israel’s history. The country is a startup in itself; it was founded by an ambitious and desperate group of people who thought outside of the box to fulfill their dream. Israel was created from the “do it myself” mindset. In Israel’s case, “do it myself” often meant “digging my own sewage lines” in its early years. This personality is rooted in Israel’s culture. In addition to Israel’s history, the present and the existential nature of Israel’s challenges doesn’t leave much room for sitting around. As Jennifer put it bluntly, “people don’t have time for bullshit.” And she’s not wrong. Israel has the most startups per capita in the world. The country’s success stems from its go-getting, fearless people who haven’t developed the habit of understanding rules to be much more than “guidelines,” for better or worse. The professional experience afforded by the army, the lack of strict social norms within the mainstream society and Israel’s dynamic history make the country a gold mine in the business world as well as a fertile landscape for anyone itching to get their hands dirty.
When asked if she had any advice for someone interested in starting a career in a startup, Jennifer eloquently spilled what she has learned throughout her many careers thus far. She listed a few key tips for success:
1. Know what kind of role you want
2. Everything is a learning experience in a startup
3. Have an eagerness to get things done and a willingness to learn
4. Don’t come with too much of imposter syndrome or starry-eyed syndrome — everyone is in it together
5. Don’t be stuck in the box of your role. You can do everything and anything
And for the people in the career building stage: There is a lot to be said for your intuition and your gut feeling.
Jennifer believes her intuition has led her to her job at WalkMe and she ultimately hopes to balance all the various aspects of herself, while not giving up on any of them.
Thank you, Jennifer, for being one of the many wonder women we can all look up to!
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