How Identity Has Influenced A Managing Director At Work On Climate's Career
Inbal's career in male-dominated tech industries taught them to intentionally "speak up and make [their] opinions known," building confidence even when initially intimidated. This approach, contrasting with more traditionally valued "male traits," allowed them to develop strong management and leadership skills based on empathy and active listening, ultimately differentiating their career path.
Communication, Leadership, Confidence, Overcoming Challenges, Executive/Leadership
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Inbal Nachman
Managing Director, Programs & Communication
Work on Climate
UC Berkeley - Class of 2012
INSEAD - MBA 2018
Ethnic & Related Studies
Climate, Environment, Sustainability & Waste Management
Operations and Project Management
Honors Student, Immigrant
Video Highlights
1. Inbal's experience in male-dominated tech environments highlights the importance of self-advocacy and confidence-building for women in navigating their careers.
2. She emphasizes the value of pushing oneself to speak up and share opinions, even when uncomfortable, as a way to claim space and build confidence.
3. Inbal's approach of leveraging traditionally feminine traits like empathy and active listening, rather than trying to emulate male-dominated workplace norms, allowed her to develop unique leadership skills and stand out in her career path
Transcript
As someone who identifies as a woman, how has that impacted how you've navigated your career?
I had a couple of jobs in the tech industry, which are male-dominated fields. I was in it at some point, and I would walk into rooms that were, I'd say, 80 to 90% men. That always, especially earlier in my career, really intimidated me.
Early on, I realized that I had to advocate for myself and speak up as much as possible. So, in rooms where I felt like I wanted to shrink and be smaller, I would intentionally open myself up and push myself to the edge of speaking up and making my opinions known. That really built my confidence.
Even if I wasn't necessarily right a lot of the time, I felt like I at least claimed some space for myself in those rooms. It really prepared me to deal with more uncomfortable situations that came up over the years.
I do think it's not easy being a woman in general, in almost any field. There are always things that will come up in some way or another, whether it's microaggressions or things that become a little more problematic.
But I do think there's a lot of power in claiming my identity. I was a woman in a male-dominated industry where some male traits were more valued, like being aggressive, having a certain tone, or speaking up more.
It felt like leaning into the opposite of those values—being soft, empathetic, and listening a lot—made my management and leadership skills so much better and different from other people's. I was able to make a name for myself because I had different skills from what many of those people were presenting.