Stephanie Mehta: Welcome, Anjali. I’m glad you’re here with us today.
Anjali Sud: Thank you, is great to be here.
SM: At Vimeo, you lead a workforce 1,300 people worldwide — you have creatives, you have finance people, have technologists. So I’m going to start with a really easy question: what was it to manage this diverse workforce through a global pandemic, a racial reckoning and a fraught return to office?
AS: Oh, it was a breeze, Stephanie. No, it was really challenging. know, I think the only constant has been change. And a leader, you obviously — you have a workforce that’s looking for certainty, and they’re to control what’s happening around them. And I think what we all found, as leaders, no matter company you were … responsible for, was that you couldn’t offer certainty, you couldn’t always control the environment and the things around you. And so, know, for me, it was really about agility. How do we flexible as a team? How do we communicate in real time and keep informed as we try and move through things? And then, also just how do we lead more humanity? You know, for Vimeo, one of the I’ve really learned over the last few years is we each experience the world so differently. We have who are remote. We have an incredible team in Ukraine … who are on the front lines, who are literally at war. the other hand, you have people in different parts of the world who experiencing mental-health challenges or burnout, and so I think was really just — the hardest part was not being able to give everyone certainty, not able to just apply a one-size-fits-all rule for everyone. But I ultimately think it forced us, a company, to build more trust, because to be agile and flexible, and to lead with humanity, have to trust each other. And so, I’m sort of that actually we’re emerging from this time with a culture that is more flexible nimble, and also, hopefully, has more trust.
SM: Can give an example of something that you put into place, perhaps during pandemic, to enhance communications or build trust or create greater sense of community or even to communicate that there is no certainty, that is a that you think you’ll continue to use in the organization far into the future?
AS: There’s couple of things that we did. One — and we a video platform, so I obviously have to talk about video, but mean this sincerely — one of the hardest parts, when you’re all of disparate, is you lose context and you lose nuance when you communicate. And we make a concerted effort to move away from email chat, text-based communication, as much as possible, and actually try, particularly for our team, when we were communicating, to do it with face, and your hands and your body and your emotions. And did that through live streaming a lot of communications, recording a of videos. We sent asynchronous video messages. So I send … I record my and just send a note out to people. Every hire does a video to welcome and introduce themselves. lot of our meetings we’ve actually replaced with just quick video presentations. And actually, what that really was allow the humanity and the context to come through and I think that helped a lot to, kind of, stay close. So that one, I think, really important thing.
Another important thing is, think, just creating mechanisms to make it easier to about when things aren’t working, because a critical part being agile is recognizing we have an area that isn’t working. so one of the things that we do at Vimeo we try — I do this in all of town halls, we do it in a lot of meetings — always talk about what’s working, what are our top things, and what isn’t working — yet. And we’ve kind of created, I think, a framework that of takes the stigma away from talking about what’s not working. And when you make that normalized and for people, I feel like it’s allowed us to be more open, as an organization, about what we need to change, what do we need to pivot. both of those, being more video-first in our communication and more transparent and normalizing what’s not working, I think been really helpful, and certainly something we’re carrying forward.
SM: I that advice about being video-first. So many of our members of workforce live in a video world. They’re used to video as a of communication. Which brings me to my next question. You’ve talked about how the organization has changed. How you see the workforce changing? What is different with the millennials, and even, now, the first wave of Gen Z coming into workplace?
AS: I think it’s incredibly different. And, you know, one of the that we think about at Vimeo a lot is a of the mechanisms and communication modes that we still today, they’re really antiquated. They were designed for a different environment and a totally different generation. But I see lot of differences. One of them, I think, is the line between personal life and work life is definitely blending. … If you think about your personal life — at TikTok. This generation is used to consuming content, learning, engaging, a very specific way. And if they then have come to work and to be trained on a job, read a 300-page manual? Like, it’s not going happen, right? Or if you miss the meeting, and have to watch the Zoom recording of a three-hour — that’s just not going to happen. And so I think that there is definitely sort of — you know, we talk about the “consumerization of enterprise.” are just fancy words for saying the way … we and interact in our personal lives is going to to work. And so I definitely think that’s an area of opportunity.
The other I see from sort of the generation, the newest generation into the workforce, is sort of, of course mission-driven, but I think there’s a to really understand the “why” behind things. And one of communication mantras is we never talk about the “what” without the “why.” And think there’s a desire to — the idea that, well, there’s a hierarchy, “My boss told me that this is what we’re going to do” or — that, I think, is moving away, and people, they don’t just want to do something because with formal authority told them to do it. They want to do it because they why it matters, why it ties to the mission. And I think that that forces leaders to bring more of the “why” into how we communicate and motivate people.
So are two of the things I see, and then, you know, the third I think is just flexibility. think — and this is true of all of us, but particularly younger generation — I think they’re looking for flexibility they want options and choices. And it’s not always easy and feasible provide ultimate flexibility, but this is where I try and it more to agility. How can we have approaches and principles and committed to things, but also know when to question, and when to actually pivot?
SM: Yeah. Anjali, can share a few examples of ways that you at Vimeo have tried to really be proactive it comes to addressing or understanding what your next generation of employees are going want, either in terms of purpose or in terms benefits or in terms of flexibility? Are there programs processes you’ve put in place that really speak to big sea change we’re seeing in terms of values from the workforce?
AS: Firstly, course, it’s all about listening, right? And I think, like many organizations, way we’ve tried to listen and understand our workforce is very similar: it’s Q and As and surveys, and things like that. And some of the things that we’ve done, we have a people culture NPS, net promoter score, the same way we have for our users, for internal teams. But I would say one of the that we’ve really tried to do is appreciate that when we inputs from our employees, 1,300 employees … you can’t look at averages. You can’t look at it all in totality and try and pull an obvious “Oh, this is how everybody’s feeling.” Because you actually — when you really dig into it and truly listen do focus groups and talk to people — what you’ll find is actually there’s very experiences and desires among your employees. And so, I think us, what we’ve really just tried to do is have a bunch different listening mechanisms and then resist the urge to conveniently pull, like, “Oh, is what everyone’s feeling, let’s just do this thing as the action.” it’s hard, and we’re still kind of figuring it out, but I tell you, some of the things that we’ve heard from employees have our approach to hybrid work or travel or even things like our approach to compensation or our to DE and I. So I think it’s more just like said, that agile listening, constantly really understanding what’s happening, but not treating as, like, an average or the same. And for us, it’s particularly stark because we have offices and teams in so many different countries the differences, they’re substantial. They’re really substantial, about the way we solve different things. And we used have a very, sort of, “One Vimeo” global approach in the name of consistency and fairness, and we found is we have to be more localized. We really do. We have to design to support our teams in a very different way, because their experiences the world around them is quite different.
So I that’s definitely been one, and I will tell you, it has a lot of — as an executive team and leadership team — it’s involved a of trying things, it not working, and changing them. And a great is our Q and A. I feel like every leader I know has perspective on whether they do open Q and A or Q and A, or real-time Q and A. We’ve changed our approach multiple times, and I know we will again, because we’re still figuring the right way to listen and have a dialogue with a very diverse workforce.
SM: I want to on newcomers to the workplace for just another moment, because thing I hear from CEOs of my generation and older is a concern about making sure we are not just providing our youngest employees with the and the purpose that they need, but also the training and the wisdom that comes, oftentimes, being in close proximity to a mentor or to somebody who’s done the for many more years. What is your philosophy and take making sure that knowledge transfer is happening?
AS: I think it’s a major that I don’t know that everyone will sort of have a for. I think about that all the time. We have a very distributed workforce Vimeo. We have people in over eight countries. My executive team is entirely distributed. So I’ve really the benefits of being able to have a distributed and being able to attract talent and just be more inclusive. On the side, there’s definitely, I think, a lack of the kinds of learning opportunities and mentorship, particularly for the youngest folks that are entering the workforce. So I it’s a challenge. One of the approaches that we’ve taking, and what’s sort of nice, is we’re modeling it at the top. So if my executive team is distributed, that means I have to learn how to provide real-time feedback, mentorship and development a whole set of new executives who have just joined. We have sort of changed up the executive almost entirely in the last twelve months. So I’ve had to deal the same challenges. And we’ve had to literally — we call it our operating system — we’ve to design an operating system, as an executive team, for how we’re going to work together that environment. How do we share real-time feedback? How do we create the right communication loops? And I think, from my perspective, it’s more we have to be able to do ourselves and model it and then, I think it’s more proven mechanism for young people. I will say, like many … I do believe that in-person collaboration is really important for learning. We do have — we bring into an office. If you’re remote, we ask folks to come in spend time in a room with their team, do activities, all of those things. I don’t think they go away, nor do I think they should. But, know, candidly, it’s an area that I don’t think we’ve really figured out and I think it’s really critical that as leaders, do that, so that this next generation is able get the same growth opportunities that we all had.
SM: Well, it’s interesting — the tools that you mentioned at the very beginning our conversation, around video, can be really helpful there. I’ve of a number of organizations that have really encouraged young people to present, as a way of having to go out and find the they need. And then, because we have video tools to us now, you know, they have an opportunity to share ideas with a large group of people, but first, kind of going through fact-finding and the research, and then sharing their ideas. In an earlier comment, talked a little bit about mental illness and the different things that people are bringing work, whether it is, you know, exhaustion, burnout. During Black Lives Matter protests, we had a lot of people coming to the office feeling trauma, feeling really personal issues bubble to the surface. I’m wondering if can share a little bit about how you deal with this increasing — you know, when people bring their whole selves to the office, which we encourage, sometimes, bring things, parts of themselves that are challenging.
AS: Yeah … I’ve always thought the responsibility of a is to empower people to do their best work the responsibility of a company is to empower our people do their best work. And so, of course, we a real role to play in supporting things like mental-health issues or burnout. And, know, the way I think, like many companies, the way we initially probably to do that was more, you know, you’re seeing a and you’re reacting by trying to provide mental-health resources or support time off. And, I think — and empathy, just empathy. I think that’s really important. And I say, to so many of our managers … just care. If we just care, a lot things get easier. You don’t have to design a mechanisms if you just have the right people in place care. At the same time, I will say what we’re realizing now, in sort this next phase, is that that’s a reactive approach and actually the root — that we can control at Vimeo — the root cause of lot of stress and burnout is sometimes people either don’t have enough … focus, we’re asking to do too many things or they don’t feel like they’re supported doing those things. And that, I think, is actually where we should be spending time — is how do we actually set the prioritization and focus. There’s some issue there, right? There’s a cause there that’s a “Oh, I feel like I’m stressed there’s too much going on. I don’t feel equipped to solve it.” Then, we get into the “What is the detail there, and do we to do things differently?” And, you know, one of themes at Vimeo this year was “Do less, better.”
SM: As the economy to, maybe, move sideways, do you think that there going to be stakeholders who say, you know, “Out with all of touchy-feely, the workplace-as-a-family stuff. Where are my results?”
AS: Absolutely. I the pendulum has already swung pretty clearly. I mean, work in SAS, software as a service, so we already went from “growth at all cost” to “profitability,” know, pendulum swing. My perspective on this — and it hasn’t — I think the best leaders and cultures deliver results and treat people well. And I think, if you treat people well, with kindness and empathy, you will get better results. And so, you know, me, I think what I observed over the last years is — that part, I think, hasn’t changed and shouldn’t change. There were, I think, a lot times when companies, we did things because maybe it lip service or we felt pressured. And that’s not to be sustainable. But that’s not what — ultimately, that’s what people need, in any case. So, you know, I sort of see as — the way you channel how you are towards your employees and how you are empathetic, always should be service of helping people do their best work, which deliver results, which will be good for the bottom line. And have to believe that. You have to be committed to that and if you use that consistently in decision-making, it should not be a trade-off. These are not exclusive things.
SM: Anjali, how have you been taking care yourself during this period of tremendous turmoil and change, but also growth? mentioned you just had a baby. There’s a lot your shoulders. How, as a leader, do you practice some self-care how do you make sure that you’re getting the balance need to be the most effective leader you can be?
AS: I — recently, the phrase I use a lot to myself “two things can be true, both can be true.” say this a lot. And for me, I think of as, like, “This job is hard, and it’s gotten harder.” We went public at height of the pandemic and last year, market volatility has been tremendous. know, we’re obviously going through a ton with post-pandemic, have a team in Ukraine going through a war — all these things that happened. And so, it’s a hard job, and it’s an incredibly privileged job. It’s a gift, right? so, I think for me, it’s sort of acknowledging of those things has helped me a lot. The way I’ve tried to kind of lead, has — it’s always been this way, which is, for me, it’s I to have passion. I have to have passion. I to believe so deeply that what Vimeo is doing important and matters for the world. And if I have passion, I have energy and I will — I can kind of move through anything. I to find joy in my team. I feel like, especially in times, I look back at my career and actually, some my most fulfilling times in work were when — in hardest business situations. But it’s because it brought a of people together all on one team, and so I think that’s been, you know, really big part of it. And then, yeah, like, you have to be a little selfish sometimes, take care of yourself. And I am really fortunate. I think I have a great support network around and I do … My husband and I have a deal, on Sundays, I disappear for a couple of hours. just disappear and I walk around the city and I to my music and do whatever I need to do, that’s really important.
SM: So you talked about how work is going to look very different in the than how we describe it today. It’s basically in a couple of days, work from home a couple of other days. Tell us a little more about what you could potentially see that evolving into.
AS: I think the idea of an office a time and place completely goes away. And I it’s really going to be people are going to want work from anywhere, anywhere in the world. Even the of where you’re located is going to change. And the idea of like “I’m going to work on this zone” or “I’m going to attend this meeting that’s scheduled on date” — I think that’s going to go away. And I what you’re going to find is more and more work, particularly knowledge workers, is going to be done anywhere, anytime. Communication and collaboration will asynchronously and we will be using tools and technology — whether it’s video, whether it’s AI — to enable that at scale among many people, anywhere in the world. And then I leadership, leaders are going to look different. Because I think it’s to require — if you think about the skill set to be a global CEO 30 years versus what that will require now — I think in the future … the skill set is going be like, “How do you communicate with diverse, global and employees across time zones in a way that effective, that provides context and alignment at scale? How do you programs, whether it’s compensation, whether it’s, you know, training?” of that is going to look very different. But I think ultimate thing you’ll see is just … there were these that we’ve lived with, whether it was time or place or budget, in some cases. I think those constraints are going to go away. And the promise is if we are flexible and smart and we use technology in the right way, we’ll actually come away a much more evolved and efficient workforce.
SM: Well, I think you just us some of the passion that you’ve talked about being the thing that gives you energy to lead that of 1,300 people worldwide. Anjali, thank you so much for being here today.
AS: Thank you. This great.