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