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