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