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