Stephanie Mehta: Welcome, Anjali. I’m so glad you’re here with us today.
Anjali Sud: you, it is great to be here.
SM: At Vimeo, you lead a workforce 1,300 people worldwide — you have creatives, you have finance people, you have technologists. So I’m going start with a really easy question: what was it like to this diverse workforce through a global pandemic, a racial reckoning and a very fraught return office?
AS: Oh, it was a breeze, Stephanie. No, it was challenging. You know, I think the only constant has 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 certainty, and you couldn’t always control the environment and the things around you. And so, you know, me, it was really about agility. How do we stay flexible as a team? How we communicate in real time and keep people informed as we try move through things? And then, also just how do we lead with humanity? You know, for Vimeo, one of the things I’ve really learned the last few years is we each experience the world so differently. have employees who are remote. We have an incredible team in … employees who are on the front lines, who are at war. On the other hand, you have people in different parts of the who are experiencing mental-health challenges or burnout, and so I 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 us, as a company, to build more trust, because to agile and flexible, and to lead with humanity, you have trust each other. And so, I’m sort of optimistic 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 that you put into place, perhaps during the pandemic, enhance communications or build trust or create a greater sense of community or even communicate that there is no certainty, that is a muscle that think you’ll continue to use in the organization far into the future?
AS: There’s a of things that we did. One — and we are a platform, so I obviously have to talk about video, I mean this sincerely — one of 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 effort move away from email and chat, text-based communication, as much possible, and actually try, particularly for our leadership team, when we were communicating, do it with your face, and your hands and your body and your emotions. And did that through live streaming a lot of communications, recording a lot of videos. sent asynchronous video messages. So I send … I my screen and just send a note out to people. Every new hire a video to welcome and introduce themselves. A lot of meetings we’ve actually replaced with just quick video presentations. actually, what that really did was allow the humanity 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 talk about when things aren’t working, a critical part of being agile is recognizing we have 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 a lot meetings — is 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 that sort of takes the stigma away from talking about what’s not working. And when you that normalized and comfortable for people, I feel like it’s allowed to be more open, as an organization, about what do we to change, what do we need to pivot. And both of those, being more video-first in our and being 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 of our workforce live in a video world. They’re to video as a means of communication. Which brings me to next question. You’ve talked about how the organization has changed. How do see the workforce changing? What is different with the young millennials, and even, now, the wave of Gen Z coming into the workplace?
AS: think it’s incredibly different. And, you know, one of things that we think about at Vimeo a lot is a lot of the and communication modes that we still use today, they’re really antiquated. They were for a totally different environment and a totally different generation. But I a lot of differences. One of them, I think, is the line between your personal life and life is definitely blending. … If you think about your personal life — look at TikTok. This is used to 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 you miss the meeting, and you have watch the Zoom recording of a three-hour meeting — that’s just not going to happen. And I think that there is definitely sort of this — you know, we talk about the “consumerization enterprise.” Those are just fancy words for saying the way … communicate and interact 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 sort the generation, the newest generation coming into the workforce, is sort of, course mission-driven, but I think there’s a desire to understand the “why” behind things. And one of our communication is we never talk about the “what” without the “why.” And I there’s a desire to — the idea that, well, there’s hierarchy, or “My boss told me that this is we’re going to do” or — that, I think, increasingly moving away, and people, they don’t just want to do something because someone with authority told them to do it. They want to do it they understand why it matters, why it ties to the mission. I think that that forces leaders to really bring more of the “why” into we communicate and motivate people.
So those are two of the things I see, and then, know, the third I think is just flexibility. I think — and this is true all of us, but particularly the younger generation — I they’re looking for flexibility and they want options and choices. it’s not always easy and feasible to provide ultimate flexibility, this is where I try and orient it more agility. How can we have approaches and principles and be committed 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 be 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 benefits or in terms of flexibility? Are there programs or processes you’ve put in place that really speak this big sea change we’re seeing in terms of 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 understand our workforce very similar: it’s Q and As and engagement surveys, and things like that. And of the things that we’ve done, we have a and culture NPS, net promoter score, the same way we have for users, for our internal teams. But I would say one of the things that we’ve really tried to is appreciate that when we get inputs from our employees, 1,300 employees … you can’t look at the averages. can’t look at it all in totality and try and out an obvious “Oh, this is how everybody’s feeling.” Because what you — when you really dig into it and truly listen and do focus and talk to people — what you’ll find is actually there’s very different experiences and desires your employees. And so, I think for us, what we’ve really just tried to do is a bunch of 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, we’re still kind of figuring it out, but I will tell you, some of the things that we’ve from employees have changed our approach to hybrid work travel or even things like our approach to compensation or our approach DE and I. So I think it’s more just like said, that agile listening, constantly really understanding what’s happening, not treating everything as, like, an average or the same. 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 substantial, about the way 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 we is we have to be more localized. We really do. We have to 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 an team and leadership team — it’s involved a lot of trying things, it not working, and changing them. a great example is our Q and A. I feel like every leader I know a perspective on whether they do open Q and or anonymous Q and A, or real-time Q and A. We’ve changed our approach there times, and 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: I want to stay on newcomers to the workplace just another moment, because another thing I hear from CEOs my generation and older is a concern about making sure that we not just providing our youngest employees with the flexibility and the purpose they need, but also the training and the wisdom comes, oftentimes, from being in close proximity to a mentor or somebody who’s done the job for many more years. What is your philosophy and take on making sure knowledge transfer is happening?
AS: I think it’s a challenge that I don’t know that everyone will sort of have a solution for. I about that all the time. We have a very distributed workforce Vimeo. We have people in over eight countries. My executive team is distributed. So I’ve really realized the benefits of being able to have distributed workforce and being able to attract talent and just be more inclusive. On flip side, there’s definitely, I think, a lack of same kinds of learning opportunities and mentorship, particularly for the youngest folks that are the workforce. So I think 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 entire team is distributed, that means I have to learn how provide real-time feedback, mentorship and development for a whole set of new who have just joined. We have sort of changed up the executive team almost entirely in the last months. So I’ve had to deal with the same challenges. And we’ve had literally — we call it our operating system — we’ve had design an operating system, as an executive team, for how we’re going to work in that environment. How do we share real-time feedback? do we create the right communication loops? And so I think, my perspective, it’s more we have to be able do it ourselves and model it and then, I think it’s a proven mechanism for young people. I will say, like companies … I do believe that in-person collaboration is important for learning. We do have — we bring into an office. If you’re remote, we ask folks 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 I think they should. But, you know, candidly, it’s area that I don’t think we’ve really figured out perfectly and think it’s really critical that as leaders, we do that, so that this next generation is able get the same growth opportunities that we all had.
SM: Well, and it’s interesting — the tools that you at the very beginning of our conversation, around video, be really helpful there. I’ve heard 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 available to us now, know, they have an opportunity to share their ideas with a large group of people, but first, of going through the fact-finding and the research, and then sharing ideas. In an earlier comment, you talked a little bit about mental illness the different things that people are bringing to work, whether it is, you know, exhaustion, burnout. the Black Lives Matter protests, we had a lot people coming to the office feeling trauma, and feeling personal issues bubble to the surface. I’m wondering if you can share a little about how you deal with this increasing personal — you know, 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 the responsibility of a leader is to empower people to do best work and the responsibility of a company is to our people to do their best work. And so, course, we have a real role to play in supporting things like mental-health or burnout. And, you know, the way I think, many companies, the way we initially probably sought to do that 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. think that’s really important. And I always say, to 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 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 actually the root cause — that we can control Vimeo — the root cause of a lot of stress burnout is sometimes people either don’t have enough … focus, we’re asking people do too many things or they don’t feel like they’re supported doing those things. And that, I think, is actually we should be spending more time — is how do actually set the right prioritization and focus. There’s some issue there, right? There’s a root there that’s a “Oh, I feel like I’m stressed because there’s too much on. I don’t feel equipped to solve it.” Then, should get into the “What is the detail there, and do need to do things differently?” And, you know, one of themes at Vimeo this year was “Do less, better.”
SM: As the starts to, maybe, move sideways, do you think that there are going be stakeholders who say, you know, “Out with all this touchy-feely, the workplace-as-a-family stuff. Where are my results?”
AS: Absolutely. I the pendulum has already swung pretty clearly. I mean, I work in SAS, software as service, so we already went from “growth at all cost” to “profitability,” you know, pendulum swing. My perspective this — and it hasn’t changed — I think best leaders and cultures deliver results and treat people well. And I actually think, if you treat people well, kindness and empathy, you will get better results. And so, you know, for me, I what I observed over the last few years is — that part, I think, hasn’t and shouldn’t change. There were, I think, a lot of times when companies, we did things because it was lip service or we felt pressured. And that’s going to be sustainable. But that’s not what — ultimately, that’s what people need, in any case. So, you know, I sort see it as — the way you channel how you are caring towards your employees how you are empathetic, always should be in service helping people do their best work, which will deliver results, will be good for the bottom line. And you have to that. You have to be committed to that and if you that 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, also growth? You mentioned 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 the balance you need to be the most effective leader you be?
AS: I think — 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 public at the height of the pandemic and last year, market has been tremendous. You know, we’re obviously going through a with post-pandemic, we have a team in Ukraine going through war — all these things that have happened. And so, it’s a 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 I’ve tried to kind of lead, has been — it’s 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 is important and matters 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, 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, have to be a little selfish sometimes, and take of yourself. And I am really fortunate. I think I have a great support around me and I do … My husband and I have deal, where on Sundays, I disappear for a couple of hours. just disappear and I walk around the city and I listen to my music and do I need to do, and that’s really important.
SM: So you talked how 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 home a couple of other days. us a little bit more about what you could potentially see that evolving into.
AS: I think idea of an office as a time and place goes away. And I think it’s really going to be people are going want to work from anywhere, anywhere in the world. Even the concept of where you’re located going to change. And then the idea of like “I’m going to on this time zone” or “I’m going to attend this meeting that’s on this date” — I think that’s going to go away. And I think what you’re to find is more and more work, particularly from knowledge workers, is going to be anywhere, anytime. Communication and collaboration will happen asynchronously and we will be using tools technology — whether it’s video, whether it’s AI — to basically that at scale among many people, anywhere in the world. then I think leadership, leaders are going to look different. I think it’s going to require — if you think about skill set to be a global CEO 30 years versus what that will require now — I think in the future … skill set is going to be like, “How do you communicate with diverse, audiences and employees across time zones in a way that is effective, that context and alignment at scale? How do you organize programs, it’s compensation, whether it’s, you know, training?” All of that is going look very different. But I think the 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. And think those constraints are going to go away. And promise is that if we are flexible and smart we use technology in the right way, that we’ll actually come away much more evolved and efficient workforce.
SM: Well, I you just showed us some of the passion that you’ve about as being the thing that gives you energy lead that organization of 1,300 people worldwide. Anjali, thank you so much for here today.
AS: Thank you. This was great.