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