Stephanie Mehta: Welcome, Anjali. I’m so glad you’re with us today.
Anjali Sud: Thank you, it is to be here.
SM: At Vimeo, you lead a workforce of 1,300 worldwide — you have creatives, you have finance people, you technologists. So I’m going to start with a really question: what was it like to manage this diverse workforce through a global pandemic, a racial reckoning and 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, you obviously — you have a workforce that’s for certainty, and they’re looking to control what’s happening around them. I think what we all found, as leaders, no matter what company were … responsible for, was that you couldn’t offer certainty, and you couldn’t always the environment and the things around you. And so, you know, for me, it was about agility. How do we stay flexible as a team? How do we in real time and keep people informed as we try and through things? And then, also just how do we lead with humanity? You know, for Vimeo, one of the things I’ve really learned over the few years is we each experience the world so differently. We employees who are remote. We have an incredible team in Ukraine … employees who on the front lines, who are literally at war. On the other hand, you have people different parts of the world who are experiencing mental-health challenges or burnout, and I think it was really just — the hardest part was not being able give everyone certainty, not being able to just apply a one-size-fits-all rule for everyone. But I think it forced us, as a company, to build more trust, because to be and flexible, and to lead with humanity, you have to each other. And so, I’m sort of optimistic that we’re emerging from this time with a culture that is more flexible and nimble, and also, hopefully, has trust.
SM: Can you give an example of something that put into place, perhaps during the pandemic, to enhance or build trust or create a greater sense of community or to communicate that there is no certainty, that is muscle that you think you’ll continue to use in organization far into the future?
AS: There’s a couple of that we did. One — and we are a platform, so I obviously have to talk about video, but I this 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, much as possible, and actually try, particularly for our leadership team, when were communicating, to do it with your face, and 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 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 through I think 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 about when things aren’t working, because a critical part of being agile is recognizing we have an that isn’t working. And so one of the things that do at Vimeo is we try — I do this in all of town halls, we do it in a lot of meetings — always talk about what’s working, what are our top three things, and what isn’t working — yet. And we’ve of created, I think, a framework that sort of 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 us to be more open, an organization, about what do we need to change, what do we to pivot. And both of those, being more video-first our communication and being more transparent and normalizing what’s working, I think has been really helpful, and certainly we’re carrying forward.
SM: I love that advice about being video-first. So many of our members of our live in a video world. They’re used to video as a of communication. Which brings me to my next question. You’ve talked how the organization has changed. How do you see workforce changing? What is different with the young millennials, and even, now, first wave of Gen Z coming into the workplace?
AS: think it’s incredibly different. And, you know, one of the things that we think at Vimeo a lot is a lot of the mechanisms communication modes that we still use today, they’re really antiquated. They designed for a totally different environment and a totally different generation. I see a lot of differences. One of them, I think, is the line between your personal and work life is definitely blending. … If you 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 going to happen, right? Or if you miss the meeting, and you have to the Zoom recording of a three-hour meeting — that’s not going to happen. And so I think that there definitely sort of this — you know, we talk about the “consumerization of enterprise.” are just fancy words for saying the way … we communicate and interact in our personal lives is going to translate work. And so I definitely think that’s an area of opportunity.
The other thing I see sort of the generation, the newest generation coming into workforce, is sort of, of course mission-driven, but I think there’s desire to really understand the “why” behind things. And one of our communication mantras is never talk about the “what” without the “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, I think, increasingly moving away, and people, they don’t just want to do something someone with formal authority told them to do it. They want to do it they understand why it matters, why it ties to mission. And I think that that forces leaders to bring more of the “why” into how we communicate 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 options and choices. And it’s not easy and feasible to provide ultimate flexibility, but this is I try and orient it more to agility. How can we have and principles and be committed to things, but also know to question, and when to actually pivot?
SM: Yeah. Anjali, can you share few examples of ways that you at Vimeo have tried 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 benefits or in terms of flexibility? Are there programs or processes you’ve put in place really speak to this big sea change we’re seeing in terms values from the workforce?
AS: Firstly, of course, it’s all listening, right? And I think, like many organizations, the way we’ve tried listen and understand our workforce is 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 people and NPS, net promoter score, the same way 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 employees, 1,300 employees … you can’t look at the averages. You can’t look at all in totality and try and pull out an obvious “Oh, is how everybody’s feeling.” Because what you actually — you really dig into it and truly listen and do groups and talk to people — what you’ll find is actually there’s different experiences and desires among your employees. And so, think for us, what we’ve really just tried to do have a bunch of different listening mechanisms and then resist the urge conveniently pull, like, “Oh, this is what everyone’s feeling, let’s just this thing 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 from employees have changed our 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 as, like, an average or the same. And for us, it’s been stark because we have offices 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 a very, sort of, “One Vimeo” global approach in the name of consistency and fairness, and what found is we have to be more localized. We really do. We have to design mechanisms to our teams in a very different way, because their experiences and the world them is quite different.
So I think that’s definitely been one, and I will tell you, it has a lot of — as an executive team and leadership team — it’s involved 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 has a on whether they do open Q and A or anonymous Q and A, real-time Q and A. We’ve changed our approach there multiple times, and know we will again, because we’re still figuring out the right to listen and have a dialogue with a very diverse workforce.
SM: I want to on newcomers to the workplace for just another moment, because another thing I hear from of my generation and older is a concern about making sure we are not just providing our youngest employees with the flexibility and the purpose that need, but also the training and the wisdom that comes, oftentimes, from being in close proximity to a mentor or 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. 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. So I’ve really realized benefits of 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 the same kinds learning opportunities and mentorship, particularly for the youngest folks that are entering 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 at the top. So if my entire executive team is distributed, that means I have to learn how to real-time feedback, mentorship and development for a whole set new executives who have just joined. We have sort 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 to — we call it our operating system — we’ve had to design an operating system, an executive team, for how we’re going to work together in environment. How do we share real-time feedback? How do create the right communication loops? And so I think, my perspective, it’s more we have to be able to do it and model it and then, I think it’s a proven mechanism for young people. I will say, like many companies … I believe that in-person collaboration is really important for learning. We have — we bring people into an office. If you’re remote, we folks to come in and spend time in a with their team, do social activities, all of those things. I don’t think 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 really that as leaders, we do that, so that this generation is able to get the same growth opportunities that we all had.
SM: Well, it’s interesting — the tools that you mentioned at the very beginning our conversation, around video, can be really helpful there. I’ve heard a number of organizations that have really encouraged their young people to present, as a of having to go out and find the information they need. And then, because have video tools available to us now, you know, they have an to share their ideas with a large group of people, but first, kind going through the fact-finding and the research, and then their ideas. In an earlier comment, you talked a little about mental illness and the different things that people bringing to work, whether it is, you know, exhaustion, burnout. the Black Lives Matter protests, we had a lot of people coming the office feeling trauma, and feeling really personal issues bubble the surface. I’m wondering if you can share a little bit how you deal with this increasing personal — you know, when people bring whole selves to the office, which we encourage, sometimes, they bring things, parts of themselves are challenging.
AS: Yeah … I’ve always thought the responsibility of a leader is to empower to do their best work and the responsibility of company is to empower our people to do their work. And so, of course, we have a real role to play supporting things like mental-health issues or burnout. And, you know, the I think, like many companies, the way we initially probably sought to do that was more, you know, you’re a problem and you’re reacting by trying to provide mental-health resources or support time off. And, I think — and empathy, just empathy. think that’s really important. And I always say, to so many our managers … just care. If we just care, a lot things get easier. You don’t have to design a hundred mechanisms if you just the right people in place who care. At the time, I will say what we’re realizing now, in sort of this next phase, is that that’s a approach 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 … 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, is actually we should be spending more time — is how do we actually set the right prioritization focus. There’s some issue there, right? There’s a root cause there that’s a “Oh, I feel I’m stressed because there’s too much going on. I don’t equipped to solve it.” Then, we should get into the “What the detail there, and do we need to do differently?” And, you know, one of our themes at this year was “Do less, better.”
SM: As the economy starts to, maybe, move sideways, do think that there are going to be stakeholders who say, you know, “Out with all this touchy-feely, the workplace-as-a-family stuff. Where are my results?”
AS: Absolutely. think the pendulum has already swung pretty clearly. I mean, I in SAS, software as a service, so we already went “growth at all cost” to “profitability,” you know, pendulum swing. My perspective on this — and hasn’t changed — I think the best leaders and cultures results and treat people well. And I actually think, if you people well, with kindness and empathy, you will get better results. And so, you know, me, I 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 pressured. And that’s not going to be sustainable. But that’s what — ultimately, that’s not what people need, in case. So, you know, I sort of see it — 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. And have to 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 not mutually exclusive things.
SM: Anjali, how have you taking care 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 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 lot to myself “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 the 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. so, it’s a hard job, and it’s an incredibly privileged job. It’s a gift, right? And so, I think for me, it’s of acknowledging both of those things has helped me a lot. way 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 have to believe so deeply what Vimeo is doing is important and matters for the world. And if I have passion, I have and then I will — I can kind of through anything. I have to find joy in my team. I feel like, especially in times, I look back at my career and actually, some 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 have to be little selfish sometimes, and take care of yourself. And I am really fortunate. I think I a great support network around me and I do … My husband I have a deal, where on Sundays, I disappear for couple of hours. I just disappear and I walk around the city I listen to my music and do whatever I need to do, and that’s really important.
SM: you talked about how hybrid work is going to look very different in the than how we describe it today. It’s basically in 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 completely 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 to work on time zone” or “I’m going to attend this meeting that’s scheduled this date” — I think that’s going to go away. And I what you’re going to find is more and more work, from knowledge workers, is going to be done anywhere, anytime. and collaboration will happen asynchronously and we will be tools and technology — whether it’s video, whether it’s AI — to enable that at scale among many people, anywhere in the world. then I think leadership, leaders are going to look different. Because think it’s going to require — if you think about 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 communicate with diverse, global audiences and across time zones in a way that is effective, that provides and alignment at scale? How do you organize programs, whether it’s compensation, whether it’s, you know, training?” of that is going to look very different. But think the ultimate thing you’ll see is just … 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 to away. And the promise is that if we are and smart and we use technology in the right way, we’ll actually come away a much more evolved and workforce.
SM: Well, I think you just showed us some the passion that you’ve talked about as being the 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.