Stephanie Mehta: Welcome, Anjali. I’m glad 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 — you have creatives, you have finance people, you have technologists. I’m going to start with a really easy question: what was it like to manage this diverse workforce through global pandemic, a racial reckoning and a very fraught return to office?
AS: Oh, it a breeze, Stephanie. No, it was really challenging. You know, I think the only constant been change. And as a leader, you obviously — you have workforce that’s looking for certainty, and they’re looking to control what’s happening around them. And 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 environment and the things around you. And so, you know, for me, it really about agility. How do we stay flexible as a team? How do 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 over last few years is we each experience the world so differently. We employees who are remote. We have an incredible team in Ukraine … who are on the front lines, who are literally at war. On the other hand, you people in different parts of the world who are experiencing mental-health challenges burnout, and so I think it was really just — the hardest part was being able to give everyone certainty, not being able to just apply 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 lead with humanity, you have to trust each other. And so, I’m 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 something you put into place, perhaps during the pandemic, to enhance or build trust or create a greater sense of community even to communicate that there is no certainty, that is a muscle that you 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 video platform, I obviously have to talk about video, but I mean this sincerely — one the hardest parts, when you’re all sort of disparate, is you lose and you lose nuance when you communicate. And we make a concerted effort to move away from email 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 hands and body and your emotions. And we did that through live streaming a lot of communications, recording a of videos. We sent asynchronous video messages. So I send … I 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 replaced with just quick video presentations. And actually, what that really did allow the humanity and the context to come through and I think that helped us lot to, kind of, stay close. So that was 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 is recognizing we have an area that isn’t working. so one of the things that we do at Vimeo is we try — I do this 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, I think, a framework sort of takes the stigma away from talking about what’s not working. when you make that normalized and comfortable for people, I feel like it’s us to be more open, as an organization, about what do we need 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: I 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 changed. How do you see the workforce changing? What is different with the young millennials, even, now, the first wave of Gen Z coming the workplace?
AS: I think it’s incredibly different. And, you know, one the 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. were designed for a totally different environment and a totally generation. But I see a lot of differences. One them, I think, is the line between your personal life work life is definitely blending. … If you think your personal life — look at TikTok. This generation is used to consuming content, learning, engaging, in a specific way. And if they then have to come to work and be trained on a job, read a 300-page manual? Like, it’s not going happen, right? Or if you miss the meeting, and you have watch the Zoom recording of a three-hour meeting — that’s just going to happen. And so I think that there definitely sort of this — you know, we talk the “consumerization of enterprise.” Those are just fancy words saying the way … we communicate and interact in our personal lives is to translate to work. And so I definitely think that’s an of opportunity.
The other thing I see from sort the generation, the newest generation coming into the workforce, sort of, of course mission-driven, but I think there’s a 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 desire to — the idea that, well, there’s a hierarchy, or “My boss told me this is what we’re going to do” or — that, think, is increasingly moving away, and people, they don’t just to do something because someone with formal authority told them to do it. They to do it because they understand why it matters, why it ties to the mission. And I think that forces leaders to really bring more of the “why” into how we and motivate people.
So those are two of the things see, and then, you know, the third I think is just flexibility. I think — and this true of all of us, but particularly the younger generation — I think they’re looking for flexibility they want options and choices. And it’s not always easy and to provide 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 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 are going want, either in terms of 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 values from the workforce?
AS: Firstly, of course, it’s all about listening, right? And 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, and like that. And some of the things that we’ve done, we have a people 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 do is appreciate that when we get inputs from our employees, 1,300 employees … can’t look at the averages. You can’t look at it in totality and try and pull out an obvious “Oh, this how everybody’s feeling.” Because what you actually — when 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 desires among your employees. And so, I think for us, 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 just do thing as the action.” And it’s hard, and we’re still kind figuring it out, but I will tell you, some of the things that we’ve from employees have changed our approach to hybrid work or or even things like our approach to compensation or our approach DE and I. So I think it’s more just like I said, agile listening, constantly really understanding what’s happening, but not treating everything as, like, an or the same. And 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, 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 found we have to be more localized. We really do. We have to design to support our teams in a very different way, because their experiences and world around them is quite different.
So I think that’s definitely been one, and will 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 changing them. And a great is our Q and A. I feel like every leader know has a perspective on whether they do open and A or anonymous Q and A, or real-time 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 and have a with a very diverse workforce.
SM: I want to on newcomers to the workplace for just another moment, another thing I hear from CEOs of my generation and older is a concern about sure that we are not just providing our youngest employees with the and the purpose that they need, but also the training and wisdom that comes, oftentimes, from being in close proximity a mentor or to somebody who’s done the job many more years. What is your philosophy and take making sure that knowledge transfer is happening?
AS: I think it’s major challenge that I don’t know that everyone will sort of 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 is entirely distributed. So I’ve really realized the benefits of being able to a distributed workforce and being able to attract talent and just be more inclusive. On flip side, there’s definitely, I think, a lack of the kinds of learning opportunities and mentorship, particularly for the folks that are entering the workforce. So I think it’s a challenge. of the approaches that we’ve been taking, and what’s sort nice, is we’re modeling it at the top. So my entire executive team is distributed, that means I have to how to provide real-time feedback, mentorship and development for whole set of new executives who have just joined. We have 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 to literally — we call it operating system — we’ve had to design an operating system, as executive team, for how we’re going to work together 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 we have to be able to do it ourselves and model it then, I think it’s a more proven mechanism for people. I will say, like many companies … I do that in-person collaboration is really important for learning. We do have — we bring people into an office. you’re remote, we ask folks to come in and spend in a room with their team, do social activities, all of those things. I don’t think they 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 all had.
SM: Well, and it’s interesting — the tools you mentioned 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 their young people present, as a way 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 opportunity share their ideas with a large group of people, but first, kind going through the fact-finding and the research, and then sharing their ideas. 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 of coming to the office feeling trauma, and feeling really personal issues bubble to the surface. I’m wondering you can share a little bit about how you with this increasing personal — you know, when people bring their whole selves to 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 people to do their best work and the responsibility of a company is to empower people to do their best work. And so, of course, we have a real role to play in supporting like mental-health issues or burnout. And, you know, the I think, like many companies, the way we initially probably sought to do that more, you know, you’re seeing a problem and you’re reacting by trying to mental-health resources or support or time off. And, I think — and empathy, empathy. I think that’s really important. And I always say, to many of our managers … just care. If we just care, lot of things get easier. You don’t have to design hundred mechanisms if you just have the right people 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 approach actually the root cause — that we can control Vimeo — the root cause of a lot of stress and burnout sometimes people either don’t have enough … focus, we’re asking people to too many things or they don’t feel like they’re supported in those things. And that, I think, is actually where we be spending more time — is how do we actually set the prioritization and focus. There’s some issue there, right? There’s a root cause there that’s a “Oh, I like I’m stressed because there’s too much going on. I don’t feel equipped solve it.” Then, we should get into the “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 the economy to, maybe, move sideways, do you think that there are to be stakeholders who say, you know, “Out with of this touchy-feely, the workplace-as-a-family stuff. Where are my results?”
AS: Absolutely. I think the has already swung pretty clearly. I mean, I work 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 deliver results and treat people well. And I actually think, if you treat well, with kindness and empathy, you will get better results. And so, know, for 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 did things because maybe it lip service or we felt pressured. And that’s not to be sustainable. But that’s not what — ultimately, that’s what people need, in any case. So, you know, I sort of it as — the way you channel how you are caring your employees 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 you have to believe that. You to be committed to that and if you use that consistently in your decision-making, should not be a trade-off. These are not mutually things.
SM: Anjali, how have you been taking care of during this period of tremendous turmoil and change, but growth? You mentioned you just had a baby. There’s a lot your shoulders. How, as a leader, do you practice self-care or how do you make sure that you’re getting the you need to be the most effective leader you be?
AS: I think — recently, the phrase I use a lot myself is “two things can be true, both can be true.” I say a lot. And for me, I 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 in 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 gift, right? And so, I think for me, it’s sort acknowledging both of those things has helped me a lot. The way I’ve tried to kind lead, has been — it’s always been this way, which is, for me, it’s have to have passion. I have to have passion. I have to so deeply that what Vimeo is doing is important matters for the world. And if I have passion, have energy and then I will — I can kind of move through anything. I to find joy in my team. I feel like, especially in hard times, I look back at my and actually, some of my most fulfilling times in work were when — in the hardest situations. But it’s because it brought a group of people together on one team, and so I think that’s been, you know, a really big of it. And then, yeah, like, you have to be a little selfish sometimes, and care of yourself. And I am really fortunate. I think I have a great network around me and I do … My husband and I have deal, where on Sundays, I disappear for a couple of hours. I just disappear and walk around the city and I listen to my music and whatever 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 how we describe it today. It’s basically in office a couple days, work from home a couple of other days. Tell us a bit more about what you could potentially see that into.
AS: I think the idea of an office as a time place completely goes away. And I think it’s really going to be are going to want to work from anywhere, anywhere the world. Even the concept of where you’re located going 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 scheduled this date” — I think that’s going to go away. And I think you’re going 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 and technology — it’s video, whether it’s AI — to basically enable that scale among many people, anywhere in the world. And then I think leadership, leaders going to look different. Because I think it’s going to require — you think about the skill set to be a global 30 years ago versus 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 way that is effective, that provides context and alignment at scale? How 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 budget, in some cases. And I think those constraints are to go 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 of the that you’ve talked about as being the thing that gives you energy to lead that organization of 1,300 worldwide. Anjali, thank you so much for being here today.
AS: Thank you. This great.