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 creatives, you have finance people, you have technologists. So I’m going to start with a really 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 the only constant has been change. And as a leader, you obviously — you a workforce that’s looking for certainty, and they’re looking to control what’s happening around them. I think what we all found, as leaders, no what company you were … responsible for, was that couldn’t offer certainty, and you couldn’t always control the environment and the around you. And so, you know, for me, it really about agility. How do we stay flexible as team? How do we communicate in real time and people informed as we try and move through things? And then, also just how do lead with more 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 have employees are remote. We have an incredible team in Ukraine … employees who on the front lines, who are literally at war. On the other hand, have people in different parts of the world who are experiencing mental-health challenges burnout, and so I think it was really just — the hardest was not being able to give everyone certainty, not able to just apply a one-size-fits-all rule for everyone. But I ultimately think forced us, as a company, to build more trust, because to be agile and flexible, and lead with humanity, you have to trust each other. so, I’m sort of optimistic that actually we’re emerging from this time with a culture that is flexible 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 build 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 use the organization far into the future?
AS: There’s a couple of things that we did. — and we are a video platform, so I have to talk about video, but I mean this sincerely — one of the hardest parts, you’re all sort of disparate, is you lose context and you nuance when you communicate. And we did make a concerted effort to move from email and chat, text-based communication, as much as possible, and 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 did that through live streaming a lot of communications, recording a lot of videos. sent asynchronous video messages. So I send … I record my screen and just send a out to people. Every new hire does a video to and introduce themselves. A lot of our meetings we’ve actually with just quick video presentations. And actually, what that did was allow the humanity and the context to through and I think that helped us a lot to, of, stay close. So that was one, I think, really important thing.
Another thing is, I think, just creating mechanisms to make 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 that we do at Vimeo is we try — I do in all of my town halls, we do it in a lot of meetings — is always 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 working. And when you make that normalized and comfortable for people, 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 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 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 Z into the workplace?
AS: I think it’s incredibly different. And, you know, one of the things 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 designed for a totally different environment and a totally different generation. I see a lot of differences. One of them, I think, is the between your personal life and work life is definitely blending. … If think about your personal life — look at TikTok. This generation is used to consuming content, learning, engaging, a very specific way. And if they then have come to work and to be trained on a job, read a 300-page manual? Like, it’s not to happen, right? Or if you miss the meeting, you have to watch the Zoom recording of a three-hour — that’s just not going to happen. And so I think that is definitely sort of this — you know, we talk about the “consumerization of enterprise.” are just fancy words for saying the way … communicate and interact in our personal lives is going translate to work. And so I definitely think that’s an area of opportunity.
The thing I see from sort of the generation, the newest generation coming into the workforce, sort of, of course mission-driven, but I think there’s a desire to really understand “why” behind things. And one of our communication mantras is we never talk about “what” without the “why.” And I think there’s a desire to — idea that, well, there’s a hierarchy, or “My boss told me that this is 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 authority told them to do it. They want to it because they understand why it matters, why it ties to mission. And I think that that forces leaders to really more of the “why” into how we communicate and people.
So those are two of the things I see, and then, you know, the I think is just flexibility. I think — and this is of all of us, but particularly the younger generation — think they’re looking for flexibility and they want options choices. And 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 to things, but also know when to question, and when to pivot?
SM: Yeah. Anjali, can you share a few examples of ways that at Vimeo have tried to really be proactive when it comes to addressing understanding what your next generation of employees are going to want, either in terms of purpose in terms of benefits or in terms of flexibility? there programs or processes you’ve put in place that really speak to this big sea we’re seeing in terms of values from the workforce?
AS: Firstly, course, it’s all about listening, right? And I think, many organizations, the way we’ve tried to listen and our workforce is very similar: it’s Q and As engagement surveys, and things like that. And some of the things we’ve done, we have a people and culture NPS, net score, the same way we have for our users, for our internal teams. But I would one of the things that we’ve really tried to do is appreciate when we get inputs from our employees, 1,300 employees … can’t look at the averages. You can’t look at it all in totality try and pull out an obvious “Oh, this is how everybody’s feeling.” Because you actually — when you really dig into it and truly listen and focus groups and talk to people — what you’ll find is actually there’s very different and desires among your employees. And so, I think for us, what we’ve really just to do is have a bunch of different listening mechanisms and 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 kind figuring it out, but I will tell you, some 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. 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. And for us, it’s been particularly stark because have offices and teams in so many different countries and differences, they’re substantial. They’re really substantial, about the way solve different things. And we used to have a very, sort of, “One Vimeo” global approach the name of consistency and fairness, and what we found is we have to be more localized. really do. We have to design mechanisms to support our teams in a very different way, because experiences and the world around them is quite different.
So think that’s definitely been one, and I will tell you, it has involved a lot of — an executive team and leadership team — it’s involved a lot of trying things, not working, and changing them. And a great example is our Q A. I feel like 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 there multiple times, and I know we will again, we’re still figuring out the right way to listen and have a dialogue with a very workforce.
SM: I want to stay on newcomers to the workplace just another moment, because another thing I hear from CEOs of generation and older is a concern about making sure that we not just providing our youngest employees with the flexibility and purpose that they need, but also the training and the wisdom comes, oftentimes, from being in close proximity to a mentor or to somebody who’s done the for many more years. What is your philosophy and take on sure that knowledge transfer is happening?
AS: I think it’s a challenge that I don’t know that everyone will sort of have solution for. I think about that all the time. We have a very workforce at Vimeo. We have people in over eight countries. My executive team entirely distributed. So I’ve really realized the benefits of being to have a distributed workforce and being able to talent and just be more inclusive. On the flip side, there’s definitely, I think, lack of the same kinds of learning opportunities and mentorship, particularly the youngest folks that are entering the workforce. So 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 my 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 who have just joined. We have sort of changed the executive team almost entirely in the last twelve months. So I’ve had to deal with same challenges. And we’ve had to literally — we it our operating system — we’ve had to design operating system, as an executive team, for how we’re going to work together in environment. How do we share real-time feedback? How do we create the right loops? And so I think, from my perspective, it’s more have to be able to do it ourselves and it and then, I think it’s a more proven mechanism young people. I will say, like many companies … I do believe that in-person collaboration really important for learning. We do have — we people into an office. If you’re remote, we ask to 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 do I think should. But, you know, candidly, it’s an area that I don’t think we’ve really figured perfectly and I think it’s really critical that as leaders, we do that, so this next generation is able to get the same growth that we all had.
SM: Well, and it’s interesting — tools that you mentioned at the very beginning of our conversation, around video, can be helpful there. I’ve heard of a number of organizations that really encouraged their young people to present, as a way of having to go out and find information they need. And then, because we have video tools available to us now, you know, they an opportunity to share their ideas with a large group people, but first, kind of going through the fact-finding and the research, and then their ideas. In an earlier comment, you talked a little bit mental illness and the different things that people are to work, whether it is, you know, exhaustion, burnout. During the Black Lives protests, we had a lot of people coming to the office feeling trauma, and feeling really personal bubble to the surface. I’m wondering if you can a little bit about how you deal with this increasing personal — you know, when people bring their 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 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 real role to play in supporting things like mental-health issues or burnout. And, you know, way I think, like many companies, the way we initially probably sought to do was more, you know, you’re seeing 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 of our managers … just care. If just care, a lot of things get easier. You don’t have to a hundred mechanisms if you just have the right people in place care. At the same time, I will say what we’re realizing now, in sort of next phase, is that that’s a reactive approach and the root cause — that we can control at — the root cause of a lot of stress and is sometimes people either don’t have enough … focus, we’re asking to do too many things or they don’t feel like they’re supported in doing those things. And that, think, is actually where we should be spending more time — is do we actually set the right prioritization and focus. There’s 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 is the detail there, do we need to do things differently?” And, you know, one of our at Vimeo this year was “Do less, better.”
SM: the economy starts to, maybe, move sideways, do you think that there are going to be who say, you know, “Out with all of this touchy-feely, workplace-as-a-family stuff. Where are my results?”
AS: Absolutely. I the pendulum has already swung pretty clearly. I mean, 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 and cultures deliver 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, me, I think what I observed over the last few years — that part, I think, hasn’t changed and shouldn’t change. There were, think, a lot of times when companies, we did things because maybe it was lip service or felt pressured. And that’s not going to be sustainable. But that’s not what — ultimately, that’s not what need, in any case. So, you know, I sort of see it as — the you channel how 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 the bottom line. And you have to believe that. You to be committed to that and if you use consistently in your decision-making, it 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 on shoulders. How, as a leader, do you practice some self-care or 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 lot to myself is “two things can be true, both can true.” I say this a lot. And for me, think of it as, like, “This job is hard, and it’s gotten harder.” We went at the height of the pandemic and last year, volatility has been tremendous. You know, we’re obviously going through a with post-pandemic, we have a team in Ukraine going through a war — these things that have happened. And so, it’s a hard job, and it’s an incredibly privileged job. It’s gift, right? And so, I think for me, it’s sort of acknowledging both 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 I have have passion. I have to have passion. I have believe so deeply that what Vimeo is doing is important and matters for the world. And if have passion, I have energy and then I will — I can of move through anything. I have to find joy my team. I feel like, especially in hard times, look back at my career and actually, some of my most fulfilling times in work were — in the hardest business situations. But it’s because brought a group of people together all on one team, and I think that’s been, you know, a really big part of it. then, yeah, like, you have to be a little selfish sometimes, and take care of yourself. And am really fortunate. I think I have a great support network around me and I do … husband and I have a deal, where on Sundays, I disappear for a couple hours. I just disappear and I walk around the city and I to my music and do whatever I need to do, and that’s really important.
SM: So you talked about hybrid work is going to look very different in the than how we describe it today. It’s basically in office a couple of days, work from home a of other days. Tell us a little bit more about you could potentially see that evolving into.
AS: I the idea of an office as a time and completely goes away. And I think it’s really going to be people are to want to work from anywhere, anywhere in the world. Even the concept of where you’re is going to change. And then the idea of “I’m going to work on this time zone” or “I’m going to this meeting that’s scheduled on this date” — I think that’s going go away. And I think what you’re going to find is more and more work, particularly from workers, is going to be done anywhere, anytime. Communication and collaboration will happen asynchronously and we will be tools and technology — whether it’s video, whether it’s AI — to basically enable that scale among many people, anywhere in the world. And I think leadership, leaders are going to look different. I think it’s going to require — if you think about the skill set be a global CEO 30 years ago versus what that will now — I think in the future … the set is going to be like, “How do you communicate with diverse, global audiences and employees across zones in a 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 that 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 or place or budget, in some cases. And I think those are going to go away. And the promise is that if we are flexible smart 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 that gives you energy to lead that organization of 1,300 people worldwide. Anjali, thank so much for being here today.
AS: Thank you. This great.