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 worldwide — you have creatives, you have finance people, you have technologists. So I’m going to start a really easy question: what was it like to manage this diverse workforce a global pandemic, a racial reckoning and a very fraught return to office?
AS: Oh, was a breeze, Stephanie. No, it was really challenging. know, I think the only constant has been change. as a leader, you obviously — you have a workforce that’s looking certainty, and they’re looking to control what’s happening around them. And I what we all found, as leaders, no matter what company you were … responsible for, was that couldn’t offer certainty, and you couldn’t always control the environment and the things around you. so, you know, for me, it was really about agility. How do we stay flexible as team? How do we communicate in real time and keep people informed as try and move through things? And then, also just how do we lead more humanity? You know, for Vimeo, one of the things I’ve learned over the last few years is we each experience the so differently. We have employees who are remote. We have an incredible team Ukraine … employees who are on the front lines, who are literally at war. the other hand, you have people in different parts of the world who are mental-health challenges or burnout, and so I think it was really just — the part was not being able to give everyone certainty, not being to just apply a one-size-fits-all rule for everyone. But I ultimately think it forced us, as a company, build more trust, because to be agile and flexible, and to lead with humanity, have to trust each other. And so, I’m sort of 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 of something that you put into place, perhaps during the pandemic, to enhance communications or build trust or a greater sense of community or even to communicate that there is no certainty, is a muscle that you think you’ll continue to in the organization far into the future?
AS: There’s a couple of things we did. One — and we are a video platform, so I obviously have to about video, but I mean this sincerely — one of the hardest parts, when you’re all of disparate, is you lose context and you lose nuance when you communicate. And did 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 your body and your emotions. And we did that through live streaming a lot of communications, a lot of videos. We sent asynchronous video messages. So I send … record my screen and just send a note out to people. Every new hire a video to welcome and introduce themselves. A lot of our we’ve actually replaced with just quick video presentations. And actually, what that really did was allow the and the context to come through and I think that helped a lot to, kind of, stay close. So that was one, think, really important thing.
Another important thing is, I think, creating mechanisms to make it easier to talk about when aren’t working, because a critical part of being agile is recognizing have an area that isn’t working. And so one the things that we do at Vimeo is we try — I do this in all of my halls, we do it in a lot of meetings — is always talk about what’s working, what our top 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 when you make that and comfortable for people, I feel like it’s allowed us be more open, as an organization, about what do we need to change, do we need to pivot. And both of those, being more video-first in our communication and being transparent and normalizing what’s not working, I think has been really helpful, and something we’re carrying forward.
SM: I love that advice about being video-first. So of our members of our workforce live in a video world. They’re to video as a means of communication. Which brings me to my question. You’ve talked about how the organization has changed. How do you see the changing? What is different with the young millennials, and even, now, the first of Gen Z coming into the workplace?
AS: I it’s incredibly different. And, you know, one of the that we think about at Vimeo a lot is a lot of mechanisms and communication modes that we still use today, they’re really antiquated. They were designed for a different environment and a totally different generation. But I see a of differences. One of them, I think, is the line between your personal life and work is definitely blending. … If you think about your personal life — at TikTok. This generation is used to consuming content, learning, engaging, in very specific way. And if they then have to come to work and to be trained on job, read a 300-page manual? Like, it’s not going to happen, right? Or if you the meeting, and you have to watch the Zoom of a three-hour meeting — that’s just not going happen. And so I think that there is definitely of this — you know, we talk about the “consumerization of enterprise.” are just fancy words for saying the way … we communicate interact in our personal lives is going to translate to work. And so I think that’s an area of opportunity.
The other thing 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 the “why” behind things. one of our communication mantras is we never talk about the “what” without the “why.” And think there’s a desire to — the idea that, well, there’s a hierarchy, or “My boss told me that this what we’re going to do” or — that, I think, increasingly moving away, and people, they don’t just want do something because someone with formal authority told them to do it. want to do it because they understand why it matters, why it ties to the mission. And I that that forces leaders to really bring more of the “why” how we communicate 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 is of all of us, but particularly the younger generation — think they’re looking for flexibility and they want options and choices. it’s not always easy and feasible to provide ultimate flexibility, but this where I try and orient it more to agility. How can we have and principles and be committed to things, but also know when to question, when to actually pivot?
SM: Yeah. Anjali, can you share a few examples ways that you at Vimeo have tried to really be proactive it comes to addressing or understanding what your next of employees are going to want, either in terms of or in terms of benefits or in terms of flexibility? there programs or processes you’ve put in place that really speak to big sea change we’re seeing in terms of values 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 understand workforce is very similar: it’s Q and As and engagement surveys, and things like that. some of the things that we’ve done, we have a and culture NPS, net promoter score, the same way we for our users, for our internal teams. But I would say one of things that we’ve really tried to do is appreciate that when we 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 actually — when you really dig it and truly listen and do focus groups and talk to people — what you’ll find actually there’s very different experiences and desires among your employees. And so, I think for us, what we’ve really tried to do is have a bunch of different listening 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 you, some of the things that we’ve heard from employees have changed our approach to hybrid work or or even things like our approach to compensation or approach to DE and I. So I think it’s just like I 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 particularly stark because we have offices and teams in so many different countries the differences, they’re substantial. They’re really substantial, about the way we solve different things. And we to have a very, sort of, “One Vimeo” global approach the name of consistency and fairness, and what we found we have to be more localized. We really do. We have to design mechanisms 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 I will you, it has involved a lot of — as executive team and leadership team — it’s involved a lot of things, it not working, and changing them. And a example is our Q and A. I feel like every 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 our approach there multiple times, and I know we will again, we’re still figuring out the right way to listen and have a dialogue a very diverse workforce.
SM: I want to stay on newcomers the workplace for just another moment, because another thing I hear CEOs of my generation and older is a concern about making sure we are not just providing our youngest employees with flexibility and the purpose that they need, but also the training the wisdom that comes, oftentimes, from being in close proximity to mentor or to somebody who’s done the job for many years. What is your philosophy and take on making that knowledge transfer is happening?
AS: I think it’s a major that I don’t know that everyone will sort of have a solution for. I think that all the time. We have a very distributed workforce at Vimeo. We have people in over countries. My executive team is entirely distributed. So I’ve realized the benefits of being able to have a distributed workforce and being to attract talent and just be more inclusive. On flip side, there’s definitely, I think, a lack of the same kinds of opportunities and mentorship, particularly for the youngest folks that are entering workforce. So I think it’s a challenge. One of approaches that we’ve been taking, and what’s sort of nice, we’re modeling it at the top. So if my executive team is distributed, that means I have to learn to provide real-time feedback, mentorship and development for a whole of new executives who have just joined. We have of changed up the executive team almost entirely in the last twelve months. I’ve had to deal with the same challenges. And we’ve had to — we call it our operating system — we’ve had to an operating system, as an executive team, for how we’re to work together in that environment. How do we share real-time feedback? How we create the right communication loops? And so I think, from perspective, it’s more we have to be able to do ourselves and model it and then, I think it’s a more proven for young people. I will say, like many companies … I do believe in-person collaboration is really important for learning. We do have — we people into an office. If 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 area that I don’t think we’ve really figured out and I think it’s really critical that as leaders, do that, so that this next generation is able to the same growth opportunities that we all had.
SM: Well, it’s interesting — the tools that you mentioned at very beginning of our conversation, around video, can be helpful there. I’ve heard of a number of organizations have really encouraged their young people to present, as a way having to go out and find the information they need. And then, because have video tools available to us now, you know, they an opportunity to share their ideas with a large group of people, but first, kind of through the fact-finding and the research, and then sharing their ideas. In an earlier comment, you talked little bit about mental illness and the different things people are bringing to work, whether it is, you know, exhaustion, burnout. During the Black Lives Matter protests, we had lot of people coming to the office feeling trauma, and feeling really personal issues bubble to surface. I’m wondering if you can share a little bit about how you deal this increasing personal — you know, when people bring whole selves to the office, which we encourage, sometimes, they bring things, parts of that are challenging.
AS: Yeah … I’ve always thought responsibility of a leader is to empower people to their best work and the responsibility of a company to empower our people to do their best work. And so, of course, have a real role to play in 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 was more, you know, you’re seeing a problem and you’re reacting by to provide mental-health resources or support or time off. And, think — and empathy, just empathy. I think that’s important. And I always say, to so many of managers … just care. If we just care, a lot of things get easier. You don’t to design a hundred 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 and actually the root cause — that we can at Vimeo — the root cause of a lot of and burnout is sometimes people either don’t have enough … focus, we’re people to do too many things or they don’t like they’re supported in doing those things. And that, I think, is actually where we should be spending time — is how do we actually set the right prioritization and focus. There’s some 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 feel to solve it.” Then, we should get into the “What is detail there, and do we need to do things differently?” And, you know, of our themes at Vimeo this year was “Do less, better.”
SM: the economy starts to, maybe, move sideways, do you think there are going to be stakeholders who say, you know, “Out with all of touchy-feely, the workplace-as-a-family stuff. Where are my results?”
AS: Absolutely. think 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 on — and it hasn’t changed — I think the best leaders and cultures deliver results and treat well. And I actually think, if you treat people well, with kindness and empathy, you get better results. And so, you know, for me, I think 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 maybe it was lip service or we felt pressured. And that’s not going to be sustainable. that’s not what — ultimately, that’s not what people need, in any case. So, you know, I sort see it as — the way you channel how you caring towards your employees and how you are empathetic, 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. have to be committed to that and if you that consistently in your decision-making, it should not be trade-off. These are not mutually exclusive things.
SM: Anjali, how you been taking care of yourself during this period of tremendous and change, but also growth? You mentioned you just had baby. There’s a lot on your shoulders. How, as a leader, do you 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 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, I think it as, like, “This job is hard, and it’s harder.” We went public at the height of the pandemic and last year, market volatility has been tremendous. know, we’re obviously going through a ton with post-pandemic, we have a team in going through a war — all these things that happened. And so, it’s a hard job, and it’s an privileged job. It’s a gift, right? And so, I for me, it’s sort of acknowledging both 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 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 kind 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 fulfilling times in work were when — in the business situations. But it’s because it brought a group of people together all on one team, so I think that’s been, you know, a really part of it. And then, yeah, like, you have to be a little selfish sometimes, and take care yourself. And I am really fortunate. I think I have a great support network around and I do … My husband and I have a deal, where Sundays, I disappear for a couple of hours. I just disappear and I walk around city and I listen to my music and do whatever I to do, and that’s really important.
SM: So you talked about how hybrid is going to look very different in the future than how we describe it today. It’s in office a couple of days, work from home couple of other days. Tell us a little bit more what you could potentially see that evolving into.
AS: think the idea of an office as a time and completely goes away. And I think it’s really going be people are going to want to work from anywhere, in the world. Even the concept of where you’re located is going to change. And then the of like “I’m going to work on this time zone” or “I’m going to attend meeting that’s scheduled on this date” — I think that’s going to go away. I think what you’re going to find is more and more work, particularly knowledge workers, is going to be done anywhere, anytime. and collaboration will happen asynchronously and we will be using tools and technology — it’s video, whether it’s AI — to basically enable that at scale many people, anywhere in the world. And then I leadership, leaders are going to look different. Because I it’s going to require — if you think about the set to be a global CEO 30 years ago versus what will require now — I think in the future … the skill set is going be like, “How do you communicate with diverse, global audiences and across time zones in a way that is effective, that provides context and alignment at scale? How do 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 … there were these that we’ve lived with, whether it was time or place or budget, in cases. And I think those constraints are going to go away. the promise is that if we are flexible and smart we use technology in the right way, that we’ll come away a much more evolved and efficient workforce.
SM: Well, think you just showed us some of the passion you’ve talked about as being the thing that gives energy to lead that organization of 1,300 people worldwide. Anjali, you so much for being here today.
AS: Thank you. was great.