How To REALLY Care About Your Employees - - Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia Claude Silver

SPEAKER_00 0:04

This is the Beyond the Story Podcast, a show that goes way beyond the story. And now, Sebastian Frost. Claude Silver, welcome to the show. So good to see you.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

Amazing to be here. Thank you, sir.

SPEAKER_00 0:31

The power of LinkedIn.

SPEAKER_01 0:33

I know. It's pretty amazing, actually. That is a killer community, I have to say.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

It really is. What in the world did we do 15 years ago? I guess we picked up the phone, or maybe email was around 15 years ago.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

I mean, bar I mean barely. I think we picked up the phone and you know had a threw a Hail Mary to be like, can I meet Sebastian Rusk?

SPEAKER_00 0:54

And now it's the the gatekeeper's been eliminated for the most part on here. So uh you and I were just chatting before the interview. Um I remembered Gary V telling stories a decade ago about every company eventually really caring about their culture, and there will be a person that has a position at the C level uh to be able to just care about the community. And here we are, fast forward some 10 years later, and and you guys have really made that uh a reality over at Vayner Media as they've continued to just explode. I I remember the the old days of the rented conference room with him and AJ just trying to figure things out. Right. And uh now look at just the the incredible culture. I've seen a lot of incredible things come out. I've met some incredible uh Vayner Media uh peeps, and uh so it's so great to have a conversation with you and what's going on with being the chief heart officer over at Vayner Media. But before we get into that, I want to back up a little bit. On my show, I like to tell people's story. I like to back up to the beginning of the story when uh you decided that this is the route that I'm going to take in life, and then I decided that, well, there's another route that I'm deciding to take, but really unpacking for some context to to help our listeners better understand what brought you to present day as the chief heart officer uh over at Vayner Media.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Okay, cool. Well, uh buckle up. Um I I was a um a pretty, pretty poor student. I was on the 10-year plan and graduated college when I was 28. I took some time off. I, you know, my brother likes to tell me that he's always like, so how many colleges did you go to? I went to a lot. And I always knew that as corny as this sounds, I like, I have a heart to help. I'm really interested in what people call servant leadership. I call it really human-centered leadership. And uh had done some outward bounds. I had um really, you know, knew I was a leader, right? I knew I was a leader, and I knew that I would find my way through life because I'm a people person. I have no idea how I ended up in marketing and advertising, other than like I needed a job. It was 1998 in San Francisco, and I got my first dot-com job. I was a project manager, and the rest was really history off to the races, and I've been in this digital world ever since. Um, and I had a really, really successful and wonderful career as a strategist, working on brands you and I buy at CVS every single day, and uh, and really working globally and kind of just put my head down and did what was in front of me because again, I either didn't want to get found out that like I had no clue what I was doing, I was like a psychology girl. And um I I don't know, I just put two and two together. I like, like I said, I like people, I like human behavior. So it's not that it came easy. I had a passion and interest about it. And um I was living in London and it was 2013 when I first met Gary. It was August of 2013. I met him on um an email that my best friend had connected us together. She was like, Oh, you gotta you guys are two sides of the same coin. I don't I don't know what you're doing.

SPEAKER_00 4:06

She's a best friend right there.

SPEAKER_01 4:07

Yeah, really my best friend. And um, but prior to that, as I was working in agencies, I just said to myself, you know what? I don't want to do this anymore. Like, I just don't care if this is like red, green, apple color, it doesn't matter. But I love the teams, I love the teamwork, and I've always been a team player and team captain. So Gary and I met, we kind of like fell for one another. He moved me to New York and I started at Vayner in May of 2014 as his first SVP running a very large piece of business. So I was still in the marketplace of caring if this was blue, green, or yellow. And a year in, I just said to myself, you know what, I'm done. I don't want to do this anymore. Like I'm I'm really I'm burnt out on talking about whether or not, you know, the font is incursive or do you put an apostrophe there? And so I said to Gary, you know, hey, thank you so much. Like I love you, I love this place, but I'm no longer interested in advertising. And at that time he had already had an enormous amount of trust in me. I had been there 16 months, and he said, What do you want to do? And I said, I just care about people. I only care about the heartbeat of this place. And one thing led to another, and we we created this role.

SPEAKER_00 5:28

I love it.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:29

Well, it's I mean, it sounds like his ears perked up when you'd when you'd mentioned it was almost music to his ears because he had already he'd already had this on his heart and his mind anyway. I think that you know, it really started. I mean, he's always thought that way. It's just how Gary's built. But really with the thank you economy was was a was a strong message of you know, we're we're we're entering into this caring economy where it seems kind of redundant, of course, a business is going to care about their customers, but it's it hasn't with with this digital uh connection now how we're so hyper-connected, it it doesn't operate the way that it that it used to. So there was clearly uh a need. So wow, 2014. So you so we started as the as the uh chief heart officer uh in 2014, or was that was that shortly thereafter?

SPEAKER_01 6:12

No, no, yeah, six, eighteen, sixteen months after. So I've been doing this for almost six years.

unknown 6:18

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

This role for almost almost six years. I've been there for seven and a half years, and I love it. I I wake up every single day just incredibly interested in what's gonna happen and what conversation I'm gonna be able to take part in and the growth I'm gonna be able to witness. And you know, just helping people you know, my old I should back up and say when I said to Gary, how do we know if I'm successful? He said the following You'll touch every single employee and infuse the agency with empathy. That's the only job description I have. So figuring out how to do that every hour, every meeting, every Zoom is is you know incredibly like curious for me.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

What really stands out to me, I was looking at your LinkedIn bio, checking you out, Claude, checking you out again.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:07

And you said I work for I work for 1200 humans. And I'm curious to know what what would be possible if people shifted their mindset. And you know, Gary's always had that mentality. He's like, listen, if you if you own the company, you work for everybody within that organization. It's not the other way around. If you if you win, uh it it's it's it's it's a credit to your team. If you lose, it's your fault. That's just the way it works. What what have you seen evolve with the culture since you've been able to really take the carrying reins by by the horn over the past seven years? What what's what are some of the things you've seen evolve and happen within the culture there of Intermedium?

SPEAKER_01 7:51

Yeah, I mean, we've become a kinder place. We've become a place that I think has humility and does not do well with A holes. It's a place that will root them out. Because it's a kind place, it's a collaborative place, it's a place where you know people come together to find right together and to make make things matter in the world to the consumers. Where there is someone that is cynical or where there is that pocket of negativity, it becomes so loud because it's not anywhere else. And people will say, Whoa, gosh, those two people are crusty. Like, I don't know, but I don't know what's going on with them, but we should check them out, you know. And so that's what I found is that it's become self-regulating, which is really awesome. And that's also what happens when you give people autonomy, you give people enormous amounts of runway to create their own world and seeing people come together under the mascot of kindness and empathy and being the bigger person is the juice. That's what jazzes me every single day. So I don't I don't need to go knock on 1200 doors every day every day, nor can I. But I can scratch and sniff around 50 and have some really fruitful conversations and you know look for data, find patterns, and make changes where needed.

SPEAKER_00 9:20

I love it. Who thinks of this stuff? Gary does, dang it. Claude does. Yeah. Well, I I gotta think that it's it has the culture, you know, working from the inside out has had to invaders had a tremendous amount of success uh really since its inception. Gary really hit the ground running, you know, with his strong desire to to want to disrupt the agency world as we know it. And I think he's just he's done a damn good job of it. Uh and and you know that through the culture of of the of the demand of people trying to get in the door over there and knowing that Vayner is truly one of the hottest agency spots uh in town to be at. And now that it's grown now worldwide and in and nationwide too, um, that's gotta be a direct reflection of what you guys have done here with the culture.

SPEAKER_01 10:06

Oh yeah. I I really, I mean, I believe that. You create a place where people know that they will be loved. And you can define loved any which way you want, but the essence is you will be taken care of. We will put you first. And who doesn't want that? Who really doesn't want that? Because there's an incredible ripple effect, a domino effect. You can't, again, as I just said, you can't get away with being a bully here because this is a place where we want the best for you. We believe that you put people first, you put them in positions of strength to succeed, and the rest happens and you become successful because of that, because of the people.

SPEAKER_00 10:45

And a lot, not you know, not everybody sticks around forever. I know some, I know some Vayner lifers, and I know some that have had a season uh over at Vayner, but you guys really, you know, if somebody wants to move on, you guys just wrap your arms around them and and and really encourage that process. And and it's been my understanding from some past stories that you know the door is always open and there's always it was always an encouraged. Listen, if you don't want to be here anymore and there's another opportunity that showed up, how can I help get you there? And I I think as we continue to um embrace the the the the world of of of making sure every you know it it every business brand and the world in general is is more and more uh inclusive. The timing is incredible with this uh shift in the work culture. And I think a lot of other companies have started to adapt and understand, especially after a frickin' pandemic where it's been tough to to not only find talent but get people to even come back to work that were actually there in the first place. I've got to, you know, and i I'm sure you guys have had your fair share of challenges with it, but not nearly as bad as as a company that doesn't have as much focus on culture. What what was the biggest shift you guys experienced during this time? Did you hit mute? Are you muted? There we go.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

Can you hear me? Oh how weird.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

Um, are you there?

SPEAKER_01 12:08

I'm here. Uh I'm here. Um we didn't have a work from home culture 18 months ago. We really didn't. We and I I was one of those people that didn't know if you could do that at an agency. And so the biggest shift is that we did it. We did it successfully, and we had a friggin' really phenomenal year last year, and people people worked their butts off. You know, it was a it was a new world for everyone. Like what's it what's it like to work from home? What's it like to have your kids in the background? What's it like to have the dogs barking? What's it like to not know how to shut off because you're sitting here all day? You know, we had a lot of learnings there, and uh, and now I can say that we know we can collaborate and collaborate extremely well from home. And so I think the biggest shift has been, you know, really that. Like, and now we're going into hybrid workplace, which will figure out like how does that work? How do we stagger people in? How do we make people feel safe? Because that's the most important thing that we do.

unknown 13:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

And how do we, you know, do incredible work for our consumers and clients?

SPEAKER_00 13:19

That was about to be my next question. Are you guys back? Are you guys back in the office or at least the option to be open? But you said you're moving to the hybrid model. Now, just when you guys move in those digs at Hudson Yards, a frickin' pandemic has to show up. I've only seen pictures, but they look mind blog. I saw a clip from uh from the LA office too. I guess the uh first 4D in two years um happened uh this week. So that was kind of cool. It was cool to see Gary outside of his apartment after. I know.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

Isn't that wild? It's so wild. You're like, oh my God, he is uh yeah, uh all of us, yeah. So um certain offices, just based on their based on the uh government, what the government's saying, you know, what the you know what's going on in Singapore, whatever, are open and people can come in, but they don't have to. And that's what we're doing in New York. It's open, I gotta tell you, I went in there last week and it's just heaven because the electricity and the energy is so great. And it's awesome to come home and work.

unknown 14:15

Right.

SPEAKER_00 14:16

I was just saying that the other day. I was uh as I you know travel or see friends I haven't seen in a while, and new faces, old faces are at a conference, and you just hug people a little tighter and a little longer these days, especially after all this, all of all of this matters. But it's been yeah, it's been a huge uh adjustment. I had uh Zach Nadler on a couple months back, and we were talking about this pandemic. I'm what you guys didn't been doing with with with Vayner speakers, and he's like, listen, dude, we've been Gary's been doing virtual since like 2016. That was nothing new. Our biggest adjustment was we had to get Gary an actual computer to work on because he runs his life on his phone. And I'm like, I never even thought about that. I know that he's constantly on that thing, but the biggest adjustment was us actually getting Gary on a physical laptop and a computer on there. So uh it's incredible to see how we've all the the the navigating and and and I dare I use the word pivoting that needs to be done, needed to be done uh with within this world. But um, I totally get the fact that people, the the the energy is electric in the office and that same exactly. There's nothing like a homecoming. Yeah. There's nothing like, and there's also the flexibility to say, hey, listen, I'm more inclined to stay and continue to work where I've been working from, or I know I would be. I couldn't wait to get back in there. I mean, that bring on the water cooler talk and lunchtime, you know, but um, you know, create creating that culture and being able to now you guys have proved the fact that this stuff works anywhere. This stuff works in the office, this stuff works virtually, and our culture is the heartbeat, you know, of our business. Club, what would you say the biggest, what would you say the hardest part of your job is?

SPEAKER_01 15:51

You know, I think this is gonna sound uh, well, I don't know how it's gonna sound. I think the hardest part of my job during COVID for sure was two things. One, um, I myself couldn't cure racism. I think that was huge because what happened with George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, you know, Asian hate, all of that has it took a toll on our people. And that was not anything that I had an answer for, other than to just hold space for. So I think from like you know, a very human perspective, that was real. And then I think the other one is reminding people that burnout isn't a badge of honor. And I used to think it was. I because I I grind it, you know, 13 hours a day, 15 hours a day at my old so my old places. And um it's not, it doesn't do anyone any good when you get beyond crispy. So I think the empowering of people and reminding people that you know you you gotta know yourself. And when you're getting to code red, way before that, you gotta back down and say, I need a day, or I need help, or I need to delegate. So I think, you know, and these uh what I've told you now are two things that I have no control over because I don't have any control over other people, only me. And so that's the thing when you have to really um really know how to provide warmth without telling someone how to live.

unknown 17:22

Right.

SPEAKER_00 17:22

Which is a fine line. Yep. And and and the conversation of around mental health specifically, and that's one of the best things, in my opinion, the best things that came out of this pandemic, yeah, is that it was no longer taboo or not as taboo to discuss real issues and with life showing up and job burnout and working hard and all of that stuff is all a component uh of that of that process. And people had to adjust in several different facets, not just in the workplace that if that it turned into. I do I just saw it was a couple of weeks back, it was World Mental Health Day. You know, it's national cupcake day today, but there's a national but that was one where I stopped and said, I remember I I posted a quote that said, it's okay to not be okay. It's not okay to stay that way. And I and I talked about you know, I love that today's World Mental Health Day, but I think that this should be something that's celebrated every day, and more and more awareness is brought to it, specifically and then to the to the subject of of burnout, even in work culture too. So I I would only venture to to to believe that you get part of of caring about the culture and really pouring into them and having that open ear and and and conversation to have, mental health has to be part of that equation, is it not?

SPEAKER_01 18:40

All the time. All the time. And I saw it ruin five years ago. I saw when we started to get the younger millennials coming in for their first, second job, or now, you know, gen, uh, Gen Z. It is top of mind. It is they are they are talking about what is going on for them and the the help and the facilitation and the therapy that they need, you know, want and deserve.

SPEAKER_00 19:08

I think a lot of that corporate wellness is becoming a thing. I told, I've been doing a lot of breath work over the past couple of years. And I tell my breath work practitioner, I'm like, you there, there's going to be a huge space for this in the workplace, because being able to, you know, go in, she's like, oh, I've done a few times, we've gone in and done like mini breath work sessions over lunch, and of course, yoga or something like bringing massage chairs in or something is has become a little more common on there. But as far as the traditional ways of being able to pour into your culture, um things like that, I really look forward to to being becoming less, I mean, becoming more and more of the conversation, I guess, is uh a unique way of saying it. So uh I I've really enjoyed this conversation and being able to finally connect with you, Claude. I've heard incredible things about what you're doing here. I completely commend you on the work that you're doing and uh working from the depths of your heart. And I think that's really what what life is all about. You go home every day or stop working every day, and you wake up every day and I'm and you say, you know what, I'm I'm on the path that I want to be on because I'm doing work that matters, because um, I don't know about you, but I want to leave people different. I want them to have an experience with me that leaves them different and and and allows them to do something that they didn't do in their life or open up an area of freedom that they didn't currently know. So it's a pleasure to to know you and have a conversation with you. Uh, we'll have to have you back on the show sometime. And uh be sure to tell that Gary Vee hello. It's been too long. My goodness.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

Uh well, thank you so much, Sebastian. This has been awesome.

SPEAKER_00 20:35

It it really has. I really enjoyed it. Everyone, make sure you connect with Claude. I'm gonna put the link to her LinkedIn, a link to her LinkedIn in the show notes on here. Make sure you connect with her. And if you're not caring about your culture right now, you should be. And I hope this episode uh opens your mind to what's possible with it. Thanks again, Claude.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 20:55

Thanks so much for tuning into this episode of the Beyond the Story Podcast. Be sure to appreciate it. If you haven't done so already, make sure you're subscribed to the show. This way you'll get updates as new episodes become available. If you feel so inclined, please leave us a review. Signing off from the podcast, Launchlab.com studios. I'll talk to you next time.