J2 Global CEO Vivek Shah on best practices in a virtual world

This week in the #TogetherApart edition of KindredCast, we welcome J2 Global CEO Vivek Shah on digital transformations and best practices in the era of COVID-19. With global reach of over 180 million people monthly through brands such as IGN, Mashable, Humble Bundle, and Speedtest, Vivek brings expertise to this conversation that is sheer MBA-worthy.

Here’s what we learned:

1. During the pandemic, great leadership means higher visibility.

While many companies (and individuals) yearn for pre-pandemic normalcy, Vivek is thinking about how working from home is changing his leadership for the long run in a positive way. “We use a platform called Workplace, which is Facebook’s platform for companies, where we’re posting live streams and videos and just keeping the company connected in that way,” Vivek said. “Obviously email, just using every digital tool available to me to have my presence felt and my leadership team’s presence felt. So I was at a recent board meeting, and I did make the remark that I think the relationship between the company and its employees has never been stronger. And we’re feeling that and we’re seeing it in the feedback from companies. So as I look at silver linings in all of this, that is absolutely one of them. And I think it’s demonstrated that this being virtually visible can be done and can be achieved.”

2. The pandemic is revolutionizing education for good.

To Vivek, education is an area of life ripe for digitalization. While it’s important for children to have face-to-face interaction with their friends and educators, he believes that the pandemic has thrust parents, educators, and kids alike into a new opportunity.

“[My four children] miss the in-person, community-based being with their teacher, being with their friends,” Vivek said. “But they also recognize the efficiency that comes with what is essentially this virtual education. And I think they’re right. I think you’re going to find that balance. And I think that’s a process. It’s a shift in the way various education systems work…I think you’re going to see more and more of that. And I think sometimes, it’s like anything else. I’ve said to my team, people talk a lot about remote work, and prior to the pandemic 12% of our population was working remotely. And we were developing ideas about how to increase that for a variety of reasons.”

3. This moment in time should help companies think about community.

With a wide variety of holdings, Vivek is most focused on building community and informative content. This work is perhaps best exemplified through the fundraising work at Humble Bundle. “We raised $6.5 Million dollars,” Vivek said. “Which is great, in literally a week’s time, to make sure we are able to provide really reliable content, right? Content that is, I think, not hyperbolic, is not designed to generate traffic. It’s really designed to inform. So, I think that mission and that purpose also helps motivate our organization.”

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Check out our interview with Vivek Shah on KindredCast, embedded below or available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.