Zachary Wright
Founder & CEO | Grapevine
In this HR Connect interview, Zachary shares his journey from traditional corporate roles to leading innovation in remote and hybrid work solutions.
He highlights the challenges of leadership, the principles that guide Grapevine’s culture, and his vision for the future of work.
In our discussion, Zach shares the evolution of his leadership style, the pivotal lessons he has learned, and how these influence the culture and strategic direction at Grapevine.
What inspired you to transition from your previous roles to founding Grapevine, and what has been the most rewarding part of this journey?
My move to founding Grapevine wasn’t sudden; it was a series of compounding events. While I was at Qumu, a fully remote video enterprise company, I became the go-to person for sharing information. People constantly asked me to reshare links, documents, or videos, and I realized there was a gap in how teams accessed knowledge. Slack threads would disappear, important resources got buried, and there was no simple way to find what people needed.
On top of that, I kept hearing coworkers say they missed personal connections—the watercooler moments. That feedback stuck with me, and it became part of what Grapevine is today. Then, when Qumu was acquired, I decided not to move forward with the acquiring company. I thought I had my next role lined up—VP of Operations at a startup—but two weeks before starting, I got ghosted. That moment pushed me to take the plunge into Grapevine.
The most rewarding part of this journey has been the continuous learning. I’ve had to wear so many hats—product, sales, finance—and there’s always something new to figure out. The other part is my team. Hearing their ideas and collaborating to turn this vision into reality has been incredible. Grapevine wouldn’t exist without them.
What principles guide the culture at Grapevine, and how do you ensure they resonate with both your team and clients?
At Grapevine, our core values are not just words on a slide—they guide everything we do. The first one is people over profits. This means prioritizing the well-being of our team and customers in every decision we make. If a team member needs time off or a client needs extra support, we step up. Long-term success comes when people feel valued and respected.
Another core value is to be relentless. We embrace challenges with a growth mindset and keep moving forward, no matter how tough it gets. Innovation happens when you push through difficulties.
Then there’s constructive conflict. It’s about having the transparency and trust to challenge ideas with the best intentions. Without that, innovation stalls, and you end up with groupthink. We encourage healthy debate because it pushes us to do better.
One of my favorites is don’t criticize what you can’t understand. It’s inspired by Bob Dylan, and it means approaching situations with curiosity instead of judgment. Ask questions, do research, and seek to understand before making assumptions.
These values are embedded into how we operate as a team and how we build our platform. We’re not just solving problems for the sake of it; we’re creating tools that help companies live these values too.
What are your thoughts on companies that mandate employees to return to the office?
I have strong feelings about return-to-office mandates because they often miss the point entirely. To me, these mandates are a cop-out. They don’t fix the real issues within an organization—culture, leadership, systems—they just put remote work as a scapegoat. Forcing people back into the office is not a strategy; it’s avoiding accountability. If a company’s leadership can’t articulate a clear reason tied to culture, performance, or purpose for why employees need to return, then they shouldn’t do it.
I’ve seen this across industries, not just for knowledge workers. I’ve worked blue-collar jobs growing up—my dad did home improvements, and I spent time doing roofing at a factory where we covered eight to ten houses a day. I’ve also worked in traditional office environments. The idea that remote or flexible work only applies to knowledge workers isn’t valid. Regardless of the job, leaders need to address the deeper problems instead of applying a blanket solution like forcing employees back.
If leadership is considering an RTO mandate, they need to be transparent. Share the reasoning, provide data to support the decision, and set a timeline. If they can’t, they’re likely using it to avoid the hard work of leadership—like firing underperforming employees or solving cultural issues.
We’ve seen studies, like those from BambooHR, which expose the truth: RTO policies are not about culture, innovation, or productivity. They’re about layoffs. Companies hope people will leave on their own, so they don’t have to pay severance or deal with the uncomfortable process of letting people go. That frustrates me. If you raise your hand to lead, you’re committing to tough conversations and real accountability. Forcing a return-to-office policy because you’re unwilling to lead is not the answer. It only hurts the employee and drives the outdated continuation of the employer having the upper hand in the form of control.
At the end of the day, RTO mandates come down to trust—or the lack of it. If leaders truly trusted their employees, they wouldn’t need to micromanage where or how the work happens. Culture is a strategy, and RTO is not the solution to broken systems. Leadership starts with building trust, not dictating presence.
What challenges have you encountered in managing or supporting remote and hybrid teams, and what advice would you give for best practices?
Early in my career, I thought leadership was all about appearances—wearing a suit and tie, climbing the ladder, and projecting authority. I remember leading training sessions where I got frustrated if someone showed up late. Looking back, I realize I was too rigid. I didn’t take the time to understand why someone was late—maybe they were closing a deal, which was far more important.
As my career progressed, I began to see leadership differently. It’s not about being the smartest person in the room or having all the answers. True leadership is about creating direction, setting clear expectations, and then giving your team the autonomy to deliver results in their own style. Each person works differently, and a cookie-cutter approach doesn’t fit everyone.
I’ve also learned that humility is crucial in leadership. Early on, I equated leadership with authority and control, always showing up in a suit and tie, trying to look the part. But over time, I’ve realized that you don’t need to be the smartest person in the room. Leadership isn’t about knowing everything—it’s about understanding people, the situation, and the industry. Walking into a room with an open mind rather than ego is where real growth happens. By empowering your team, they become more engaged, satisfied, and productive.
How do you see remote and hybrid work evolving in the coming years, and what role does Grapevine play in shaping this future?
I’m passionate about the future of work because I believe we need to redefine the rules. What’s happening right now is outdated—companies are still trying to apply old systems to a new world. Remote and hybrid work are here to stay, but the challenge is creating the infrastructure to support it effectively. That’s where Grapevine comes in. We’re building a virtual office platform that helps organizations thrive without a physical office.
The future will involve more flexibility and autonomy for employees, but it will also require better tools to keep people connected, engaged, and productive. Companies need to prioritize outcomes over micromanagement. Leaders should manage performance, not presence. The days of measuring productivity by “butts in seats” are over.
At Grapevine, we’re helping organizations adapt to this new way of working by offering tools that combine communication, collaboration, and knowledge management in one platform. It’s about creating a single source of truth that allows employees to work smarter, faster, and more effectively—no matter where they are.
How has your leadership style evolved over the years, and what significant lesson has shaped your approach to business and leadership?
My leadership style has evolved significantly over the years. Early on, I believed leadership was all about appearances—wearing a suit, climbing the corporate ladder, and projecting authority. I remember getting frustrated when someone showed up late to a training session, thinking it was a sign of disrespect. But looking back, I realize I was too rigid and didn’t consider why they were late—perhaps they were handling a more urgent task, like closing a deal.
As I progressed, I learned that leadership is not about being the smartest person or having all the answers. It’s about setting clear direction and expectations, then trusting your team to deliver results in their own way. People work differently, and a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is the value of humility in leadership. Leadership isn’t about authority, appearances, or being in control—it’s about understanding the people, the situation, and the strategies at hand. When you lead with ego, you close yourself off from growth, but when you lead with an open mind, you create space for learning and progress.
A true leader sets the direction and expectations but allows their team the autonomy to achieve results in their own way. I’ve learned that when you empower people, they’re more engaged, satisfied, and productive. If you’ve hired someone, you’ve done so because you believe in their potential—and it’s your responsibility to help them reach it.
Where do you see the greatest opportunities for innovation in workplace engagement and culture over the next few years?
I think the greatest opportunities for innovation lie in developing tools that truly enhance remote and hybrid workplace engagement. At Grapevine, we’re biased, of course, but we believe platforms like ours are going to lead this change. What we’re building isn’t about solving just one problem—it’s looking at the workplace holistically.
Workplace engagement and culture today are no longer defined by physical proximity or location. The real focus is on how people interact, communicate, collaborate, and celebrate successes. It’s about creating a foundation that fosters the right behaviors and values to thrive in a distributed environment.
The future of work needs to be flexible, inclusive, and fulfilling for everyone. Grapevine plays a role by offering a centralized virtual office that makes work smarter and more connected. At the same time, technology—like AI—will be a big part of innovation in the coming years. AI can help make people more efficient and effective in their roles, but there’s a caveat: we can’t let AI take away the human element of work. Behind every tool, every workflow, and every system, there’s still a person—a person who has a purpose and a role to fulfill. If companies don’t connect their overall mission to the individual’s purpose, and instead just throw tools at the problem, it can end up creating more harm than good.
So it’s really about balancing technological efficiency with human-centric design. The tools of the future need to enhance connectivity, make workflows seamless, and ensure every team member feels included, valued, and engaged—no matter where they are located.
Zach‘s insights provide a roadmap for leaders looking to navigate the complexities of modern work environments with a focus on flexibility, trust, and innovation. His visionary approach at Grapevine aims to reshape how businesses operate, ensuring that technology enhances work-life integration without compromising the human touch.
If you’re interested in sharing your story and becoming part of our HR Connect series, please reach out to us at info@focusimagepro.com.
Dilara Cossette
Founder
Dilara Cossette is the founder of Focus Image Pro, a boutique demand generation agency specializing in helping HR tech companies accelerate growth. With extensive experience in the industry, she partners with marketing leaders to craft strategies that drive demand, boost pipeline, and elevate brand presence. Dilara is passionate about fostering meaningful connections and sharing insights from HR tech innovators through the HR Connect interview series.
