Driving America Forward with Warren Wilcock
“I think a marker of innovation is people asking themselves the question, “Why hasn’t this been done before?”
Warren Wilcock
Senior Solutions Engineer
Zum
Warren began his career in SaaS cloud software in 2008. For years, he was a technical, consumer-facing expert, as a business consultant, solutions engineer, and technical account manager, helping organizations solve problems and become more efficient through the use of technology. Today, he is a Senior Solutions Engineer at Zum.
Question 1:
In your role at Zum, how do you think about innovation?
I think innovation is all about challenging the status quo—and making things as easy as possible for the end user.
In my role, I’m responsible for helping make sure our school districts understand how to use the Zum platform—and I can tell you, when the school administrators see how much easier it is to use Zum, the reaction is powerful. Every time I’ve done it–and I mean, every time—I see people lean back in their chairs, the tension leaves their bodies, and there’s this sigh of relief, as if to say, “Wow, that’s so much easier.”
That is innovation, right there.
Question 2:
From your perspective, at a company-wide level, how is Zum driving American innovation forward?
I said before, I think the hallmark of innovation in a role like mine is, how easy can you make something for the end user.
And at a company level, I think a marker of innovation is people asking themselves the question, “Why hasn’t this been done before?”
Well, I asked myself that question when I joined Zum, and I hear it asked all the time, internally and outside the company. I think it’s a clear indicator that what you’re doing is so clearly needed in the marketplace, and that your solution is simple and obvious (once it’s been done already, of course).
I’ll also add that, several years ago, I worked at an early cloud-computing company that had a successful exit. We were innovating at that company, too—and the steps that our company took to make sure we were ahead of the technology curve, I see Zum taking now. It’s a good sign for me that I’m in the right place at the right time.
Question 3:
When you think of the future, what role do children/the next generation play, and how can we set them up for success?
I think the younger generation today has incredibly high expectations for technology—and that’s a good thing. I’d like to see this generation keep those expectations high. Don’t settle for less.
And for the companies that are innovating, I’d like to make sure we’re delivering on those expectations. Technology is so advanced now, that the barrier of entry for creating solutions to problems keeps getting lower. We should be taking advantage of that fact to build solutions more quickly, solve problems more easily, to create technology that improves lives..
If the younger generation keeps their expectations high, and companies continue to deliver, we’ll see people enter the workforce with the same hunger to drive progress and innovation.