Somewhere in the offices of Epson, or perhaps in the man cave at his home, Elliot Williams is bound to have a poster of MacGyver, the clever, cunning, brilliant tactician and master of improvisation who could be counted on to save the day due to his resourcefulness.
Williams himself may not exactly be a secret agent for the government—his official title is group product manager, business printing for Epson—but nothing stokes his creativity quite like the opportunity to take on a daunting task that requires critical thinking, research, analysis and problem-solving skills.
“I like solving problems by helping people,” said Williams, a 2021 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “Obviously, the objective is to sell products for Epson, but we do it by helping reseller partners make money by solving their end-customers’ challenges.”
A microcosm of Williams’ MacGyver leanings can be pinpointed to early in his career, working as an engineer at Ford Motor Company. The first indication that Williams was to be tested for his ad-libbing skills was the fact that he was hired without being given a specific role. A month into his tenure, Ford gave the 23-year-old Williams managerial oversight for a multimillion-dollar project involving ignition coils. Ford wanted to know A) how much floor space and B) how much budget was required.
Despite being on the job for all of a month, Williams was resourceful enough to get the ball rolling. He would later be asked to perform design reviews on equipment he knew nothing about. In overcoming the seemingly impossible odds of success, Williams discovered a lot about himself.
Pushing Limits
“You can do a lot more than you think you’re capable of if given the opportunity, guidance and perspective,” he said. “I’ve always relied on the sources available to me. If you show up with an open mind, look for ways to engage people and are respectful, you can do amazing things. You don’t always have to have the answers in your head.”
Williams’ career took a significant turn toward technology leaders, landing worldwide and regional product marketing and business development roles for firms such as Intel, Memjet and HP—the third of which launched him into the business side of printing. A member of the Epson team for the last seven years, he was instrumental in the launch of the WorkForce Enterprise line, and finds the secret to problem-solving is listening and connecting the dots between what needs to be done and how he can facilitate that quest.
“I always try to understand where the other person is coming from,” Williams said. “It’s not productive to impose your will on someone. Instead, show them how your solution works for them.”
Major Influences
While they’re too shy to be mentioned by name, Williams gives kudos to a pair of former HP team members who helped provide perspective during his 11-year term there. One extolled the virtues of managing and motivating people, stressing that no one comes to work intending to make mistakes. When they do occur, it’s often a product of someone not understanding what they were asked to do, or weren’t given clear instructions.
“As my manager, he said his job was to help me grow and knock down the barriers to help me be successful,” Williams related.
Another leader championed managing by objectives, not by mandates. It was vital, Williams noted, to focus on the 90% of people who do the right stuff and not create policies around the 10% who do bad things.
From Williams’ perspective, 2020 was marked by highs and lows. The pandemic shutdowns struck one week after Epson’s triumphant Ink Boldly event in California, which prompted the company to focus on its dealer partners through webinars, virtual demonstrations and a second, virtual Ink Boldly event.
“We were pretty resourceful,” Williams noted. “We had more interaction with customers, which helped improve our relationships. Our business continues to grow—we’re getting more partners, more wins. We continue to exceed business expectations, and we’re hearing grumblings that our competitors are starting to care more about us.”
Gaining Momentum
As 2021 rolls along, Williams notes that the skepticism that surrounded the first generation release of the WorkForce Enterprise line prior to Ink Boldly has been replaced by dealers eagerly embracing the second iteration, emboldened by gen one sales successes. In addition, Epson’s remote services, a cloud-based fleet management tool, is among the tools Williams hopes to proliferate to enable dealers to be more effective.
Moving forward, Williams is looking toward the next frontier of challenges. “We have a beachhead (with WorkForce Enterprise), so now looking at how do I grow my influence and make a bigger impact on Epson,” he said. “What’s the next big thing—capabilities, solutions, workflow, go-to-market—that we need to tackle?”
Williams and his wife, Ellecia, have a daughter (Eva) and son (Cameron). He enjoys taking in the views and the beaches southern California has to offer. He’s a music aficionado with hundreds of CDs and a taste that is all over the map, including classical, jazz and R&B. Williams even dipped his foot in the opera pool during the pandemic. He’s traveled extensively for work and pleasure, having visited Brazil, Argentina, Malaysia, Singapore, Austria and countless other countries in addition to many U.S. national parks.
