Coffee with a Founder Podcast: Tom Rogers, Variabl (formerly ZenCentiv)

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00:00 — Leadership Philosophy and Motivation
Tom Rogers shares his belief that true leaders work alongside their people and are willing to lead from the trenches. He distinguishes leadership from simply managing others while discussing how curiosity, motivation, and adapting to constant change shape his approach.

05:17 — Combining Scalability and Flexibility
Tom explains how his company is building a product that combines enterprise-level scalability with the flexibility and speed of an agile platform. He discusses why accomplishing both has traditionally been difficult and how the technology helps organizations manage complex data while reaching value faster.

08:29 — Creating an Innovative Company Culture
Innovation begins with recognizing that intelligence and valuable ideas can come from anywhere. Tom discusses the importance of welcoming unconventional perspectives, creating “aha” moments, and removing repetitive work so talented employees have more freedom to experiment and solve meaningful problems.

11:53 — Obama on Key Hiring Traits
Drawing on leadership lessons associated with Barack Obama, Tom reflects on the qualities that matter when building a strong team. He also considers how AI is changing hiring—particularly for engineers who can effectively orchestrate AI tools and agents as though they were leading a team.

14:05 — Founder’s Mindset and Challenges
Tom discusses the humility, adaptability, and continuous learning required of a founder. He explains why no leader or organization is ever “100%” complete and how removing roadblocks can unlock the potential of a company’s smartest people.

17:49 — Embracing Industry Ecosystems
Rather than viewing every competitor as an enemy, Tom believes companies can learn from the broader ecosystem around them. He discusses learning from mistakes, recognizing what others do well, and treating the success of neighboring companies as an accelerant instead of a threat.

19:28 — Building a Forward-Thinking Team
Tom explains why success requires understanding both what worked and what needs improvement. He shares how forward-thinking teams build on their wins, remain honest about their shortcomings, and apply those lessons to every new stage of growth.