Episode 159: Building Flourishing Cultures and Human-Centered Leadership with Jeffrey Schmitz

Ashish Kothari:

Welcome to The Flourishing Edge, the podcast where we share weekly tips on making flourishing your competitive edge. I’m Ashish Kothari, your host, and each week we dive deep with flourishing experts, changemakers, and executives to share best practices that can help you unlock higher performance through science-based interventions.

Let’s step together into the edge of what’s possible and live, work, and lead with more joy, health, love, and meaning.

Jeff, it’s so lovely to have you on our Happiness Squad podcast. Thank you for joining us.

Jeffrey Schmitz:

Hey Ashish, thanks for having me.

Ashish Kothari:

Jeffrey Schmitz:

Let’s go even further back. I’m actually a software engineer by education. I started my career writing assembly code way back in the day.

Ashish Kothari:

You and I both.

Jeffrey Schmitz:

Exactly. If you had told me back then that I’d eventually run HR, I would’ve said you were crazy. I had no interest in that. But as my career unfolded and I moved through different leadership roles, I realized companies aren’t the buildings, the products, or even the customers. As important as those are, companies are fundamentally about people.

As I moved into leadership, that became clearer and clearer. Culture became central. Stewardship of culture isn’t owned by HR, but it is stewarded by HR, and it’s fundamental to leadership. That’s what drew me into this work.

This role sits at the intersection of leadership and culture, and I believe those are the strongest predictors of long-term success.

Ashish Kothari:

Our stories really parallel each other. I started at IBM working with assembly and COBOL, then consulting at McKinsey. Over time I realized that sustainable performance isn’t driven by initiatives alone — it’s driven by helping people flourish.

That belief shows up clearly at Zebra. It’s hard to build a flourishing, high-performing culture inside a publicly traded company with quarterly pressure, yet you consistently rank as a top workplace. Before we dig into that, I want to start with your new brand narrative: “Better Every Day.” What does that mean for you and Zebra?

Jeffrey Schmitz:

This brand started with our purpose. HR and marketing partnered to define, for the first time, a clear purpose statement: why we exist.

Zebra hides in plain sight. Anything that’s tracked, traced, manufactured, or transported — Zebra is there. “Better Every Day” reflects how we help customers improve continuously, not through one big transformation, but through compounding progress.

Continuous improvement is incredibly powerful. Rarely does transformation happen in one giant leap. It happens in small, purposeful steps over time. That philosophy applies to Zebra, our customers, our partners, and our people.

Ashish Kothari:

That message lands deeply, especially in a world where many people aren’t experiencing life as “better every day.” It feels like hope — grounded, practical hope.

How are you bringing that purpose to life internally with employees and externally with customers?

Jeffrey Schmitz:

Our CEO at the time, Andrew Gustafson, recognized that culture would make or break the integration. He said we weren’t just going to hang banners — we were going to bring people together physically and define shared values through lived experiences.

Culture, to me, is defined by how we treat each other every day. Those behaviors translate directly to how we treat customers and partners.

Fast-forward to post-COVID: people had joined who’d never experienced that culture firsthand. Our current CEO, Bill Burns, recognized we needed to re-energize it — not just revive it.

We redefined our purpose, refreshed our values, and brought people together again — virtually and in person — to experience culture, not just read about it.

Ashish Kothari:

That commitment is powerful, especially when many companies are pulling back from people investments. You’re leaning in.

You also changed the language from “HR” to “People Team.” That matters.

Jeffrey Schmitz:

It does. “Human resources” sounds transactional. We want people to belong, grow, and thrive. Language shapes culture.

Ashish Kothari:

Belonging is such a through-line at Zebra. What are some of the ways you make that real in practice?

Jeffrey Schmitz:

Belonging is a survival instinct. Neuroscience shows that being part of a tribe historically meant staying alive.

At Zebra, we want people from all backgrounds to feel they belong — not just because it feels good, but because diversity fuels innovation. Different perspectives lead to better solutions.

We want people to bring their full selves to work, feel valued, stay, grow, and build careers here.

Ashish Kothari:

How do employees take ownership of their growth while still belonging — without becoming homogeneous?

Jeffrey Schmitz:

The moment you outsource your career, you’re in trouble. You have to own it.

We provide tools: individual development plans, training libraries, mentorship, shadowing, experiential learning. Recently, we launched company-wide Development Days — two days dedicated entirely to learning and career ownership.

Over half the company signed up before it even started.

Managers support growth, but employees own it.

Ashish Kothari:

That focus on development — not just performance reviews — is huge.

Jeffrey Schmitz:

Absolutely. Growth isn’t only promotions or salary. It’s skills, experiences, and capability building.

Ashish Kothari:

You shared a powerful personal story about happiness and the “5-3-2” practice. Would you share that again?

Jeffrey Schmitz:

Sure. I learned it during a visit to Mayo Clinic.

Five things you’re grateful for each day.

Three ways you make someone else’s day better.

Two minutes before seeing your family to mentally reset and show up fully.

Practicing this shifted my mindset toward gratitude and presence.

Ashish Kothari:

That aligns beautifully with what we teach in our Rewire program — small, consistent practices that rewire the brain over time.

Jeffrey Schmitz:

Exactly. Which leads to my three foundations for success: positivity, hard work, and curiosity.

No one promotes negativity. Curiosity, especially, has shaped my nonlinear career — asking questions, learning the business, staying open.

Ashish Kothari:

Curiosity is also essential for navigating hardship and change — especially now with AI reshaping everything.

How are you fostering curiosity and adaptability at Zebra?

Jeffrey Schmitz:

We’ve learned to build playbooks for “hot jobs.” AI is the current one.

We train internally, create safe sandboxes to experiment, partner with IT, and encourage play. Over half our workforce is actively using AI tools today — and we want that number higher.

We also hire for curiosity. We want people who want to learn and adapt.

Ashish Kothari:

That “with them, not to them” approach stands out.

As we wrap up, what advice would you offer future leaders trying to put people first?

Jeffrey Schmitz:

First: culture is one of the strongest predictors of success. Define it, invest in it, and live it.

Second: build a foundation for getting better every day. Continuous improvement compounds.

If you do those two things, you’ll look back in a year or two and be amazed by what’s changed.

Ashish Kothari:

Thank you, Jeff. Zebra is a real beacon of what’s possible. I appreciate your leadership and generosity.

Jeffrey Schmitz:

Thanks, Ashish. I really enjoyed the conversation.

Ashish Kothari:

Thank you for joining me on The Flourishing Edge. If today’s conversation inspired you, share it with someone who’s ready to flourish too. Subscribe, leave a review, and stay connected for more tools to achieve breakthrough performance through flourishing.

Until next time — keep learning, practicing, and growing into your fullest potential.