Better Every Day: What Zebra Technologies Taught Me About Building Cultures That Compound
There are conversations that leave you informed.
And then there are conversations that quietly rewire how you think about leadership, culture, and what really drives performance over the long term.
My conversation with Jeff Schmitz, Chief People Officer at Zebra Technologies, was firmly in the second category.
Zebra is a publicly traded, global technology company with nearly 10,000 employees across more than 50 countries. It consistently ranks among the best places to work, scores high on wellbeing and engagement, and continues to innovate in an increasingly volatile, AI-driven world.
What struck me wasn’t a single program or initiative. It was the philosophy underneath it all.
A simple but profound idea:
Better every day.
Not as a slogan.
Not as a poster on the wall.
But as a system for how culture, growth, belonging, and innovation actually happen.
1. Why the Real Magic Is in Compounding, Not Breakthroughs
Most leadership teams are hunting for the big move: the bold transformation, the new operating model, the culture reset.
But very few organizations actually transform through a single step change.
Jeff referenced Einstein’s famous observation about compound interest being one of the great wonders of the world, then reframed it: “If you can build a system where you’re continuously improving, it’s amazing how those little changes every day turn into massive changes.”
At Zebra, Better Every Day isn’t just a brand narrative. It’s an organizing principle that connects purpose, values, culture, customer impact, and employee growth. The brand work started with HR and marketing partnering to answer a fundamental question: Why does Zebra exist?
The answer became their north star. Creating new ways of working. Because everywhere you look, anything manufactured, transported, tracked, Zebra’s technology is there, hiding in plain sight, making work better.
As Jeff put it: “Few times do people transform their business or their culture by taking one big step function. They do it in little pieces every day that are choreographed and tied to a purpose.”
Actionable Takeaway
Identify the small behaviors you want to improve daily and design systems, not just initiatives, to make them happen. Compounding doesn’t happen by accident; it happens by design.
2. Why They’re Called the “People Team,” Not HR
Language shapes reality more than we realize.
At Zebra, they don’t call it HR. Jeff is the Chief People Officer, and his team is the People Team.
The distinction matters: “Human resources is a pretty cold way of looking at humans as assets. We want to think of people as individuals who we want to belong and we want to excel and we want to develop.”
When you treat people as resources, you optimize for utilization. When you treat people as people, you optimize for flourishing.
And at Zebra, they believe flourishing cultures drive high performance especially in a publicly traded company where quarterly pressures are real.
Actionable Takeaway
Examine the language you use. What does it imply about how you view employees? Words shape culture.
3. Belonging Is Not a Feel-Good Idea, It’s a Survival Instinct
In early human history, belonging wasn’t a convenience, it was a matter of survival. Being part of a tribe meant living. Being excluded meant danger.
That instinct is still with us today.
A neuroscientist who spoke to Zebra’s team explained this connection powerfully. As Jeff reflected, we’ve all experienced that painful feeling of not belonging, not getting invited to the party as a kid, not feeling included or appreciated.
At Zebra, belonging is both humane and strategic. They want to attract the best talent from all diverse backgrounds and corners of the world. But more than that, they want people to bring their full selves to work.
Why? “People with different experiences and perspectives help us be more innovative.”
You want diverse perspectives. You want active debates. You want people approaching problems differently. That only happens when people feel safe bringing their full selves to work.
For a technology company where innovation is at the heart of everything, belonging isn’t about being nice. It’s about being innovative.
Actionable Takeaway
Examine whether dissent is welcomed or quietly put down in your organization. Belonging unlocks the diverse perspectives that drive innovation.
4. Redefining Growth Beyond Promotions and Pay
Most people define career growth in two dimensions: promotions and salary increases.
Zebra highlights a third dimension that’s often overlooked: skills, competencies, and experiences.
Jeff was direct about ownership: “The moment you outsource your career, you’re in trouble. A lot of people say, ‘My boss should be owning my career.’ That’s the last thing you should do.”
At Zebra, employees are equipped to own their development while managers play a supporting role.
Development Days: Making Growth Visible
To bring this to life, Zebra created Development Days. Two full weeks where they showcased all available learning tools, held seminars, and created opportunities for people to build Individual Development Plans (IDPs).
The goal wasn’t to teach people. It was to empower them to own their growth.
What’s different? Development Days are separate from performance reviews. They’re not about feedback, they’re about growth. That distinction matters.
Jeff was also clear that managers have a responsibility to help with IDPs, even though employees own them. And notably, Zebra tracks this and listens through engagement surveys.
What they consistently hear: People love their managers.
In a world where Gallup research shows most people don’t like their managers and many don’t even want to be managers, this is remarkable. It matters because managers play a bigger role in employee mental health than therapists. You see your manager every day. That daily interaction compounds.
Actionable Takeaway
Separate development conversations from performance reviews. Make learning visible and celebrated, not tied to annual feedback cycles.
5. Curiosity: The Hidden Engine of Belonging and Innovation
We all recognize the moment: someone says something you disagree with, and your brain reacts instantly: That’s wrong. I know the answer.
The cultural shift happens when you pause and ask: “What if there’s something here I don’t yet see?”
This is getting curious instead of reactive and it drives both positive culture and innovation.
Curiosity also fueled Jeff’s own nonlinear career from engineer to marketer to Chief People Officer. His advice: be curious about the business. What does your company do? Why? Who do you compete against? Why do you win when you win?
Actionable Takeaway
Replace “That won’t work” with “Tell me more”. Curiosity isn’t weakness, it’s leadership.
6. AI, Curiosity, and the Future of Work
Rather than treating AI as something to fear or impose on employees, Zebra is creating environments where people can play, experiment, and learn.
The “Hot Jobs Playbook”
Zebra has lived through multiple cycles of “hot jobs”, first data scientists, then robotics engineers, now AI specialists. Each time felt like starting over until they built a playbook for how to attract, develop, and retain emerging skill sets.
This is continuous improvement in action.
Democratizing AI at Zebra
For AI specifically, Zebra partnered with IT to create training programs and a “safe sandbox” for experimentation. Over half of employees are now using AI, but there’s still nearly half who either don’t think it applies to them or are too busy to invest in learning.
Here’s where it gets strategic: “As we hire new people, we need to make sure we’re hiring people who are curious about AI. We want to hire the people who are.” Simultaneously, they’re making their current workforce more curious.
The key is embracing AI, not fearing it.
Actionable Takeaway
Create safe spaces for AI experimentation and hire for curiosity. People are already using AI, so enable them.
7. Advice for Leaders Building Lasting Cultures
Jeff’s advice for leaders, especially those in publicly traded companies facing quarterly pressures, is grounded in two principles:
- Culture Is One of the Most Important Indicators of Success
Define it, invest in it, and live it. When your leaders truly believe in culture, everything changes.
If you’re interviewing for a job, ask questions about the culture. What’s it like to work here? How do people engage with each other? You want to be at a company where culture comes first.
If you’re already at a company where culture needs improvement? Make the case to your leaders.
- Build a Foundation for Getting Better Every Day
You won’t build an instantaneously fantastic culture. Nobody changes anything overnight. Build a foundation for continuous improvement.
Then, when you look back a year or two later, you’ll find you’ve done amazing things.
That’s the power of compounding.
Better every day.
Not as a slogan.
As a way of life.
Learn more about Jeff Schmidt on LinkedIn.
Listen to the podcast with Ashish and Jeff Schmidt below, You can also listen on Apple Podcasts.
Access and subscribe to all of the episodes of the Flourishing Edge Podcast here.
Make Flourishing Your Competitive Edge.
