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Our travels for CEO series has taken us to corporations of all sizes and scopes, and in this episode we went to a company that is simply huge. Zebra Technologies is one of the most dynamic B2B technology corporations in the world. They digitize and automate corporate workflows, employ roughly 10,000 employees, and generate roughly $5 billion in revenue. I had the opportunity to consult with the CEO Bill Burns to learn the way he runs such a huge operation.
Below are some highlights from our insightful conversation, edited for length and clarity. Watch the full video above.
Global reach
“You can see our company Zebra every day. We are a digital solutions provider that permits corporations to intelligently connect data, resources and people. You see us at the supermarket checkout, when a postal employee is delivering a package to your property, and in many other places Companies use our mobile devices to scan packages, obtain signatures, and the like. All of the world’s largest retailers – 86 percent of Fortune 500 corporations – are our customers today. We think of it as retail, transportation, logistics, manufacturing and warehousing, healthcare and government.
NFL Connection
“As a company, we support the NFL. We use the same types of tags that may be used in retail or transportation logistics to trace packages or inventory to trace every cleat, every shoulder pad and every helmet worn by a player. The initial NFL use case was about fan engagement and broadcast improvement. The latest use cases are really about protecting player health and safety.
The CEO’s journey
“I started my career in sales at a large telecommunications company serving companies like Verizon and others. I then took over Europe, the Middle East and Africa on the sales side, before expanding into marketing, services and other areas. then I joined Zebra about nine years ago to lead the acquisition. Zebra was a billion-dollar specialty printing company. “The company took two and a half billion dollars in revenue from Motorola and became a billion-dollar company with a $3.5 billion business overnight.”
Leadership responsibility
“The stool has three legs, right? This is how I see this business: our customers, our employees and our investors. Ultimately, we are in business to continue to grow and make money. But you have to do the right thing, you have to be able to reward, attract and retain the best employees around the world. If you do this, you will best serve your customers. If you serve your customers best, you will increase your revenue and profitability, your stock will rise, and you will take care of your investors.”
Leading in difficult times
“I think the demand for our services increased dramatically during the pandemic and then in 2023 it returned to the level of 2019. So we found ourselves in a situation where we had to do normal things that most companies would do. Look at your property and your travel costs and all these other things internally. We also did things like voluntary retirement programs. We thought about creating new opportunities for people in the organization. It turned out great, but it’s always difficult to shrink to grow, but sometimes you have to make difficult business decisions.”
Career counseling for future leaders
“No one else cares about your profession as much as you do, but even be patient because it won’t occur overnight. And if you’re employed at a great company and have opportunities there, nowhere else are you more respected than at that company. They know you are ready, so be patient.
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