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Shoe Dog
Phil Knight
I chose this book because Nike is all around us, all over the world. You look around on the street, you will probably see a few people with Nike shoes on their feet. It is popular between kids, youngsters and families. It is popular in Europe, in America, in Asia and in Africa. It is popular for streetwear and for sports. There would be a very few kids telling you they didn´t dream about wearing these shoes. So I was intrigued. I wanted to know what is behind this huge successful company with an amazing brand. What was their path to this success?
Phil started Nike shoes as a school project and one idea. What if Japanese shoes will be much more popular here than the European ones? After graduation he traveled the world and stopped by in Japan as well where he decided to get together with a few businessmen selling shoes he would like to bring over to America. Since he believed in the project and sold his idea well, the businessmen agreed and shook their hands with him.
When the shoes finally arrived at Phil´s household he started selling them from the back of a truck. They became so popular, he had to order hundreds more. Phil believes the reason for people buying the shoes was because he believed in their quality and benefits. Selling what you believe in matters and can make all the difference to your potential customers.
Phil had to be strong in his belief not only to be able to sell his shoes but also because his father and other people he came across discouraged him from his idea. We heart it often. In fact, more often than is healthy, I believe. “That doesn't make sense.” “What? I don't think that will work.” ”That is complete nonsense, focus on something meaningful.” His firm belief drove him to making it a success.
No to micromanagement, yes to trust. What I really admire is how important Phil found trusting his teams to have the job done their own way. He believed that that is the only way to be successful. You have to let people access their own creativity and let them think of possibilities you would not have thought of yourself. That is something I find one of the key aspects of being a good leader and manager.
And lastly, a growth mindset is important. Seeking improvement and seeing arising challenges as opportunities to do better and to grow is ultimately what drives success. I see this pattern more and more often in successful businesses and people creating them. Believe in your mission, work for it, trust people and give them freedom, seek opportunities for your growth everyday.
