Reading Reflection #1 Assignment 13A

1.     Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

-       What surprised me most:

I was surprised the level to which Knight became a pioneer in the shoe industry before Nike was even created, as he was the most forward-thinking on importing Japanese shoes and trying to disturb the market by offering a low-cost similar performance alternative to German-based Adidas and Puma.

-       What about Phil Knight did I most admire:

I most admired Phil Knight’s commitment and loyalty to his connection to sports throughout his entire journey. When things were hard, he believed in the process and never wavered and when he was on top of the sports world, he kept the same attitude and aimed higher.

-       What about Phil Knight did I least admire:

The only off-putting part of the book was his reflection about the first employees he hired. When explaining these people, he arrogantly explains how it’s hard to believe they made it as far as they did, and in a certain way credits himself completely. While he deserves a lot of credit, the way he explained it was harsh.

-       Did Knight encounter adversity? If so, what did he do about it?:

At the beginning of Knight’s shoe-selling career as Blue Ribbon Sports, he routinely would be short on company funds and would beg for lines of credit to continue importing Japanese athletic shoes. He also encountered bumps in the road with his partners and shoe supplier in Japan, so he decided to go out on his own and create Nike.

2.     Competencies he exhibited:

Knight, a former college track athlete at the University of Oregon, was able to view athletic shoes through the lens of athletes, and even took it upon himself to test out any new shoe materials and potential tweaks or improvements as the best way to know if the performance for the athletes was increased. He used this vision throughout the growth of Nike, and credits this viewpoint with the strides in athletic ware and their branding with athletes such as Michael Jordan.

3.     One part of the reading that was confusing to me:

Although I understood the section after I re-read it a couple of times, the section connecting Knight’s business paper at Stanford about Japanese cameras invading the German-controlled market and the idea to then do the same with athletic shoes, which then lead to the leasing Onitsuka-made Tiger shoes was confusing at first. I wondered the motivation behind such actions and why those connections between shoes and cameras were made, but I know understand.

4.     If I was able to ask two questions what would I ask and why:

I would love to ask Phil Knight two questions:

1.     Even as large as Nike is today, in what areas does he see potential growth for to crossover into different revenue streams?

2.     What modern coach would he compare to his track coach at the University of Oregon, Bill Bowerman?

After reading Shoe Dog, I believe that the entrepreneurial spirit runs deep within Phil Knight and that was the fuel that drove him to make Nike and the swoosh a multi-billion dollar megacorporation and recognized across the globe. Therefore, although he is now separate from Nike in an official capacity, I believe he has ideas of potential growth that cross beyond their current standings, whether it be media or completely running sporting events. In the book, Bowerman stands as an inspirational statue of what made Phil Knight realize proper ways of managing his employees, both with tough love and total freedom within decision making. As a sports fan myself, I wonder who he would compare Bowerman to in the modern landscape of coaches (Coach K/Belichick…etc).

5.     What is Knight’s opinion of hard work and do I agree with it:

Knight’s opinion of hard work is connected with his fascination of doing what you care about. When someone is completely committed to an idea or thought, they become a portion of that idea’s success, and the motivation to continue developing and grow becomes addicting. Hard work, in the view of Knight, is well worth the due diligence when the work pays off with happiness and a certain level of success. As a premise, I would argue that success can be merely financial to some, as it all depends the way one views achievement. However, I could not agree more with Knight’s view of hard work, and in a similar way try to live my life in a similar manner.