27A – Reading Reflection No. 3 Submit Assignment

The book I read for this assignment was Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. Phil Knight started Nike back in the 1960s. I found it very interesting that he was basically one of the original drop shippers. What he would do is mass buy shoes from Japan and try to sell them to anyone who was willing to buy them. Shoe stores didn’t work so he was forced to try other places until he eventually started Nike with an old coach. I admired his extreme confidence in his idea and his determination to will his idea into fruition. I am not sure there is much to not like about Phil Knight in the sense that he was very passionate about his idea and really did not let much stop him. He encountered a lot of adversity from trying to sign with athletes to shoes stores not wanting to hold his shoes. He pushed forward and pivoted to get those shoes sold. One of his great attributes was his ability to build a team that was able to see his perspective and his view and see the same passion that he had. I think it was a little confusing how he managed his people. I understand that his way of doing it allowed creativity to take effect, but there had to be many times where the guidelines were not given well enough and the final product was not the way it should be. If I were to ask Mr. Knight two questions, one would be about his role as a father and if and how he would change things to be a better father and if that would have affected Nike negatively. I would also ask him whether he liked the small startup feeling of Nike or if he enjoys being the originator of a Fortune 500 company. I would ask these questions because I truly want to know the answer and I am curious whether he would’ve prioritized family more. Also, the final question is a relatively easy one. Knight’s opinion of hard work is that if you want to be successful, hard work is vital but he also feels that luck plays a huge role in it as well. I share this viewpoint completely and agree how important hard work is to success.