5 life-lessons I learned from Nike Founder Phil Knight's memoir ‘Shoe Dog’
I recently finished reading the mind-blowing and inspirational book ‘Shoe Dog’ by Phil Knight. I am totally enamoured and captivated by it. Indeed! One of the best memoirs I have read so far. It’s very crisp and lucid and a reader will flow with the flow of the writing. Here are the 5 very important life-lessons I learned from Phil Knight’s Journey.
Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results. ~ Phil Knight
1. The Power of People
Though he started his company Blue Ribbon (Nike’s predecessor) alone by himself, he got good friends on the journey. They became the backbone of the American shoe empire. Instead of considering or treating them as mere employees, Phil thought them as friends/partners/rebellers.
In his memoir, he explicitly detailed all those people who had made his dream possible — Johnson, Woodell, Hayes, Strasser, Pre, and most important Bowerman. It was the team.
“If You Want To Run Fast, Run Alone. If You Want To Run Far, Run Together.” ~ African Proverb
It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that Phil Knight succeeded because he utilised the power of people. Instead of being egoistic or nihilistic about me and my company only, he took help from them at every moment. Built a culture that cherished frankness, open expression and loyalty. They were the force that churned out great ideas to take a small shoe company to the place it is right now — A truly global brand with an aspiring swoosh logo.
2. Discipline
No matter how talented you are, everything turns unfruitful in absence of consistency and discipline. It’s the utmost thing one should have to achieve his/her dreams. Grind, wrestle, and fight each day against your weakpoints — laziness, procrastination, and dilly-dallying.
Creating a shoe empire wasn’t a cakewalk. It was arduous, painful, challenging and gruesome. What kept Phil going was his discipline to wake up every day and work for something he truly cared about.
3. Mentor is Supreme
Nothing could replace the mentor. Always give respect to your mentor at any cost no matter how high you climb. Whatever you’re today, it’s because of those invaluable lessons given by your mentor/teacher.
Once he backed to the US after an year-long world trip, he sent his new findings — the tigers’ shoes from Japan to his mentor Bowerman. Besides, he never hesitated a second to make Bowerman a partner in his fledgling company on a request. He understood the value of a mentor as he called him ‘an invaluable asset’, which can’t be gauged on any scale for his company.
“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” — Oprah Winfrey
Phil handled the company, and Bowerman never took the administrative load ever. Still, Phil kept the bond until the end. Bowerman was the most important player in Nike journey who played the role from behind stage by giving his experience, innovation, creativity, and mentorship to the company and its members from time to time.
4. Belief in yourself
The most important thing in life is that you trust yourself, your thinking, your action, and your instinct. People will always doubt over your capabilites, actions, and works. However, it’s upto you to showcase what you belief is the best thing for you and ride on the path you have belief.
A Lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinions of the Sheep ~ Tywin Lannister
He was a graduate of Standford University. When he started selling Tigers’ shoes on the car back from place to place, everyone guffawed over his eccentricity including his family. His father, mother, and sisters hadn’t approved of his initiative.
His father didn’t approve of his company until he saw Nike shoe-wearing player in a basketball match on the TV. It was a proudful moment for him.
5. ‘Hidden Cost’ of Success
It seems greener at another end. Success has a true hidden cost that one needs to pay to climb the ladder. We usually assume that being an entrepreneur means freedom, lots of money, and power. However, people tend to forget to see other side of the lawn. Entrepreneurship isn’t an easy task as it demands daily drudgery, living on a fine thread between float and bankruptcy, and juggling between professional and personal life.
Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.
Phil Knight had to walk on a precarious journey when he was building his empire. His company Nike (erstwhile Blue Ribbon) always remained fragile to blow out anytime due to cash flow problems, geo-political instability, too much dependency, and envy of competitors. There was always remained a feeling of uncertainty as to whether the company would stay afloat in the future or not.
