The Rise of Nike: Phil Knight’s Story
Introduction
I read lots of success stories. I’ve always thought that if I could just hear enough stories and read enough books, I could learn the strategies and methods to success. Naturally, that’s what I thought this book was about. I thought Phil Knight was about to teach me the business strategies he used—the exact steps he took to become a success. But as it turns out, it was never about strategy. As Phil Knight’s story reveals, it’s all about having a winner’s mindset.
The Power of a Winner’s Mindset
Phil Knight has a winner’s mindset. He thinks like a winner. He acts like a winner. At one point, he says he isn’t afraid of failing. He just hopes he fails quickly so that he can move on to the next business and do it right. To him, success is inevitable. If not with this business, then the next. You can read all the business books you want, learn everything there is to know, but without this need to succeed, this hunger, this determination, you won’t get far. So, with this mentality and a crazy idea to import shoes from Japan, he started a company that would become a billion-dollar empire. The rise of Nike began with this winner’s mindset.
Overcoming Challenges
In my mind, it was simple. All he had to do was travel to Japan, get the shoes he wanted, then go back to America and sell them. It turns out, it wasn’t that simple at all. He had to convince the Japanese company to give him exclusive distribution rights in the US. He had to fight off others who wanted similar distribution rights from the same company. Later on he had to deal with the company’s betrayal, as well as the lawsuits they filed against him. Even this is an oversimplification of all the problems he ran into and the battles he fought. After a decade of fighting all sorts of battles and showing up every day to solve a different problem, Phil was still drowning in debt and didn’t know if he was going to make it.
Phil Knight’s story really highlighted to me how hard it is to succeed, to start something from scratch. How long the fight is. And how through all that fighting, you still don’t have any guarantees that this will work. In fact, you have to be the one guaranteeing everyone that it will work. Phil did that for years. He couldn’t have his employees or investors believing the company wasn’t going to make it. So he lied. He gave motivational speeches even when he didn’t believe most of what he was saying. He wouldn’t allow himself to “freak out” because other people were, and someone had to hold it together. He persevered and pushed through, always keeping in mind his goal and reminding himself that if this doesn’t work out, he would have to be an accountant. So this had to work out.
Business is About People
Phil was also good at dealing with people. Though he claims to be a shy, awkward introvert, he must know something about people because his success in the shoe business, I learned, had very little to do with shoes. It had everything to do, however, with people. Whether it’s building a team of winners or negotiating with manufacturers and bankers. Dealing with lawyers, signing athletes, the list goes on. His company’s success depended greatly on whether or not he could get people on his side. Persuade the bankers to loan him more money. Get his employees to take on roles outside their comfort zones. Get factories to improve the quality of their products. Business, I realized, was about managing people.
Phil Knight’s Leadership Style
Phil also had an interesting leadership style. His style was very hands-off. He never gave exact instructions. In fact, his motto was, “Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do, and let them surprise you with their results.” And when they did surprise him with their results, he rarely ever praised them. That wasn’t his style. He believes he got that from his father, who rarely praised him growing up. Or maybe from his coach and business partner, Bowerman, who also never praised anyone. However he developed it, his leadership strategy worked. By giving his employees the space to do what they felt was right, they surprised him with their creativity. Another benefit of this loose leadership style was the friendships he formed with his employees. These friendships helped develop a sense of belonging to the company. This made his employees go above and beyond because it wasn’t just work anymore; it was a shared dream.
The Role of Luck and Faith
At the end of the book, Phil recognizes the influence of luck. He believes that no one gets anywhere without hard work and determination. But he also recognizes an outside force. He understands that there is an aspect of success that we cannot control. He didn’t define this force, but I believe this force is God. This is something I believe many people miss. They forget that not everything is in their control. That you can work as hard as you can, be the best and most competent, yet still whether you succeed is not in your power. We must work as hard as we can, be stubborn and determined, but have God in mind before, during, and after.
