27A: Reading Reflection No.3

27A: Reading Reflection No.3

1) For my reading reflection I chose to read Shoe Dog which an autobiography by Phil Knight who is the founder of Nike for my reading reflections. I saw that even though Nike was almost certainly was going to fail, Phil Knight pushed through plenty of mistakes, conflicts, and hardships to eventually make Nike into one of the most successful shoe companies ever. I really saw it admirable how he started selling Japanese shoes out of the back of his car and turned his dreams into real life. Almost everyone you see walking around has a pair of Nike shoes on now. What I found least admirable was that some of the peers said that it was difficult knowing Phil Knight on a personal level. This can be because he was so dedicated to making his business the best, but as a CEO you should be approachable to all kinds of people. Phil Knight went through a lot of difficulties before he made Nike a big thing. He started the company with only fifty dollars his father gave him and lived in debt for many years of his life. He had to beg investors at banks to give him a chance time. After years of struggling and barely keeping Nike in existence, he was able to make it a global brand and made it become what it is now.

2) Phil Knight’s biggest achievement I believe from the reading I saw that Phil Knight was not scared to fail in order to be successful. I feel that him not being scared of failure, it opened his eyes to what truly would lead to his success. He showed that he was willing to work with all kinds of people and put his trust in people that he wouldn’t have done for anything else. He too showed humbleness even though his company had a lot of success.

3) Phil Knight’s lack of depth for the making of the shoes was confusing to me. I don’t understand why he didn’t detail the makings of the shoes in the factories and what it takes to make a product that consumers would like.

4) The two questions I would ask Phil Knight is do you wish you did anything differently? And what made you want to be in this type of business? I’d ask these type of questions because I love to hear about the process of how people become successful and while on the way to being successful are there any tips I can learn from that you had to go through.   

5) I am confident that Phil Knight would say working hard is one of the most important things to success. Also feel that he would say that you cannot be afraid to be wrong and make mistakes because all great things are not perfect in the beginning. I sure can agree with these ways of thinking as I continue my life.