13A – Reading Reflection No. 1

I chose to read about Phil Knight, the creator of Nike.  I was surprised that even with an MBA from Stanford, which is a pretty well known school.  He had to sell encyclopedias door to door with one of his friends and he was also very timid in doing this.  I would've expected him to have great confidence and to be an excellent salesman with the training and education he received.

In the beginning I didn't admire how he didn't have confidence in himself, it seemed like he wanted to be successful after graduating but didn't really think he could become much. However, I admired his sense of determination.  He had his "Crazy Idea" regarding his design for shoes, and he stuck with it.  In his mind he had a vision that kind of just popped into his head and he never let that get away from him.  As a young man without any kind of idea of what he was doing, he took the risk and ventured out to what would become the great brand of Nike. 

Knight, wasn't dealt the best of hands. 

• He started selling encyclopedias door to door after graduating college.  
• He then became an accountant for some time before actually getting his first sample of shoes from overseas.  
• He stayed hungry and determined.  
• He never took his main focus off his idea and it proved to be a great idea after all.  
• He was definitely competent as a negotiator and thinking quick on his feet.  

I didn't really understand how he got the meeting with the factory in Japan.  It was confusing to me how that meting came to be.  I would ask Phil if there was ever a moment when he felt like giving up and why.  I'd also ask how he gained the courage to compete against a brand such as Adidas at the time. 

I think Knight believed in his vision and then having others do the work for him as he negotiated the rest.  This is where my mindset is different and where I have to work on.  I've always thought about doing the work myself and working hard and doing good quality work but all the labor on my own.