13A Reading Reflection No. 1

My reflection is on Shoe Dog, which is about Nike founder Phil Knight.

1) What surprised me the most was that the Onitsuka Tiger shoe by Asics was what inspired Knight.  Nike's seem to be synonymous with America Sports culture, while the Onitsuka is in the almost hyper-American style that is popular in the Japanese market.

2)  What I admired most about the entrepreneur was that he was willing to and advocated for going for broke on an idea when you are young. Many people would probably be conservative when they are young in the hopes of saving enough to start a venture later in life.

3)  What did I admire least?  Phil Knight seemed to be a very personable, caring, ambitious, and efficient leader who made a point to allow employees to express themselves freely.  I can't think of anything I did not admire.

4)   His first few steps in making his brand seemed a bit serendipitous, but he had to have the ambition to seize his chances.  For a long time, Knight had a tough relationship with his suppliers, who were consistently looking for other US distributors to sell to.  Not having trust despite success would be quite frustrating.  Eventually, he decided to split and start Nike.  This was very bold.

5)  The core competencies that Phil Knight exhibited were ambition, courage, good man-management, and general business acumen and insight.

6)  One part that was confusing to me is how Phil Knight can be so shy in business meetings and interacting with certain people, yet so bold in his business decisions.

7) If I could ask him two questions, one would be how he simultaneously is shy and maybe a bit awkward, yet so savvy and willing to make bold business choices.  I want to ask this because I feel that I am very similar personality-wise.  I am insecure yet very confident at the same time.  The other question would be what about the Onitsuka was so fascinating to him.  I wore Onitsuka's for a while growing up, and I always loved the slim, stream-lined silhouette.

8)  What was the author's opinion of hard work?  I assume that he went above and beyond.  Being an entrepreneur involves working far more than a 9-5 schedule, so I assume he worked as many hours as he needed to.  I share that opinion to an extent.  While it can do wonders for your career, working around the clock can surely put a strain on your personal life, so each person must weigh what is most important to them.