Reading Reflection 3

1) I read about an entrepreneur: Phil Knight in his book, Shoe Dog. Knight is the founder of Nike.

• What surprised me the most?

At the beginning of the book, Knight discussed how his original idea for a Japanese-importing shoe business stemmed from a class project at Stanford. It makes me wonder if anyone’s venture in this class (perhaps even mine) will turn into a huge success!

• What about the entrepreneur did I most admire?

A few things that really stand out to me about Knight is his self-motivation and willingness to adapt to new circumstances.  Moreover, I admire his ability to seamlessly integrate work and play, such as when he travelled the entire world as part of implementing his “crazy idea” and pitching his business to a Japanese shoe company. Enjoyment of my chosen career path while being able to pursue my own personal desires (such as travelling, participating in athletics, and creating art) is something I strive for in my own life, and I believe I can look to Phil Knight for inspiration.

• What about the entrepreneur did I least admire?

Although Knight was a self-motivated person determined to succeed, he outlined many times he reacted poorly to misfortunes. Thus, I least admire his inability to bounce back quickly on his own. For example, after his Japanese shoe supplier denied him the right to be the sole distributor in the Western US (and instead gave the rights to some other celebrity), he sulked in his room (connected to his parents’ house) for weeks. His disappointment and acceptance of failure lasted until his mother prompted him to fly to Japan and get his business back – he did.

• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

Yes, Knight encountered much adversity and failure throughout his journey with Nike. Starting with the miscommunication outlined in the last section, there were many hurdles Knight had to overcome. In the face of failure, he usually expressed disappointment. Ultimately, he always found a way to keep moving forward though, and this is consistent with the advice he gave in the book. In the face of adversity, he usually relished in the opportunity to do something no one had ever done before.

2) What competencies did I notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

Phil Knight exhibited many competencies including ambition, passion, determination, innovation, and resourcefulness. All of these skills probably contributed to his success.

3) One part of the reading that was confusing

There were several parts in the book where Knight did not remember the exact spacing of events… whether they happened a day after, a week after, or months after another part of the story. Although it does not really matter for the sake of reading the book, it was a bit confusing and skewed the timeline between events. It made me wonder how fast thinks can actually get rolling in the entrepreneurship world.

4) If I was able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, I would ask… because…

At what point in your career were you happiest? Why do you believe this is?

I would ask this because I believe being happy is the best thing to strive toward being. Any advice on finding balance between pursuing your career goals and aligning them with personal happiness is greatly appreciated.

What are you most proud of?

              This would simply be interesting to hear!

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

I believe Phil Knight would say that hard work is always worth it if it brings you closer to your goals. I do share this opinion, but I would add that hard work is worth it if it ultimately helps you create happiness or find purpose in life.