Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE by Phil Knight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Phil Knight is an underrated and relatively less famous co-founder and former CEO for a lifestyle-defining brand Nike. As with other memoirs, it’s always one person’s narrative of the story but boy was it inspiring.
There are a couple of things that takes a while to grow on you and be relatable -
1. Unless you’re a “Shoe Dog”, it takes a little time for the reader to fully understand the Crazy Idea that Phil talks about in the beginning of the book.
2. Since the book starts during the time of late 1950s there seems a big generation chasm that makes it difficult to comprehend the life and the challenges at that time.
But once you start reading about his struggles, his ways of dealing with them and his perspectives about situations you begin to admire him. The journey about Nike with stories about the early employees, their teamwork, determination and faith not just in the company but also in Phil’s leadership is inspiring. Truly a story about misfits getting together to create something that outlives them and influences masses around the world.
Definitely a good read if you enjoy reading about the legendary business founders’ stories, challenges they face and how they persevere through them.
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