Today as I start writing this post I have a sense of calmness and accomplishment. Because I completed my first book of the year 2019, Shoe Dog.
I always made sure to allocate time for solitude and read books. But in this digital world, we are consumed by screens. Lately after going through my screen time on my iPhone (averaging 4 hours per day). I realized its time to get more off-screen time.
Coming to my thoughts about Shoe Dog, a memoir by Phil Knight the co-founder of Nike. My first ever Nike’s were Nike Air Relentless bought with my meager salary. I still remember the day (without being dramatic), it was the best day for my feet. I enjoyed walking every step in those shoes. I wondered there must someone and some story behind such a wonderful product.
That wondering finally got an answer through this book. The book is written in chronological order starting at 1962 when Phil Knight was just a 25-year-old (my current age). From there on he carefully takes us through a journey in time, on how he figured out his dream, his struggles, and his challenges. He includes tiny details that take the reader into that era by building entire environment and tone.
Throughout his memoir, you see mention of numerous characters, about how they made a difference to his life and history of Nike. This aspect clearly says his entrepreneurial style, what it takes to build Nike, a whole lot of teamwork and collaboration. It also reflects his leadership style, where he attributes most of the critical successes/efforts to his team than to himself.
In this world of social media and instant gratification, through this Buck (Phil Knight) reminds us it takes grit, hardwork, perseverance and collaboration to acheive something great, worthy of sharing to the world.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur, wants to learn what it takes to build a world class enterprise and above all make world a better place to live.
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