Business Book Club Meetup #3 - Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
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Some discussion starters:
- The real shoe dog: Who do you believe the most credit for Nike’s success: Phil Knight for his vision, Bill Bowerman for his designs, or Jeff Johnson for selling prowess (including coming up with the name Nike)?
- Luck v. Hard work: To what extent was Nike’s success product of luck versus the sheer hard work and determination of its founders?
- Ethics: Knight was involved in several questionable actions, such as lying and stealing documents. Considering the ethical gray areas he navigated, do you view him more as a savvy businessman or as someone who occasionally stepped over the line?
- Representation: The early Nike team was very male-dominated. Were women fairly represented or portrayed in the book?
- Nike, today: Nike was the underdog, and now clearly is the leader. How do you view today’s Nike?
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Part-memoir, part-business, and wholly inspirational, get into the nitty-gritty of how a motivated self-starter built a multi-billion dollar empire from the ground up.
Bill Gates named Shoe Dog one of his five favorite books of the year and called it “an amazing tale, a refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like. It’s a messy, perilous, and chaotic journey, riddled with mistakes, endless struggles, and sacrifice. Phil Knight opens up in ways few CEOs are willing to do.”