I’ve just finished Shoe Dog – it’s; inspiring, engrossing and often funny. Knight’s driver is his sense of Oregonian identity. From page one he describes his pride in his ancestors’ pioneer spirit and how it has shaped his DNA – The cowards never started… and the weak died along the way – that leaves us. This never give up attitude is permeated throughout the memoir. Time after time he comes up against appearingly insurmountable hurdles; time after time he somehow manages to pull through.
The team around him grows organically. Initially he partners with his old track coach, Bowerman, who acts as a father figure/inventor. Johnson soon joins as a quirky salesman who seems more passionate than the two founders. Gradually he hires a whole host of accountants and lawyers (each with their own eccentricities) to take the business forward. Knight is cautious and a little dismissive of advertising as he can’t quantify how it impacts revenue. Luckily he stays away from the marketing decisions, otherwise Nike would have been known as Dimension-Six…
Knight cares little for money – his bankers are incredulous at the lack of equity and plead with him to slow the growth and bank some cash. He refuses to oblige them – every cent is pumped back into growing the business. For Knight money is like blood – we need it to survive but it is more an enabler for us to reach our higher aims. Life always strives to transcend the basic process of living.
Since my last post I’ve gone on a date with Marta – I like her a lot. We were out in Shoreditch & Bethnal Green on Friday night and the time flew by. I hardly know her but feel very comfortable in her presence and I’m looking forward to seeing her again.
Corona virus is getting more serious here and I’m interested in the British government’s position on it. Apparently they are following the Nudge Theory – no severe closures or drastic measures. Instead the idea is that we accept that most people are going to get the virus and encourage those that can cope with it to get infected and develop immunity to it. This will lead to a herd immunity and should make it easier to contain. The elderly and ill will still be at risk so they will be encouraged to isolate. From the little research I have done on it it seems forward-thinking but many critics argue that drastic measures are needed to keep the virus at bay and that the government’s approach is too laissez faire.
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