Shoe Dog is the finest business memoir I've read. It's refreshing that the book doesn't try to sanitise or stroke Phil Knight's ego or frame his personal brand in shiny sparkling light. Phil Knight's story is accessible because he tells it in a way that is authentic. You can sense the author's profound humility throughout…

Father and son 4 years: My Daddy can do anything! 7 years: My Dad knows a lot…a whole lot. 8 years: My father does not know quite everything. 12 years: Oh well, naturally Father does not know that either. 14 years: Oh, Father? He is hopelessly old-fashioned. 21 years: Oh, that man-he is out of…

I have a hard time reading biographies. There are times when biographies are so self-indulgent to the point that they read like a person's CV in book form. It is however possible to narrate a person's story in a biography without appearing self-absorbed. Phil Knight's Shoe Dog tells the story of Nike's founder in a…

Prospects, or addressing potential customers as prospects. Calling potential customers as prospects is always a challenge for me. They are living, breathing people, and they have the potential to become consumers. Calling them prospects seems to dehumanise them, if that makes any sense. There are several business books that encourage you to think about how…

Funny way to get across a serious message.

It is easy to be humble when one is poor. Not so easy to be humble when one is making money. Have a raise? Buy a bigger car! Have a raise? Buy a car! Have you received your bonus? Acquire a home! Have you been promoted? Buy new shoes! Sold your company? Buy a yacht!…

It's like one day it's all rainbows and sunshine, then the next it's dismal and raining heavily. The greatest news is that you have not given up, and ultimately, it is what will determine your success. Identifying and dismissing vanity metrics also helps you keep your eye on the prize.

As I was reading  Shoe Dog by Phi Knight, he says something interesting: ____________________________________ At twenty-four I did have a Crazy Idea, and somehow, despite being dizzy with existential angst, and fears about the future, and doubts about myself, as all young men and women in their mid-twenties are, I did decide that the world…

As I'm reading Shoe Dog by Phi Knight, he says something interesting at the beginning, when he's trying to figure out what his life is all about: ________________________________________ As I began to clip off one brisk six-minute mile after another, as the rising sun set fire to the lowest needles of the pines, I asked…

If you had a manager that talked to you the way you talked to you, you would quit. If you had a boss that wasted as much of your time as you do, you would fire her. If a company developed its employees as poorly as you are developing yourself, it would soon go under.…

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Ted Talk on “The danger of a single story” never ceases to fascinate or inspire me. One thing I've learned from watching it is the danger of people believing they know someone based only on their initial impression or encounter. Here are 5 excerpts from the talk that resonated deeply: Excerpt 1: I…

Maybe I'm not listening to your pitch because the 100 people who came before you abused my trust, stole my time and disrespected my attention. Perhaps I'm not buying from you because the last time someone like you earned my trust, he broke my heart. People are never irrational. They often act on memories and…