Why You Need To Have Fanatical Cofounders?

I’m in the middle of reading Phil Knight’s (the founder of Nike) great autobiography “Shoe Dog.” Actually I’m listening to the book on Audible, and I’m transfixed.

I’m about halfway through Shoe Dog, and I can’t stop reading/listening. In fact, I’m going to go for a run once I’m done writing this post, so I can listen some more.

Picture: Depositphotos

It’s clear from what I’ve read of Shoe Dog that Knight had REALLY motivated people around him. And these REALLY motivated people were critical to Nike’s success.

So, what did Phil Knight do to motivate his team? Did he:

• Have a unique quota system?
• Have a unique incentive scheme?
• Rely on Kaizen or other motivational techniques?

Phil Knight did none of that. In fact, Knight’s “plan” was nonexistent.

It was almost as if Knight managed by not managing at all. He just kept out of the way of the REALLY motivated team around him.

Knight’s founding team was a motley crew. Bowerman, Johnson, Woodell, Hollister and the rest were certainly not out of central casting.

But, as you read Shoe Dog, you knew they were the right group for Knight.