Lance Willett's Reviews > Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

As enjoyable as memoirs go, this book reads like a personal shrine to Phil's worldview, drive, and life passion to grow a company. There are good parts! I admire his ability to capture important lessons in life to guide future decisions. For example, after witnessing passion in a sporting event, Phil says, “I told myself, do not forget this.”

Favorite parts:

There is a primal urge to compare everything—life, business, adventures of all sorts—to a race. But the metaphor is often inadequate. It can take you only so far.

I believed these shoes were better to run in. People, sensing my belief, wanted some of that belief for themselves.

On developing a strong bench of managers in Nike:

Phil: “We have so much opportunity, but we’re having a terrible time getting managers who can seize the opportunities. We try people from the outside, but they fail, because our culture is so different.”
Mr. Hayami: “See those bamboo trees up there?”
“Yes.”
“Next year they will be one foot higher.”
I understood. When I returned… I tried hard to cultivate and grow the management team we had, slowly, with more patience, with an eye toward more training and more long-term planning. I took the wider, longer view. It worked.