13 - Reading Reflection No.1
Shoe Dog by Phillip Knight
1) I was pretty surprised at how blase he was about borrowing money and making claims. Perhaps it wasn't explained properly in the biography but it seemed pretty foolish, something that wouldn't have taken off if not for the sheer volume of resources and connections that he had. While the hard work and effort he put in after these was commendable, I don't think he could have made it without the support system he had.
There was certainly a level of faith in himself and his vision that is to be admired. He aimed for what he wanted and went for it wholeheartedly - the hours and effort seem incredible.
I absolutely hated his attitude towards the people around him. He used almost every single person that he came across, all in pursuit of this goal. A goal, I might add, that may have been financially successful but far from world changing. It was frustrating to read about, as his regretful tone often didn't lead to a better result the next time around.
There was definitely adversity. His approach was to challenge it, put in even more work and resources into it.
2) Definitely a strong work ethic and a talent for finding the right people to work with.
3) In a lot of ways, the business aspect of the progress was muddled. The start was vague; after a meeting, the Japanese company agreed to sell him shoes. From then on, we would only get updates as to whether or not the company grew. The biography focused mainly on the people met along the way; important in the person's life to be sure, but it made it difficult to follow along with the development of the business.
4) How do you calculate the cost/benefit of a bluff?
What has changed about you as a person since building your company?
5) Very, very high. It was clear that this was one of the key aspects to his success. I believe it is important but not quite to that degree.
1) I was pretty surprised at how blase he was about borrowing money and making claims. Perhaps it wasn't explained properly in the biography but it seemed pretty foolish, something that wouldn't have taken off if not for the sheer volume of resources and connections that he had. While the hard work and effort he put in after these was commendable, I don't think he could have made it without the support system he had.
There was certainly a level of faith in himself and his vision that is to be admired. He aimed for what he wanted and went for it wholeheartedly - the hours and effort seem incredible.
I absolutely hated his attitude towards the people around him. He used almost every single person that he came across, all in pursuit of this goal. A goal, I might add, that may have been financially successful but far from world changing. It was frustrating to read about, as his regretful tone often didn't lead to a better result the next time around.
There was definitely adversity. His approach was to challenge it, put in even more work and resources into it.
2) Definitely a strong work ethic and a talent for finding the right people to work with.
3) In a lot of ways, the business aspect of the progress was muddled. The start was vague; after a meeting, the Japanese company agreed to sell him shoes. From then on, we would only get updates as to whether or not the company grew. The biography focused mainly on the people met along the way; important in the person's life to be sure, but it made it difficult to follow along with the development of the business.
4) How do you calculate the cost/benefit of a bluff?
What has changed about you as a person since building your company?
5) Very, very high. It was clear that this was one of the key aspects to his success. I believe it is important but not quite to that degree.
Hello Ana,
ReplyDeleteI didn’t read this memoir, but understood what happened, because of your brief reading reflection. Also, what would he say that made him seem regretful? How did use the people around him to be successful? Was he networking to make connections? What you were confused about reminded me about when I was reading the biography about Muhammad Yunus. The author would talk about his siblings more then Yunus at times. I found this confusing.
Hey Ana,
ReplyDeleteI didn't read or elaborate on my blog about this piece but found your summarization to be quite informative on the information I need to understand what the work is and what it is composed of. I as well don't like and don't participate in using others to advance myself in life but that's life; we can't control what others do but show them right from wrong.