13A - Reading Reflection
1. The reading I chose was Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. I found the reading very interesting. The thing that surprised me the most about was Phil's odd personality. I always imagine successful business owners to have a more outgoing, talkative personality. I admired his perseverance and commitment to build his company. He never gave up even when the going was tough. I least admired that he outsourced jobs to China because the working conditions aren't that great. He experienced both adversity and failure throughout his career and he never gave up.
2. He always pushed on and never gave up.
3. Knight said that he warned his investors that it was likely his business idea would end in failure which is confusing because I don't know what investor would still choose to invest after hearing that.
4. One question I would ask him is why he doubted himself and he was still able to push forward. Another question would be if he ever came close to completely giving up and if he ever had any regrets during his experience.
5. I think his opinion of hard work was that if you work hard enough you'll eventually reach your dreams. I agree with this.
Hey Savannah,
ReplyDeleteGreat job on this post! Phil Knight was a very interesting person, even though he doubted himself he accomplished many of his goals through perseverance and hard work. If i was one of those investors I would have respected Knight for admitting that there was a high risk and still wanting to go through with his idea. If you can dream it, you can do it.
Hi Savannah,
ReplyDeleteI am totally with you on the point of giving up (just recently). It sounds like perhaps we are both taking similar classes! In any event, the ability to push one’s self and motivate internally is definitely a life skill not easily honed. I know many who struggle with getting themselves in gear during times of adversity. I have similar questions for the entrepreneur I read about. The how you stayed focus questions are my biggest curiosity.
Hey Sav, I had never heard of Phil Knight before, until reading your blog post. It is interesting being introduced to successful entrepreneurs who are actually introverts. It seems that the majority of dominant businessman turn out to be very extroverted. However, one common characteristic is always working harder than everyone else and persevering through the thick and the thin.
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