Lesson #3: A Clear Focus Will Take You Where You Want to Go
Lesson #3: A Clear Focus Will Take You Where You Want to Go
The early days for Nike were not easy ones. Knight knew what he wanted his company to be about, but he didn’t know how to get it there. “We had no master plan,” he readily acknowledges. “It was totally seat of the pants.” Everything about Knight ran counter to the conventional corporate culture. Employees went to work in running shoes and shorts, made a habit of partying regularly, and made decisions on the run. Nike’s headquarters was dubbed The Campus because of its collegiate, fraternal nature. At one company event, Knight went out of his way to show he was an atypical CEO by dressing up in drag.
However, Knight’s irreverence would only last so long. After one fatal mistake in the mid-1980s, Knight would quickly realize that he needed to have a more well-defined and executed focus. At the time, Nike was the industry leader for athletic shoes. But, when the aerobic fad hit in the 1980s, Nike fell behind; Knight had forgotten about the women. Stepping in to fill the gap was Boston-based Reebok, which had created an attractive – but not necessarily high quality – shoe whose sales surpassed Nike’s in 1987.
Knight was – and still is to this day – peeved about the experience but it was a wake up call. His lack of focus was costing him dearly, but it was by regaining it that he would soon overtake Reebok once again. Knight knew that he didn’t want to just create a pretty shoe to rival Reebok’s, but that by focusing on what he had set out to do from the beginning – create high quality athletic shoes – he could win out in the end.
“We’re not in the fashion business, as the Wall Street Journal wrote the other day,” says Knight. “We’re in the sports business, and there’s a big difference.” Knight regained his focus, streamlined the company, and reorganized it along more conventional lines. Whereas once he made decisions based purely on gut instinct, today Knight uses statistics and focus groups. He still takes risks, but more focused ones that are targeted towards keeping the company on track.
In 1989, Nike overtook Reebok at the top of the industry, where it has remained ever since. And, it did so by sticking to Knight’s vision of creating the ultimate athletic shoe. It was by maintaining that vision that the company has remained an industry leader while its competitors have floundered by the wayside.
Lesson 3 A Clear Focus Will Take You Where You Want to Go
Like this article? Share it with your friends
“We wanted Nike to be the world’s best sports and fitness company,” says Knight. “Once you say that, you have a focus. You don’t end up making wing tips or sponsoring the next Rolling Stones world tour.” From day one, Knight has had a clear vision about what he wanted his company to be, and where he wanted it to go. There have been many setbacks along the way, but it was in focusing on the larger end picture that Knight was able to keep Nike on track.
The early days for Nike were not easy ones. Knight knew what he wanted his company to be about, but he didn’t know how to get it there. “We had no master plan,” he readily acknowledges. “It was totally seat of the pants.” Everything about Knight ran counter to the conventional corporate culture. Employees went to work in running shoes and shorts, made a habit of partying regularly, and made decisions on the run. Nike’s headquarters was dubbed The Campus because of its collegiate, fraternal nature. At one company event, Knight went out of his way to show he was an atypical CEO by dressing up in drag.
However, Knight’s irreverence would only last so long. After one fatal mistake in the mid-1980s, Knight would quickly realize that he needed to have a more well-defined and executed focus. At the time, Nike was the industry leader for athletic shoes. But, when the aerobic fad hit in the 1980s, Nike fell behind; Knight had forgotten about the women. Stepping in to fill the gap was Boston-based Reebok, which had created an attractive – but not necessarily high quality – shoe whose sales surpassed Nike’s in 1987.
Knight was – and still is to this day – peeved about the experience but it was a wake up call. His lack of focus was costing him dearly, but it was by regaining it that he would soon overtake Reebok once again. Knight knew that he didn’t want to just create a pretty shoe to rival Reebok’s, but that by focusing on what he had set out to do from the beginning – create high quality athletic shoes – he could win out in the end.
“We’re not in the fashion business, as the Wall Street Journal wrote the other day,” says Knight. “We’re in the sports business, and there’s a big difference.” Knight regained his focus, streamlined the company, and reorganized it along more conventional lines. Whereas once he made decisions based purely on gut instinct, today Knight uses statistics and focus groups. He still takes risks, but more focused ones that are targeted towards keeping the company on track.
In 1989, Nike overtook Reebok at the top of the industry, where it has remained ever since. And, it did so by sticking to Knight’s vision of creating the ultimate athletic shoe. It was by maintaining that vision that the company has remained an industry leader while its competitors have floundered by the wayside.
Lesson 3 A Clear Focus Will Take You Where You Want to Go
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
|
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 | ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
 |
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
 |
 Strategic Planning Guide Strategic Alliance Sale Systems Serenity Cards Host Beneficiary |
|
 | ||
 |
Guide To ERP Software
Business Management Software | |
 |
Write The PR
Press Release Builder | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
