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work harder to get to where they are both
mentally and physically. They are focused
in a way that other people arenât.Youâve said that if everyone ran
a few miles a day the world would
be a better place. Why?
Running is a basic ingredient for your
health just as much as eating and sleeping
but going out for a run by yourself and
taking a moment to think also creates a
certain peace. You make lots of decisions
when youâre CEO but youâre probably
only getting some of them right. Running
gives you this moment to step back and
reflect before going ahead.You lost your son 12 years ago to
a diving accident in El Salvador. How
did you get through that?
I got so many letters and emails that
helped though there was one from Wall
Street analyst Gordy Crawford that was
particularly helpful. He had lost his own
son in a climbing accident in Taiwan. He
said that when he found out he left
the office and didnât come back for six
months. It was helpful for me to hear that
I shouldnât hurry back because I couldnât
do anything. I was paralyzed for six
months. But after that I was able to start to
work again. Now I can laugh and function
just fine but you never get over it.In the past you faced criticism on
labor issues in factories. How should
a person handle criticism?
You have to face it head-on and I donât
think I dealt with it well early on. The
media is always looking for controversy
and all of a sudden weâd become the biggest
target in the world. Looking back I wish
I had handled it better â just faced it right
on and said âKeep an eye on us because
we are going to be a lot better going aheadâ
which is ultimately what we did. In any
case like that youâre not going to be able to
run from it. Another thing which I didnât
do is give your critics credit and respect
even if you think they are wrong.
âINTERVIEW BY SEAN WOODSperformances. Getting praise from him
was better than getting it from another
coach because then you knew it had been
an exceptional performance.How competitive does one need to be
inordertobesuccessfulinbusiness?
Well certain people donât have to be so
competitive but if youâre going to be
a CEO in the business world youâve got
to be. At the end of the day we often say
âBusiness is just war without bullets.âYouâve worked with some of the best
athletes in the world. What have you
learned about them?
First of all you realize that they â Tiger
Michael LeBron Roger Federer â are just
regular human beings but what they really
have in common is an attitude toward
competition and toward training. TheyHow did growing up in Oregon
shape you?
It had a huge impact on me and itâs had an
impact on Nike itself. The culture of the
company would be entirely different if the
headquarters were in another state. I think
everyone born in Oregon is an environmen-
talist by birth. Iâve said many times that
I might as well have webs between my
toes. We live in our own little corner of the
world and we all kind of obey the rules.
You ran track at the University of
Oregon for legendary coach Bill
Bowerman. How did he influence you?
If there was no Bill Bowerman there
would have been no me. He had about
as much of an impact on my life as any
one person could have. He taught me
about competition and ingrained it in
me. He taught me not to praise ordinary
Phil Knight
The Nike co-founder on criticism competition and what
the worldâs greatest athletes have in common.Phil Knight is the co-founder of Nike. He
recently published his memoirShoe Dog.The
Last
WordKnight
at Nikeâs
offices
in 1973MENâS JOURNAL 98 SEPTEMBER 2016
COURTESY OF NIKE