14A: Halfway Reflection

1) I have used my time management skills, tenacity, and perseverance to keep up with the requirements of this course. I have been forced to be more creative in this course than any previous time in my life, and I have enjoyed the challenge of having to do so. So, I would definitely say that my creativity and use of a creative mindset has really developed over this half of the course so far. I am a very straight-forward logical thinker and this course has challenged me to respond to issues in very unfamiliar manner than what I am used to.

2) I felt like giving up on the first assignment that had to deal with coming up with an actual product that would solve the opportunity that we had identified previously. For the life of me I could not come up with an idea to solve the problem until I conducted the interviews that were required in the assignment. What pulled me through the thought of wanting to give up was the interviews I conducted. In a weird way, they were a stress reliever and allowed me to calm down and view the subject at hand from a different angle which I found to be extremely helpful.

3) Tip 1: Use your time efficiently. Do not wait until Thursday to start the assignments for the week, you’ll drown in stress.

Tip 2: Keep up with the lectures, do not fall behind.

Tip 3: Challenge yourself to think outside your normal trains of thought. Push yourself through the adversity of the assignments and really try to come up with something that’s both viable and sustainable at the same time.

13A: Reading Reflection

1) For the reading reflection, I chose to read Shoe Dog an autobiography by Phil Knight the founder of Nike. I found the fact that despite Nike seemed almost certain to fail, Phil Knight preserved anyways through countless mistakes, struggles, and tribulations and made Nike into one of the most successful companies this world has ever seen. I admire the fact that he started selling imported Japanese shoes out of the back of his Plymouth Valiant and turned that dream into a reality where you can walk down any street today and are almost guaranteed to see someone wearing something with the iconic Nike swoosh attached. The thing I found least admirable about Phil Knight was the fact that some peers in the industry found that he was hard to truly get to know on a personal level. Now, this fact can be attributed to his dedication to his business, but I feel as if people in a position of power such as the CEO of Nike should be approachable and get along with various types of people. Phil Knight encountered a ton of adversity before he made it big with Nike. He started Nike with 50 dollars from his father and lived in debt for many years. He had to practically beg investors at banks to give him a chance time after time. Finally, after years of struggling and barely keeping Nike afloat, he made it big and became the international success that he is today.

2) I noticed that Phil Knight exhibited a willingness to fail and fail often in order to succeed. I believe that to be his biggest achievement in it of itself. I think that by being so willing to fail, it opened his eyes to what truly would lead to his success since he definitely knew what would NOT lead to it. He exhibited a willingness to work with all kinds of people and put his trust in people that he may not have necessarily done in any other situation. He also displayed an unparalleled humbleness about himself despite his success, detailing in the book his nervous quirks and insecurity.

3) I found Phil Knight’s lack of depth concerning the actual making of the shoes confusing. I do not understand why he did not detail the actual making of the shoes in the factories and what it takes to make a solid product for consumers.

4) I would ask Phil Knight these two questions: Why did you trust a college design student to make your iconic Nike logo? And do you wish you did anything differently/Do you have any regrets? I would ask these questions because I find both of these scenarios very interesting: the fact that he was willing to trust a college student with something so important, and the fact that the CEO of Nike may have some regrets about the way he conducted his business.

5) I think that Phil Knight would say hard work is very important to success, but I think he would say that having no fear of failure is way more important and can teach you what you need in order to succeed in your endeavors. I definitely share this opinion after reading this book.