The World's Best Book Summaries
Can money buy happiness? Some might say it depends on who you ask, but social scientists might say it depends on how much you have. Learn how money affects your levels of happiness, why more isn’t necessarily better, and why more might actually be worse.
Do you get tongue-tied when asking for what you want? Do you find effective communication in negotiation difficult? You’re not alone. Many people find communication in negotiation difficult, or they find that their negotiations are unsuccessful and they don’t know why. Learn why miscommunication issues occur and what you can do to more effectively communicate in negotiations.
In 1980, Nike finally went public through their IPO, 18 years after Phil Knight got started in the shoe industry with Blue Ribbon Sports. Learn about the history of Nike’s IPO and their long refusal to go public.
Overview of Law #20: Do Not Commit to Anyone Do not commit to anyone except yourself. By maintaining your independence, you remain in control — others will vie for your attention, and you can play one side against another.
Overview of Law #28: Enter Action with Boldness If you hesitate before doing something, your doubts will undermine your efforts. When you act, be bold — and if you make mistakes, correct them with even greater boldness. Everyone admires the bold.
What is the principle of legitimacy? And why should you pay special attention to it if you’re a police officer, government worker, manager, or employer? The principle of legitimacy states that a government’s ability to govern is based on its perceived legitimacy. If the public perceives the government as illegitimate, it will rebel. Learn why the principle of legitimacy is so important and how it can dramatically lower crime rates.
Is more of something good always better? The inverted-U graph says no, not always. An inverted-U graph is a curve that models the point at which something “good,” like money or effort, starts to make a situation worse. Learn why it’s useful in predicting the point at which you might have too much of a good thing.
In Nike founder Phil Knight’s memoir Shoe Dog, Knight discusses a man who would be Nike’s mortal enemy—Shoji Kitami, an executive at Japanese company Onitsuka. Onitsuka is supposed to be Knight’s partner, but Kitami selfishly has other plans. He undermines Phil Knight and harasses him over years, eventually leading Knight to found Nike to get out of Kitami’s reach. These are highlights about Onitsuka’s Kitami from Shoe Dog.
Bob Woodell was one of Phil Knight’s early hires at Nike, just a few years after starting the company. A former runner, he was paralyzed from the waist down after an accident. Phil likes that Bob therefore has a chip on his shoulder and is eager to prove himself. Learn more about Bob Woodell and his early history at Nike.
Nike founder Phil Knight started his shoe career selling imported Japanese shoes from the company Onitsuka, not by manufacturing his own. His original company was called Blue Ribbon Sports. He sold his first shoes at track meets out of the trunk of his car, and their design and quality become a hit. Over time, frictions with Onitsuka over distribution rights, slow shipments, and creating new shoe designs forced him to found Nike. If they’d kept their partnership amiable, Phil might have kept working with Onitsuka, and Nike might never have happened. This is the story of Blue Ribbon Sports before