10 Principles from the Early Days at Nike

Back before Nike was the global powerhouse it is today, it was just a spunky start-up with big dreams. An internal memo from 1977 has surfaced on the interwebs and it shows some of the principles that were guiding Nike in the early days. There are some good thoughts that could be applied to life here at the City of Orem.

  1. Our business is change.
  2. We’re on offense. All the time.
  3. Perfect results count – not a perfect process.
  4. This is as much about battle as about business.
  5. Assume nothing. Make sure people keep their promises. Push yourselves. Push others. Stretch the possible.
  6. Live off the land.
  7. Your job isn’t done until the job is done.
  8. Dangers: Bureaucracy, personal ambition, energy takers vs. energy givers, knowing our weaknesses, getting too many things on the platter
  9. It won’t be pretty.
  10. If we do the right things we’ll make money d*** near automatic.