Baked’s Post

I just came across this vintage document outlining Nike's guiding principles. It's a powerful reminder of the kind of energy and mindset that built the brand into what it is today: relentless, unapologetic, and always in motion. "Our business is change. We're on offense. All the time." These words aren't just a mission statement—they're a call to arms. To push harder, break the rules if necessary, and keep moving forward even when it's not pretty. Nike's early ethos was all about challenging limits, embracing discomfort, and turning that into fuel for growth. And it worked. In a world often bogged down by bureaucracy and playing it safe, these principles are a breath of fresh air. They remind us of the power of offense over defense, the value of imperfect action over perfect planning, and the importance of living off the land—maximizing what's in front of us right now. Key takeaways from Nike's guiding principles: - Our business is change. - Always be on offense. - Perfect results matter more than perfect processes. - Break the rules if needed. - Assume nothing—keep pushing boundaries. - Live off the land—make the most of what you have. - Beware of bureaucracy and personal ambition getting in the way. What guiding principles do you live by? Are you in a position to take the offense every day?

Nike's staff memo from 1977 is still relevant today for all companies. One of my top standout quotes from the memo is "If we do the right things, we'll make money damn near automatic." As businesses strive for success, it's important to remember that doing the right things can lead to financial success. Let's all take a page from Nike's book and focus on doing what's right for our companies. #Nike

Over the years, I've heard colleagues say, "Our competitor is doing it, so we should too." While it’s great to pay attention to what your competitors are up to, don’t fall into the trap of following them. Think about iconic brands like Target, Nike, and Apple; they didn’t become legends by imitating others. They stayed true to their vision and forged their own path. Build a strong brand by focusing on what your customers truly want, delivering exceptional solutions, and leading with innovation. Make your mark with originality and customer-centric strategies! 🌟🚀 #BeOriginal #BrandAuthenticity #CustomerCentricity #Innovation

Culture isn’t what you say. It’s what you do. Nike doesn’t just talk. They act. Their manifesto is a blueprint for work, innovation, and relentless growth. Here’s what makes it legendary:  1️⃣ “Our business is change.”  ↳ Adapt or get left behind. Stay ahead, always.  2️⃣ “We’re on offense. Always.”  ↳ Be proactive. Play to win.  3️⃣ “Perfect results, not perfect process.”   ↳ Focus on outcomes. Messy is fine.  4️⃣ “This is battle.”   ↳ Compete relentlessly. Inside and out.  5️⃣ “Assume nothing.”   ↳ Push boundaries. Stay accountable.  6️⃣ “Live off the land.”   ↳ Innovate with what you’ve got. Stay scrappy.  7️⃣ “Job’s not done until it’s done.”   ↳ Finish strong. Halfway doesn’t count.  8️⃣ “Watch for dangers.”   ↳ Ego, bureaucracy, energy takers. Keep them out.  9️⃣ “It won’t be pretty.”   ↳ Growth is messy. Embrace it.  🔟 “Do the right things, money follows.”   ↳ Focus on impact. Success will come.  Nike’s culture is a playbook for action. Not just words but behaviours that shape results. What drives your culture?  ♻️ Share this to inspire action-driven leadership.   📌 Follow me, Luke Smolinski, for insights on personal growth and a winning mindset.

Getting someone back on the road safely isn’t solving homelessness. Crafting a plan that saves someone a fortune in car repairs, isn’t curing cancer. Empowering someone to make good decisions doesn’t put a man on the moon. Yet these people matter. When my clients feel safe because of the work I do, that’s a special feeling. When someone gains the peace of mind I helped them create, that’s a special feeling. When I see a woman’s fears disappear, and her eyes light up after I let her know she’s going to be ok, I know I’ve touched someone who needed me to guide them. If I leave just one person with a feeling that stays with them, that feeling of being truly heard and valued as someone who matters, then I know I’m doing something right. Because that moment when someone looks at you and says: “You’re important. You matter.” Makes a difference in their life. That’s what drives me. I’d love to share my passion for delivering confidence and peace of mind with you too. Shawn Dunn The Car Care Concierge Ask me how I can help you on a 10 minute chat. DM “10” and let’s chat.

This internal memo is from Nike in 1977. Nike started out as a track shoe company and transformed into a global brand still relevant as they were 50 years ago. This memo came out: →Just 2 years before releasing their "Air" technology we all know today. →7 years before "Air Jordan" in 1984. →And closed out 2023 with 51.2 billion in revenue. What does this memo tell us about their success? →A team operating under a core set of beliefs makes growth easier. →They had a mission their people could get behind.  →Timeless principles are always relevant. →When you follow it, growth happens. Last but not least: Reading this memo just gets me fired up! And this is why core values are important: →It’s a guidepost for everyone within the business to make decisions.  →It serves as a set of beliefs everyone operates by. →It’s a built in system of accountability. Which is why we’ve got them in our organization as well. It might seem pie in the sky, but when you see the results of companies who operate with a clearly defined reason for existence and unified beliefs… Big things happen. If you were to write a memo like this, what would it look like for your company? 

Are You a Tech Company? HELLO Nike It’s ashame we need to relearn the same lessons over and over. When John Donahoe was selected as CEO Nike it was hard to believe how it could end well. The latest lawsuit tells you how it’s going. Bringing in a technology-oriented leader to help modernize a non/tech oriented company is a recipe for boondoggle. All of the tactics are new adventures. DTC! Apps! Fun drops! Reading about strategy in an HBR article is enough reason for a direction. The first thing any new CEO needs to do is determine the answers to these questions: - who are our customers? - what is our product? - what is our offer? - how do we make money? If your primary innovation is not related to your product or offer, no amount of distractions or side projects will save you. If you bring in someone from outside your industry, remember they are making mistakes on your time. In this case the DTC whipsaw. But even that is not the #1 mistake. Nike forgot its customer. Nike’s pinnacle was Air and Jordan and the simple notion that if you have a body, you are an athlete. Innovative changing product at the core with an aspirational message. It’s truly sad to hear the Nike - of all companies - missed the surge in running. Literally it should not be possible. But here we are playing catch-up. The two primary lessons are simple - It matters who the leader is. And it matters where you apply your innovation dollars. If you’re a shoe company, remember what Spike Lee / Mars Blackmon said: “THE SHOES. It’s gotta be the shoes.”

When Nike says: Just Do It, but You just can’t do it! I can’t show you only the good, without you seeing the bad. They are both equally important! So here it is, one of THOSE days. You know the days, when everything feels like a bit too much. I am going to be honest, as much as I love what I am doing, it’s freaking hard🙅🏽♀️ Trying to do everything, going to school, homework, creating content, making plans for the spring, being a mom. It is really easy to get lost in the process, easy to get overwhelmed, easy to forget my own needs. I suspect I might not be the only one feeling like this. But, and there is always a but, doing something new for the first time is hard. It is uncomfortable. Making a career shift takes patience. Making a career shift more than once, well that is a whole other story. Ultimately that is were growth comes from. So instead of beating myself up, I keep moving forward, a bit slower today than usual😁 You see our brains are wired to keep us safe and change is new, scary and definitely not safe. Knowing that is of huge value. Forming new neural pathways takes time. I’d insert a funny quote here, but I don’t have enough brain power to look for one🤣 So today I keep reminding myself how far I’ve come and being patient with myself, not judging, no negative self talk, just accepting that my journey is not always rainbows and butterflies and that is OK! Have You had one of these days?

I watched a reel where Simon Sinek talks about the ideology behind Nike's "Just do it" slogan. He describes how the Nike CEO, during a presentation, polls the audience he's speaking to about the frequency of their weekly running. Some say 2x/week, others, 3x/week. Then he describes the dark mornings, when it's cold, rainy, when your bed feels so much more appealing than the elements and running, that you go out and you do it. A few audience members stood up and said that described them. Nike's there with you when you're out running alone. And he adds, that Nike's there with you when you're TRYING. Nike's not about helping you win or lose. It got me thinking about life and the work it takes to lead a soul-driven life. A life, that is guaranteed to take you into unchartered territory. A life where trying, failing, feeling misunderstood, digging down into the depths of yourself to hold strong when everything outside of you would tell you that rationally "quitting" is the norm. What's Nike's version of trying, when it comes to taking the path less traveled in life? To me, it's BELIEF. Belief in yourself. Belief in life's unfolding. Belief that you'll be ok, no matter what because you stayed true to yourself. Belief in your vision and your intuition. Pure belief that gets you up in the morning sometimes bruised, sometimes royally battered, sometimes eager and cheerful READY to say YES, I believe. Yes I believe. Yes, I am worth it. Yes, I deserve it. Yes, I will keep trying and course correcting as needed. Yes, I will prevail. Yes, I will be strong. A reminder today that... You are strong. You DO know. You ARE worth it. You ARE ready for the next step(s). You CAN prevail. I'm here cheering you on and here if you need support to clarify the year or few months ahead, to hold you with your vision so you don't do it alone, so you can be reminded and boosted along the way that you are ready, deserving and oh, so CAPABLE.

Well Nike #CEO John Donahoe I give you kudos for owning up to holding yourself and your #Executive #Leadership team responsible for laying-off a further 1,500 staff. - Sadly #Nike like all other companies/orgs wasted a fortune going from Synon2e & RPG to probably crap-SAP all because All companies/orgs (Inc Nike) let too many lazy slow crap bad-quality clique favoritism buddy-friends toxic narcissistic dark-triad selfish manipulative bullying gaslighting insecure game-playing coasters talkers BSers into your companies/orgs and never fired them because their Boss's just as bad+toxic themselves https://lnkd.in/eZnbQb-q Pay people what they are worth so pay a best-of-the-best high performance person especially if very-experienced like myself better than a good worker and fire bad+toxic workers/Boss's/agents asap https://lnkd.in/eyGJShYA Some #Leader #Management advice https://lnkd.in/ext2sePp As meetings being banned on Friday's where a #meeting is useless and just so a Boss can justify their existence and for bad+toxic jerks to steal ideas & knowledge & value from great staff https://lnkd.in/ehVXihRq Universal basic income works https://lnkd.in/e5UdD9fj GBH toxic workplace investigation https://lnkd.in/e_psUD7U Toxic HSBC layoffs just before bonus's paid https://lnkd.in/eMwM2hJK Well LinkedIn now has on your Android App a "Rewrite with AI" option that they bullying users to use AI (will paste copy in a comment). Big JPMC penalty as Jamie Dimon has problems to resolve https://lnkd.in/ey792rqP Well Amtrak & U.S. Department of Transportation and UK RAILWAYS LTD & London North Eastern Railway etc should use #HyperLoop or #MagLev #train system https://lnkd.in/eJ4qyqiQ Rein in zoning rules and building code regulations to allow tiny homes off Amazon & Home Depot etc to be put on Land https://lnkd.in/e3mKE_Jj Will the U.S. Department of Justice & Federal Trade Commission rein in Elon Musk? https://lnkd.in/eupvpwr7 US unions push for affordable #housing I'd good https://lnkd.in/edraZ9SQ More bankruptcies https://lnkd.in/enap_xfk As Richard Branson etc look to stop AI and a #climate disaster https://lnkd.in/e-JXkK7W Herbalife #stock crashed around 32% to a 14 year low as another company in trouble https://lnkd.in/etrMKCG2 & https://lnkd.in/eMVGPAhq Terrible #economic #news that the PPI like the CPI and WPI skyrocketing up https://lnkd.in/ehgBGy3e As Satya Nadella & Microsoft ending #RIP older App's https://lnkd.in/e7_rbsJQ plus pushing changes onto users https://lnkd.in/eUKb3HCp I am available for:- A) Top #CEO or #CIO or #Board position. B) An #advisor #creator #strategist #coaching #ITexpert for a high-price. C) To write #publish a #book though a #bookpublishing & #bookpublisher company. D) A #expert IBM AS/400 iSeries IBM-i Synon2e RPG high-priced #architect plus advisor person. ==> So email me david.raby@live.com noting I can get Synon2e & RPG contracts easy. #news #cfo #boardofdirectors #boardmember #shareholder #economy #finance