INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT

INDIVIDUAL
ASSIGNMENT

MANAGERIAL SKILLS OF PHIL KNIGHT

Full name: Nguyen Thi Thuy

Class: IB1601

Student ID: HS153083

Lecture: Nguyen Duy Ly

Course: MGT103 – Introduction to Management

Date: Spring 2021

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Table of Contents

I. Introduction:
1. Purpose of my assignment:…………………………3
2. The manager’s biography and the company:……..3
II. Literature Review & Critical Ananlysis:
1. Interpersonal Skills:………………………………..5
2. Diagnostic skill:……………………………………..6
3. Communication Skill:………………………………6
III. Recommendation:……………………………………...7
IV. Conclusion:……………………………………………..7
Reference list:……………………………………………….8

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I. Introduction:
1. Purpose of my assignment:
As an international business major, it is essential to analyze and learn
from the management skills of their predecessors. The manager plays an
important role in deciding the success or failure of the organization. Going into
the analysis of management skills is not only a way of learning to help students
consolidate their specialized knowledge , thoroughly understand management
issues, help them remember better, but also help them absorb and accumulate
experience in management to adopt or avoid.

2.The manager’s biography and the company

Full name Philip Hampson Knight

Photo

Birthday February 24th, 1938

Born Portland, Oregon, U.S

Education University of Oregon , Stanford University

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Occupation Chairman emeritus, Nike, Inc.

Title The co-founder and chairman emeritus of Nike, Inc.

CEO

Achievement - In 1989, Knight received the Golden Plate Award of

the American Academy of Achievement.

- In 2000, Knight was inducted into the Oregon Sports

Hall of Fame for his Special Contribution to Sports in
Oregon.

- In 2012, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial

Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor for being the
driving force behind Nike's huge financial support of
U.S. basketball and its players.

Company - An American multinational corporation operating in

the design, development, manufacture, promotion and
( Nike, Inc )
sales of footwear, apparel, accessories, equipment and
services related to the sports
- Founded on January 25, 1964, as "Blue Ribbon
Sports" and officially became Nike, Inc. on May 30,
1971
- Headquarters : Beaverton, Oregon, U.S
- Founders : Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman

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II. Literature Review & Critical Ananlysis:
1. Interpersonal Skills :
For each manager, to understand and adjusting the approach that
helps people work together effectively, they must have interpersonal
communication skills.
According to Interpersonal Skills: Definitions and Examples (2020) .
Interpersonal skills are traits you rely on when you interact and
communicate with others. They cover a variety of scenarios where
communication and cooperation are essential. In a work environment,
strong interpersonal skills are an asset that can help you navigate
complexity, change and day-to-day tasks. With the aforementioned
characteristics, it can be seen that interpersonal skills are one of the
important skills not only in work but also in social relationships.
Not only for the manager but also for the employees in the organization.
For employees, this is a skill that will help them connect better at work.
As for managers, this skill not only helps them communicate their goals
more clearly to their employees, but also helps them gain the trust and
respect of their employees. For organizations, this skill will be the
foundation for creating the linkage within the organization.
When asked about what skill Knight was able to bring to the table
despite knowing nothing, the Nike co-founder responds, "If there's one
thing, I've been pretty good at evaluating people." Not only does he think
about the business and the design, he also cares deeply about his
employees, colleagues, and teammates. For Phil Knight, don't stop asking
many questions for employees is a way to ensure that people never feel
satisfied with one-sided thinking. More than that, it is also the secret that
Nike CEO urges employees to automatically ask questions about the job
and themselves .With a calm nature and an understanding of the internal
culture, Phil Knight reconciled the relationship between the divisions
well, likening his style to being an editor, meaning helping his
subordinates “sharpen file ”their ideas better. He even sharpened his own
ideas. He always creates favorable conditions to promote the creative
initiative of his employees and his subordinates .
This is a skill Mr. Phil Knight has done very well so it almost does
not accidentally cause any problems. To apply effectively, right from the
beginning Mr. Phil Knight had to create organizations that were
disciplined with department employees. Must always have a sense of

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responsibility for the work that you are assigned .

2. Diagnostic skills :
For every manager, to ensure the stability of their organization, to
avoid problems that cause negative effects, they must have skills to
recognize and solve problems - diagnostic skills. So, we will analyze the
diagnostic skills of Mr. Phil Knight.
Before analyzing, we need to know what diagnostic skills are.
According to Managerial Skills: 5 Skills Managers Need (n.d.),
Diagnostic skill is the manager’s ability to visualize the most appropriate
response to a situation. To make the decision he or she needs to identify a
situation which could be opportunities or threat. And conceptual
knowledge is essential for this as it helps the manager has a complete
understanding of the organization. A manager cannot decide without
diagnosing and analyzing.
Despite the lack of knowledge and experience, Phil Knight has
acknowledged some key details about Nike's inception and how the
company grew. Phil Knight's and his team's ability to assess appraisals
and respond to market needs helped offset a lack of design and business
expertise. They have taken advantage of the boom in running, the fitness
boom, and they've benefited from it all. Knowing the opportunities to
seize, following the diagnosis, reacting appropriately to that situation .
Mr. Phil Knight's diagnostic skills helps him deal with problems in a
good way But in reality, not all strategies are perfect, having great
benefits from one will lose benefits from the other, it is the balance of the
balance. When expectations are too high, people are also more likely to
be disappointed. Diagnosis can pose many risks we did not expect.

2. Communication Skills
Being able to communicate effectively is perhaps the most important
of all life skills. An indispensable skill for a manager.

According to Communication Skills. Communication Skills is the

manager of abilities both to effectively convey ideas and information to
others and to effectively receive ideas and information from others.

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 To manage the relationship with his employees, Mr.Phil Knight
would organize a team meeting few times in a year to keep his team
strong and connected, to which he used to refer as “Buttfaces.” In this
meeting employees use to yell at each other and even Phil use to get
reprimanded by his fellow mates. Again, this was the Knight’s way to
Manage People. Moreover, Phil involved his team in important decisions
of the company. And Phil had successfully put together a team of
trustworthy people who in turn trusted in him. For instance, in 1971, Phil
and Bowerman took the decision to enter the market with their
indigenous shoe with a new brand name. Here Phil asked his 45
employees to suggest the name for their new brand. And, Jeff Johnson the
first ever full-time employee of Phil’s organization came up with a name
Nike which meant goddess of the victory in Athens
He thinks his skills help him understand more about the consumers
who will buy his shoes. And that made him not only successful with his
partners, but also gained the affection of the individuals and the team.
III . Recommendation
As mentioned above, the limitation of Mr. Phil Knight is about his
diagnostic skills that can cause many unforeseen risks. In my opinion, we
should develop a marketing strategy that applies everything from new
product and service news to power highlighting, through branding content
to presenting an interesting side with chunks and social updates festival.
Use analytics to see what they're viewing on your website and what's
being shared on social media. Check your competitors' successful content
to see how well they're responding to consumer needs. Grasp the current
market is heading, always listen to and absorb the feedbacks from
consumers and offer quality products. In addition to using diagnostic
skills, other skills should be applied .
IV. Conclusion
Thanks to applying the above management skills, Mr. Phil Knight has
achieved a lot of success. Make Nike one of the influential brands in the
market. The journey to become a billionaire of Mr.Phil Knight. Although
there are a few difficulties in management skills, I have come up with a
number of solutions, hopefully it will be overcome.

Reference list:

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Managerial Skills: 5 Skills Managers Need (Explained). From
https://www.iedunote.com/managerial-skills#:~:text=Diagnostic%20skill
%20refers%20to%20the,possible%20approaches%20to%20a
%20situation.
Interpersonal Skills: Definitions and Examples. (2020). Retrieved
December 5, 2020 .From https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-
cover-letters/interpersonal-skills
Nike Founder Phil Knight Reveals the Secrets to Starting a Company
Knowing Nothing ( 2020 ). Retrieved February 24, 2020 . From
https://www.inc.com/peter-economy/nike-founder-phil-knight-reveals-
the-secrets-to-st.html
Communication Skills . From
https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/communication-skills.html
Making of Nike: Phil Knight's Leadership Style,Traits and Skills .
Retrieved December 06, 2018 . From
https://supersumoz.blogspot.com/2018/12/making-of-nike-phil-knights-
leadership.html?
fbclid=IwAR0xF_36gYnwXacfj5f85T48BvQNxSV7ETCMzi23JY4Z50a
5E3C9vH1yUs8
Website : https://www.nike.com/ca/
NIKE, Inc. - Company Profile, Information, Business Description,
History, Background Information on NIKE, Inc. From
https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/99/NIKE-Inc.html
Phil Knight. From https://biography.yourdictionary.com/phil-knight

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