Early in his career, Nike President and CEO John Donahue, a spokesman for Bain & Company’s training program, heard something that immediately resonated with him: Elite athletes see asking for help as a sign of strength- “He talked about the way Michael Jordan was not- Just Phil Jordan as his acting coach; He had a private chef and he had a psychological coach, “says Donahue, now 61-” And he said, ‘You in the business world, treat asking for help as a sign of weakness- You act as if all the answers are in your hands- If you want to show world-class performance, you have to be comfortable getting help- ‘ He trusts when he needs advice-
Born in Owenston, Illinois, Donahue is also a father of four with his wife Eileen and CEO four times already, after leading Bain & Company, eBay and digital work management company ServiceNow- And became the company’s fourth CEO, after co-founder Phil Knight, William Perez and Mark Parker-
Since taking up the most senior position at Nike, Donahue has had a lot of work to do- Before we became CEO, there were negative media reports about Nike’s treatment of women and athletes who collaborated with the company- Donahue set himself a goal to fill 45% of positions at Vice President and above in women by 2025- He also wants 30% representation for ethnic minorities At the director level and more than that in Nike’s workforce in the US- He planned to embark on a 100-day “listening journey” around the world that he had to complete online after the corona plague broke out- Last week, Nike closed its executive offices around the world to give employees time to rest and recharge their batteries- “In many ways, Nike looks like a real leader in external diversity activities,” he said- “We want to make sure we are leaders in this regard on an internal level as well-“
“Change and uncertainty are the new normal”
What time do you usually wake up on Mondays?
“I’m a person of habit- I wake up at 5:45 every day of the week- The first thing I do is drink a liter of water and two cups of coffee and then I stretch with Hyperice Hypervolt (electric massager)- I do 10 minutes of meditation and then I have a trainer “Nike personal – his name is JC Cook- I train from seven to eight, four mornings a week with him-“
On what day do you take time off?
“It’s changing- I learned a lot from a guy we have at Nike, Ryan Flaherty, who is an elite coach and checked data on an athlete’s routine- He talks about the five faces of sports, which are movement, sleep, nutrition, thought and rehabilitation, and rehabilitation is very important- We check how my body feels every given week, but when I sometimes have appointments early in the morning – that also dictates it- “
How many hours do you sleep at night?
“I came to terms with the fact that I need sleep- Earlier in my career, I told myself I did not really need that much sleep, and the truth is that sleep is really important- So I aim to sleep a little more than seven hours a night- Sometimes it’s unrealistic, so I aim to sleep- 70 hours every ten days- “
What do you eat for breakfast to start the week right?
“I have a protein drink, and when I get to the office I eat yogurt and a banana-“
Is there a time of day or week when you are most creative?
“Morning will be my best time- There are mornings where I stay home for the first two hours without meetings, to think or sort out my thoughts or if I need to write something- On Monday mornings, I need to plan the week, so usually on Sundays, I will sit and watch- “Next week I’ll just try to take a few moments to look at the most important things I want to accomplish this week- I’ve learned over the course of my career to be more aware of when I need to prepare for things, and I make room for them, giving them legitimacy – including the times I want to be creative-” –
When you make such an observation, how does it happen to you?
“In 2015 I went on a year off, a sabbatical year, and did a 10-day Buddhist retreat in Spirit Rock- [מרכז מדיטציה בוודקר, קליפורניה] With [הסופר והבודהיסט] Jack Cornfield- Jack was a great spiritual guide and counselor- What I have been doing a lot lately is gratitude training- What we have learned from the brain sciences and Buddhist teaching is that one can, in fact, train the mind- The mind becomes more negative over the years because negative experiences get stuck in thought- So it can be resisted by being more aware of the things that are valued, the good things in life- And so I just think, what am I grateful for in the broadest sense of life? What was I grateful for yesterday? Why do I expect to enjoy it tomorrow? This is a good exercise- For so many years, I have been so meticulous about fitness training- But what I have learned in the last five, ten or ten years, is that it is no less important to do brain exercise- It is this perception of mindfulness, and it requires the same amount of discipline and focus that the physical side requires- “
What changes have you made in the meantime as CEO of Nike?
“Digital has entered every area of our consumers’ lives- So whether it’s a Nike training club, a Nike running club, our activity apps or a SNKRS app or a Nike mobile app, consumers have brought us to it and tried to make sure we’re there in every area of their lives-“
Do you have a guiding philosophy?
“I am a follower of servant leadership- When I realize that everything I do serves a purpose, serves others, I have a fountain of willpower and inspiration even in times of difficulty- Just stay connected to this idea that we are on earth to serve others- My leadership models have always been Head Coaches – You Think of Phil Jackson, Mike Koziewski, John Thompson, Tara Vanderbir, who recently won the women’s basketball championship, how they serve their programs, serve a wider purpose- The power of service was a lesson I return throughout my life and career- “
What lessons did you learn about running a company during the plague?
“I think change and uncertainty are the new normal — so just accept and deal with the ongoing change and uncertainty- Second, the importance of clarity about values, because we need direction- At Nike, early in the plague, we thought about our values, and that’s what drove the decision- Ours continue to pay salaries to all the store workers-Even in the months when all the stores were closed, it was an easy decision for us-It was about half a billion dollars, but it was definitely the right thing to do-
The third thing is the importance of communication and transparency- While managing a life in Zoom is a difficult thing in many ways, what Zoom has managed to do is put me once a month in front of 25,000 people- And the last thing that strengthened me as a leader is the power of sincerity and vulnerability, because many times I do not have all the answers, whether in connection with the plague or racial or social justice issues or geopolitical issues- But I think there is a real power and a real need to just come and be real, to be vulnerable and to be present- “
How does Nike intend to appeal to a Z Generation audience?
“We’m talking about our muse among consumers being young people aged 16 to 24- This generation, they want their individuality- They want to be understood and respected for who they are, and that can vary by race, gender, point of view and background- They do not want to be tagged- Them, and on the other hand very much want to be part of a community- They want diversity, equality and inclusion; they want it to be their world- “I get a lot of hope when we listen to Generation Z because they have made a step up in places that will make them responsible leaders in this world for the next 10, 20, 30 or 40 years-“
The interview was conducted for clear purposes-
John Donahue’s 5 Recommendations for the Morning:
● Hyperice Hypervolt
“Every morning, I stretch with the Hyperice for 20 minutes-“
● Insights timer
“I have an app on the phone — even when I travel to work, I will do gratitude training, which during this time period are really helpful and helpful-“
● Nike Space Hippy shoes
“Hippie Spice shoes use garbage (real garbage!) And make it a great shoe with its own aesthetic-“
● Vitamins
“Multivitamins, vitamin B, vitamin D or turmeric — I almost do not know what is in some of the things I take; I am willing to try everything-“
● Water
“Monday is no different from many other days: I start with a liter of water-“