Bill Bowerman: Portrait of a Leader whose Personality Infected an Empire - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages It was his personality that inspired and dominated the development of the Nike Corporation. Without his specific personality traits, his leadership and the manifested potential would never have evolved and the athletic shoe industry would have never existed in its present powerful form.
One can ask, how does a waffle iron change the world? In 1971, Bill Bowerman (1911 - 1999) watched his wife make waffles and thought of a whole new way to make the sole of a shoe, thus changing the nature of athletic shoes. Taking synthetic rubber, he poured it into the waffle iron creating and found that it made a lighter form which is still used as the basic concept when athletic shoes are created to this day (O’Neil 2004, 3). Through a series of events that put Bowerman in the center of the jogging craze and through his coaching of a media icon runner, he was able to create a foundation for creating change within the core of the interpretation of athleticism. However, it was his own charisma and inspirational influence that allowed people to follow his lead and bring the potential of his shoe into the realization of the Nike world.
Bill Bowerman did not set out in life to build a business empire. His aim was to facilitate a better athlete. He was the head coach of track and field for the University of Oregan from 1948 to 1972. His nature was to be highly competitive and very focused, thus being able to lead his team as well as his individual players to achieve. He was also very interested in physiology, and through this interest began developing ideas on how to make better running shoes. He designed his first innovative soul of a shoe in the 1950’s but was not in a position to market and manufacture the shoe.    ...Download file to see next pagesRead More