Learn from AIR.
In the new Amazon movie, Air, the story is told of Nike recruiter, Sonny Vaccaro who relentlessly pursues rookie basketball great, Michael Jordan. He risks his career and the entire basketball division of Nike in pursuit of something that’s never been done before. The creation of Air Jordan, a line of shoes completely created around one basketball player.
What teeters on the edge of foolishness was the wisest move the company would make. At a time when the company had solidified its place as third in the line of shoe sales, far behind Adidas and Converse, it had to make a choice. The choice to stick with what it was comfortable with or lay it all on the line including its entire budget on one never-been-done-before idea by one man.
While this story brings many lessons, the focus of this post is on the eventual collaboration between Sonny and his reluctant colleagues who grew in courage as they said “yes.” What’s significant about this path was that the courage, pride, and energy were generated by a unified focus of the team to create the pitch. There were no guarantees they would strike the deal with Michael Jordan, in fact, it was very clear that he was not at all interested in what they had to say. But by doing the research, knowing what rules to break, and building relationships, Sonny’s passion became the story to follow and the project to join.
As you watch this film, identify with one of the characters from Nike that fits you best. Every player was critical to the success of the outcome in the Air story. Sonny would not have won without the engineer, the CEO, or the marketing friend. At what point in the process of pursuing a crazy idea would you typically step in to fill the gap, strengthening the power and validity of the risk?
Be a player. Step in at any time to reduce the risk by your participation. Change always requires risk, not by just one player, but in community as one powerful force driven by the desire to create good. Chances are, in the same manner as this story, good will happen on the fringes of your goal to improve lives for many more than anticipated!
