Thread regarding Nike Inc. layoffs

@4qnt

The irony being Nike was founded by a coach and the athlete he coached. You would think Nike would pride itself on having leadership/management that could recognize talent and promote it from within the ranks.

Every time a thread like this pops up there’s a missing part of the conversation. In sane companies that want strong leaders and ever improving employees, management plays a critical role. They identify how any given individual is perceived, and what that means for career objectives. Yes, of course every employee owns some self improvement, but the other half I’d the equation comes from people on the outside looking into you a d your career and seeing how they can help guide and grow you into the best position to provide maximum value to both you and the company. The fact Nike has ZERO talent pipeline and management, and always hires externally to groups for S band and above is a sign that they aren’t holding up their part of the employment relationship.

I never bought into the idea that someone else is responsible for promoting me or EMPOWERING me to get my next role. That is ONLY my own responsibility and I will always do what I feel is best for my career. I only let my manager know that I am exploring other opportunities within the organization - that is the rule. Which role/position I accept or decline that is up to me and has nothing to do with anyone else.

I had a manager at Nike who never prompted me to keep my eyes open for better opportunities - likely because I was doing most of the work on her team. Then I had another manager who was always pushing me to see what else was out there at Nike because he knew that my role was kind of a dead end (not the role as much as the team I was on not being the greatest fit if I wanted to grow).

In that way, your manager can play a critical role in how far you go at Nike. They can hold you back as much as they can build you up and promote you. Your responsibility is to figure out what you want and if your current manager/leadership won't support that then find a new one.

A public service announcement meant to redirect the dialogue brought to you by the gargoyles in HR

#themoreyouknow