Here’s how one move by Phil Knight (Nike founder) revealed exactly what I needed in my Dream Job

Back in 2009, there was a sporting scandal that erupted like no other.

In November reports out of the US claimed Tiger Woods had been injured in a car accident.

As a Nike athlete, this was big news in our office (and of course, it was also big news around the world).

As the day wore on, the details became clear:

He was ‘escaping’ from his wife - who was angry that he had been cheating. 

And in his desperate bid to escape, he crashed his car right outside his house.

The whole image of ‘Tiger Woods, the great guy’ came tumbling down.

More and more women came out in the media claiming he had been cheating with them. Sponsors - like Gillette and AT&T - quickly moved to distance themselves and cancel his sponsorship.

Except one.

Nike.

Here’s what Phil Knight said at the time about Tiger Woods.

The underlying tone of that statement, for me, was:

Tiger helped build Nike golf. And we will not abandon him for this. No matter how much the media want us to.

And this statement has aged incredibly well given how much love people - especially golf fans - have for Tiger. His win at the 2019 Masters proved Phil Knight's point - when we look back on his career, this will be a blip.

Now, just to be clear, I don’t think what Tiger did was ok. That level of cheating and humiliation for this wife was heartbreaking to watch.

But the way Nike continued to support Tiger through this time really touched to me.

One could argue - like Michael Jordan with Basketball - Tiger Woods built the Nike golf brand. And they owed it to him to stick by him.

After all, what he did was not illegal. Immoral, yes. But not illegal.

So, why was this move so important for me?

Years later, I was working with a career coach. And she wanted to help me identify my ‘core values’. Because, she said, if I know my core values, then I will know how to see those same values in the companies I work for. 

And if I can find a company where my values align, my work will always be joyful.

We went deep on understanding who I am and what motivates me and what environments I thrive in.

And as a result we identified 6 core values which are the values I hold highest in my life. And there at number 2 on the list was the one that made the whole Tiger Woods scandal make sene for me.

Loyalty.

Loyalty was my number 2 value.

I thought about Phil Knights statement. 

And all of a sudden it made sense to me why - even 10 years after leaving Nike - I struggle to wear other sports brands.

And why I enjoyed so much my time working at Nike.

Because I could see my values being honoured - not just in my day-to-day work - but from the very top of the company.

You must identify your own values

The biggest thing you can do to find harmony in your career is to know your core values and find a place where the values are aligned.

It is not ‘woo-woo’ coaching stuff. It is real.

Anytime you are feeling stressed or there is friction in your career, it is because somewhere in your job a value is not being honoured.