Elliott Hill on Nike’s Next Great Chapter

I was raised in Austin, Texas by a single mom who was a school teacher — she taught almost 51 years, even taught summer school to raise two kids. Watching her helped create the values that I have today. Hard work, commitment, passion, compassion, consideration. My mom was, despite how busy she was, always the first person in the neighborhood doing the extra work and showing up for others. What drives me to this day are the values that she instilled in me. And I think you see some of that when I'm walking around on campus, it's that know-no-stranger response, to treat every human being like they matter.

I grew up in a diverse, blue-collar neighborhood where sports were a daily part of our lives. We lived out in the streets. We played traditional sports, sports we made up — we were out there having fun, always at the rec center down the street. For me, those experiences shaped a lifelong love and passion for all kinds of sports and all kinds of people.

I landed at Nike after writing a paper on the brand in grad school. That was the moment when I fell in love with the idea of working here. I knew that I wanted to work in the sports world, but I thought it would be through a college athletic department or maybe a professional team. When writing my paper on Nike, suddenly a light bulb went off and I realized that I had to think more creatively. And then I l got lucky. A guy named Tim Joyce came to do a lecture at my university. After, I went up to him and said, “I want to work for Nike.” I kept following up for the next six months. Eventually, I called him and said, “Tim, you haven’t said no to me and you haven't said yes. I'm going to keep calling until you tell me no.” Two days later, on a Friday, I got a little pink slip telling me he called, and I called him back from a payphone. He said, “If you want to work for Nike, be in Memphis on Monday.” I hung up, loaded everything I owned into my car and went to Memphis, Tennessee. My first day was June 1, 1988.

One of my most memorable Nike moments was the first time I flew out to Portland, Oregon, in 1990, for a sales meeting downtown on the waterfront. We go outside for the opening and there’s a brand heat video on that was blowing people’s minds. The folks around me were going nuts. The video kept building, and I realize we're seeing the “Just Do It” ad campaign being screened for the first time, right in front of us. I thought, “I am in the middle of something I never imagined I was going to be a part of.” The love and the energy and the feeling that everybody had together at that meeting was incredible. I'll never forget it. And that became the Nike standard for me.

I think we have one of the most beautiful, simple and aspirational mission statements that exists. To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. Three key words there: inspiration, innovation, athlete. It is Nike's responsibility to inspire the world through sports, athletes and teams and the greatness that they try to achieve every day. It's also our role to create the most innovative, coveted, beautiful, mind-blowing products and stories. Finally, I really love the word “athlete*” with an asterisk. There's a statement behind that asterisk. “If you have a body, you are an athlete.” It came from our co-founder, Bill Bowerman. It challenges us to serve every human being. All 8 billion people are athletes.

I believe what makes Nike great is our unrelenting focus on our athletes, the relationship we have with them, and our ability to take their insights to drive innovation, whether it's products or storytelling. That’s what propels Nike forward. When we put athletes* at the center, we create the right discussions, debate, dialogue, and ultimately arrive at the best decisions — for consumers and our company.

The key Nike apparel items always in my rotation: For working out, a long sleeve Dri-FIT top in black and a short-sleeve Dri-FIT in gray. I can layer ’em, get a little color pop, and together they work for the gym, running, yoga. I’ll pair that with a track pant with zip pockets. They’re versatile, too, great for workouts or comfort, when I'm traveling. For everyday wear, I love our sweatshirts, a Nike polo, and I have a five-pocket pant from our golf line in off-white bone color and black.

I've been fortunate throughout my career to experience some incredible, iconic Nike sports moments. I got a lot of 'em flashing through my head. Michael Johnson and Atlanta, winning the gold in gold spikes. Cathy Freeman and the Sydney Olympics, running in the Nike Speed Suit with the weight of the country on her shoulders and winning the gold medal. Mo Farah in London winning gold in that Nike Volt Green. If there was one Nike moment that I wish I could have experienced, it’d be Steve Prefontaine running for gold. His quote, “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift” is what will be hanging over my new desk. For the Nike sports moments I’m looking forward to — they’re already here. I think it’s always a good time to be a women’s basketball fan, but what a time like now. I’m also looking to next spring, when we’ll relaunch our Nike Women’s Race Series, worldwide. I loved that series when it first took off in the mid-aughts and I think runners will love how we've evolved it.

I thrive in challenging times. That's part of why I love sports and business, and why I think the combination of the two is so powerful, because you don't always win. And when we're not winning, it’s how we react that truly defines us. Yes, we’re in a tough moment right now. We’ve been there before. And I can tell you that we will do what we’ve done before to win: Get back to a sharp focus on the consumer. Understand the areas where we need to improve, put leaders and teams in place against those opportunities, and hold each other accountable for delivering. When we do those things, that's when we ultimately get back to winning.

I've been fortunate to work for incredible leaders at Nike, and I've tried to take on the best from each of them. I want to be inspiring. I want to be authentic and true to who I am. I want to be consistent, and I want to be approachable.

How's that?