Nike is unlikely to ever become irrelevant, but without an immediate leadership shakeup, we are destined to fall into a deep pit of mediocrity—a state we may never recover from. We have so much brand equity that we will probably remain among the top industry players for decades to come, even with continued ill-informed decision making, but we will no longer stand heads and shoulders above the competition like the old Nike. There will be small sparks of brightness here and there led by what talent does remain, but no overwhelming, industry-shaping successes that were once typical for us. Our company culture has completely evaporated, and most of our leaders today even at the upper echelons of this company lack a genuine passion for the brand and a deep understanding of the company and industry that our former leaders had. He-l, most of our leaders today don’t even care about sports or sneakers! Our brand messaging and identity has become completely unclear to both employees and consumers over the last decade, frequently shifting to whatever looked like the easiest money grab at the time. Within a span of a few years, we've gone from promoting inclusion and diversity (plus-size models and maternity apparel) to performing a 180 and adopting exclusionary slogans like "winning isn’t for everyone"—which is ironically so ill-timed given Nike is losing now more than it ever has in its history. The clock is ticking to replace this executive leadership team.
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Copy @mrw+1tCguGtp which summarizes DEI at Nike
“The issue is that Nike linked executive compensation to achieving highly ambitious DEI goals, which led leaders to make decisions primarily to maximize their own pay. While diversity itself is not the problem, these incentives essentially created discriminatory quotas that undermined meritocracy. This approach resulted in the rapid promotion of underqualified individuals into key roles that make crucial decisions and set strategies for the company.
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/03/11/nike-sets-diversity-goals-for-2025-ties-executive-comp-back-to-them.html
Why did this happen? It was largely a reaction to the social unrest triggered by George Floyd's mu---r. However, five years later, companies that adopted similar DEI goals are just now stepping back. Recently, Microsoft, Google, Zoom, and others have declared that such goals are no longer "business critical."
https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-layoffs-dei-leader-email-2024-7
It wouldn’t be surprising if Nike followed this trend. Companies are primarily loyal to their bottom line, not social causes. The quality of leadership is crucial, as Nike and others are discovering.”
The focus on DEI decimated Nikes talent
With the size of Nike and the amount of damage and honestly looking how many useless VPs and Sr Dirs are installed, I do not think it can recover honestly
It's too late. Nike will continue to circle the drain until it's eventually sold for parts to its competitors.
Correct. This experiment was a failure. Time to move on with new leaders and regain some respect.