A Letter For The Nike Principles Memo

A masterful memo by Rob Strasser - the first Head of Marketing @ Nike

There's something magical about finding an old memo, yellowed with age, that captures the raw spirit and soul of what a company could be. When I first saw the Nike principles memo from 1977, punched out on a typewriter with its stark, revolutionary declarations, I knew I was looking at something different - a business document that reads more like a manifesto for rebellion.

"Our business is change" - it starts with a bang, an immediate declaration that stability and comfort have no place here. Then straight into "We're on offense. All the time." No hedging, no corporate speak about "striving to be proactive" - just pure, relentless forward motion.

The memo was written by Rob Strasser, the first Head of Marketing at Nike and what others in the company describe as a “troublemaker”. Rob is a legend in my mind, for this memo but also in being instrumental in creating the Jordan Brand and in declaring Nike “a marketing company” first and foremost. Prescient.

What strikes me most is how perfectly counter-cultural these principles were, and still are. In an era where most corporate mission statements read like they were written by a committee trying not to offend anyone, this memo basically said "We're here to break things." The principle "Perfect results count -- not a perfect process. Break the rules; fight the law" wasn't just permission to think differently - it was a mandate.

I keep coming back to "This is as much about battle as about business." In today's world of endless process optimization and Six Sigma everything, there's something thrilling about a document that frames business as warfare, that demands its readers to be warriors rather than just employees. That every day you need to wake up and build, a battle against stagnation.

The dangers section at the end reads like an echo of Sun Tzu's five dangerous faults that may affect a general: bureaucracy, personal ambition, energy takers vs. energy givers, knowing our weaknesses, don't get too many things on the platter. It's as if the memo could see every trap that successful companies fall into and was desperately trying to warn against them.

"Make sure people keep their promises. Push yourselves push others. Stretch the possible." These aren't just principles - they're a call to arms. They demand everything from those who would follow them. There's no room for half-measures or playing it safe.

Thank you, beautiful old Nike Memo memo, for showing us that a company's principles don't have to be safe, sanitized, or focus-grouped into oblivion. Thank you for proving that sometimes the most powerful statement is the most direct one. And thank you for demonstrating that when you're clear about who you are and what you stand for, you'll attract exactly the right kind of people who resonate with your battle cry.

With love and deep appreciation,

-Andrew

PS: "If we do the right things we'll make money damn near automatic" - I can't think of a better way to end a principles memo than with that perfect mix of confidence and irreverence.