Commerce and Sense

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The Value of Diverse Skills: Why Linear Career Paths Suck The other day in the mall I unexpectedly bought a pair of Air Jordan I’s. They were a rare impulse buy. I tried to explain to my girlfriend why I had such an emotional reaction to the shoes but my mind quickly jumped to the fact that here we are in 2009 and I just bought a pair of shoes that were designed in 1984. The shoe industry is way more complex and profitable than it ever was and yet the quality of product design has declined. Air Jordans were designed by Tinker Hatfield, who started working at Nike as a CORPORATE ARCHITECT. By chance, he got a chance to design shoes. I’m not sure Tinker would have had a shot today. He didn’t come from the right background or career path but boy did he smash it. It upsets me to see that many companies do not look at the entirety of a candidates unique experiences in addition to past qualifications. Ironically, now we have tons of kids who go to school specifically to become sneaker designers who crank out crap. It pays to take calculated risk. That candidate who has a resume slightly off the beaten path can bring new insights and a fresh pair of eyes to a homogeneous team. At worst you get a crappy designer, but seemingly you’d get that anyway these days. The upside is too compelling to ignore. I’m thankful that Nike was a small company back then where Tinker could apply an architecture background to shoe design.

The Value of Diverse Skills: Why Linear Career Paths Suck

The other day in the mall I unexpectedly bought a pair of Air Jordan I’s. They were a rare impulse buy.

I tried to explain to my girlfriend why I had such an emotional reaction to the shoes but my mind quickly jumped to the fact that here we are in 2009 and I just bought a pair of shoes that were designed in 1984.

The shoe industry is way more complex and profitable than it ever was and yet the quality of product design has declined. Air Jordans were designed by Tinker Hatfield, who started working at Nike as a CORPORATE ARCHITECT. By chance, he got a chance to design shoes.

I’m not sure Tinker would have had a shot today. He didn’t come from the right background or career path but boy did he smash it. It upsets me to see that many companies do not look at the entirety of a candidates unique experiences in addition to past qualifications. Ironically, now we have tons of kids who go to school specifically to become sneaker designers who crank out crap.

It pays to take calculated risk. That candidate who has a resume slightly off the beaten path can bring new insights and a fresh pair of eyes to a homogeneous team. At worst you get a crappy designer, but seemingly you’d get that anyway these days. The upside is too compelling to ignore. I’m thankful that Nike was a small company back then where Tinker could apply an architecture background to shoe design.

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