I’m not a fan. Not a player.

I’m not a fan. Not a player. I know little about Kobe.

Yet here I am at the dawn of Y2K, a designer of basketball products.

I feel like an impostor. Most on my product team are avid basketball fans if not former players. Surely they deserve to be here more than me, right?

Neglected customer — outdoor baller.

I suppress my feelings of inadequacy and get to work.

Several months later, a new project springs up. Do I want to do it? Hell yeah!

It’s a cool opportunity. My favorite product manager, Mike, has a brilliant idea. It will help serve a neglected customer — a performance outdoor player. Nike Battlegrounds is borne.

The first Battlegrounds catalog…

But our new outdoor collection has no internal business support. No one is asking for this. It almost gets killed several times.

We’re on our own. Our budget is a literal shoestring. But who cares! We double down and happily add the project to our seasonal load.

Yet, something in me has changed. What is it? I’m really interested in this customer. I love this project. 

The more I learn about their culture, their desires, and their needs, the more passionate I get. This is so fun!

… later became an eight-year franchise.

Wait, something else is happening. I’m becoming an… expert!

Through practicing empathy for my customer, my insecurities melt away. I see their needs more and more clearly.

Which gives me confidence, and allows me to take more risks, giving our solutions and story more depth. 

It is my first taste, though not the last, of connecting deeply with a user through empathy.

I’m learning I don’t have to be a super-user.

Empathy is my strength.