MARK PARKER

Collaboration among individuals, brands, and industries will only continue to accelerate as technology facilitates and enables greater connection in real time from anywhere in the world. It's why we're experiencing such an unprecedented pace of innovation in every aspect of our lives.

I'm drawn to talented, creative people who often just don't know how to support themselves - they're more focused on their work than trying to figure that out. So I commission a lot of works with artists who I like personally or professionally, and through that process, I wound up collecting a lot of art.

One way a collaboration can go wrong is if your connection is inauthentic or overly prescriptive.

Nike believes in a world where everyone celebrates the power of diversity.

I don't like when I say 'honestly' - not to imply that I'm otherwise not honest.

I've gotten lots of great advice from lots of people that I admire, but the person who influenced me more than anyone in my life was my grandmother.

One of the challenges of innovation is challenging a set model. A traditional way to manufacture footwear existed for hundreds of years. Now we have a whole new way.

When I travel, I connect with creative people in all different fields and disciplines. It's sort of just to keep my finger on the pulse of what's going on. I think that's important.

I always carry a sketchbook around with me, and I sketch whenever I can... I might be in a financial review and be sketching because I find that I actually listen better when I sketch. Truth be told, there are probably more sketches in my books than there are written notes.

Nike is at its best when we focus on the future. Sport is in a constant state of progression. Athletes are expanding their potential every day - and so must we.

There is always an underlying spirit of invention at Nike - we love to create something that has never before existed. And not just new for the sake of new - it has to be better.

I think a really great creative person is almost by nature incredibly curious and digging deeply into cultures and technologies and getting all this input and using it to make things better - basically, creating better solutions.

Nike stands together against bigotry and any form of discrimination... Now, more than ever, let's stand up for our values and remain open and inclusive as a brand and as a company.

Regardless of whether or how you worship, where you come from or who you love, everyone's individual experience is what makes us stronger as a whole.

In difficult times, it's important to speak up. We cannot change the past, but we can impact the future.

I'm a relentless sketcher. It goes back to how you process the world around you - the whole left-brain, right-brain thing. Some people are data-driven. I've always been more visual.

The psychology of performance in athletic footwear and apparel is very real. Most athletes do not say, 'Just give me what works the best - I don't care what it looks like.' They're very concerned with what it looks like and how it makes them feel.

I think overdesigning comes from a lack of editing. The strongest, most compelling, and most useful things in life are irreducible - love, truth, faith, honor.

My wife will go, 'You know, you're drawing a shoe right now.' I do that all the time.

When you work in a culture that thrives on innovation and is constantly moving into unchartered territory, you're going to hit dead ends. But to be successful over the long term, remember what you've learned and move on from it quickly.

Let's start with the athlete, Nike's original and most important collaborator. To us, everything starts with the insight. That's why we work with the deepest roster of athletes, to gain the most profound understanding of what's needed to perform.

Curiosity is life. Assumption is death.

It's impossible to leave our emotions and experiences outside the work place - they inform us and make us who we are.

I tend to gravitate toward people who are a bit more eccentric and creative and artistic in some ways. And I like bringing disparate kinds of creative people together to create some great work, even to share points of view on a new direction.

No one works harder at inspiring athletes all over the world than our team at Nike. Creating those experiences requires an amazing amount of energy, a steady flow of big ideas to excite and surprise people, and a constant dialogue that connects us on a personal level.