Told He Wasn’t Right for the Job, This CEO Worked 90-Hour Weeks for Six Months to Prove Them Wrong
Today, J. Michael Prince oversees 1,200 retail stores across 190 countries, runs a $2.7 billion global empire, and co-hosts charity polo events with Prince William at Windsor Castle. But his first taste of leadership wasn't a calculated career move—it was an accident, and he was almost passed over entirely.
In 2005, shortly after Converse was acquired by Nike, the footwear brand’s CFO position opened up. Prince had been on the payroll for barely six months. Leadership made it brutally clear: he wasn't in the running. He was merely a placeholder, tasked with keeping the ship afloat while they headhunted a "real" candidate.
"They literally told me, ‘You’re not our person. You’ve been here for six months, you’re not really one of us, and we’re going to pull someone from the inside who’s been with us for a long time,’” Prince told *Fortune*. “They said, ‘You’re not going to get the opportunity, but we need you to keep the ship going until we figure out who’s going to be in that position.’”
Instead of accepting defeat, the now-CEO of U.S. Polo Assn. treated their timeline as a challenge.
“I thought, I’ve got six months to prove myself,” he recalled. “I’m going to outwork anybody they’ve ever seen in any of these roles, and I’m just going to make it happen.”
For the next six months, Prince ground through 90-hour weeks, occasionally pulling all-nighters to ensure the department didn't just survive, but thrived.
"When big opportunities and big challenges present themselves, you have to step up and put in the extra time," he said. "I took it on with a smile on my face and did my best to deliver excellence."
Many would have walked away feeling defeated after being told they weren't enough. Prince saw it as fuel. “When you’re in that position, it makes you want it that much more. It makes you work that much harder,” he said. “It’s a motivator—that little chip on your shoulder to prove everyone wrong.”
The strategy worked. Nike officially handed him the CFO reins. That relentless drive propelled him upward: he became CFO of Nike Affiliates, overseeing a $4 billion portfolio that included Cole Haan, Hurley, and Umbro. He later transitioned to luxury fashion as COO of Guess before joining U.S. Polo Assn. as COO in 2017, ultimately being promoted to CEO just eight months later.
From Rural Oklahoma to the Corner Office
Remarkably, Prince built this towering career starting from southeastern Oklahoma—one of the poorest regions in the U.S.—armed with a degree from a small regional university largely unknown to elite hiring managers.
When asked what set him apart from his peers, his answer is simple: “A great work ethic, and being respectful and considerate of others.”
“Where I grew up, my personality was to find common ground and get along with people,” he explained. “In a lot of companies, you see people who are always challenging things in a negative way. I just felt like I brought a positive energy.”
This mindset is the core of his advice for Gen Z professionals looking to emulate his trajectory: embrace the hard challenges, and do it with a positive attitude.
“You’re going to get a handful of opportunities in life, both personally and professionally,” Prince said. “Always be looking forward. When you see those opportunities, be thoughtful about how to maximize them—because they might not be there six months from now.”
The Secret to Success? Say "Yes" and Do the Work
Prince’s story echoes a common refrain among top executives: while timing and luck play a role, old-fashioned grit and a willingness to say "yes" are the ultimate differentiators.
Take Neil Clifford, CEO of Kurt Geiger, who secured his big break by pinning down his company’s chief for career advice while his manager was out of town. He immediately said yes to relocating for a promotion, only to find the store was failing and plagued by staff theft. By leading a swift turnaround, he catapulted up the ranks.
Similarly, Stephanie Kramer, CHRO of L’Oréal U.S., credits her rise to the corner office at the world’s largest beauty company to saying "yes" to every single opportunity that came her way.
And then there’s Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, who scaled the ranks from unloading trailers for $6.50 an hour at age 17 to leading the retail giant. His secret? Volunteering to cover for his bosses whenever they were out of town. By consistently stepping into leadership roles and running meetings in his manager's absence, he became what he called a "low-risk promotion" because leadership had already seen him do the job.
But even while eyeing his next move, McMillon kept his head down and focused on the task at hand. As he wisely noted in a past interview: “The next job doesn’t come if you don’t do the one you’ve got well.”