U.S. Polo Assn. CEO was told he wasn’t right for a promotion—so he ‘outworked’ anyone else who wanted the job for 6 months straight

Today, he hosts polo events with Prince William and runs a $2.7 billion empire—but J. Michael Prince’s first taste of leadership was a complete accident. Not only that, he was almost passed over entirely. When the CFO role opened up at Converse in 2005—then freshly acquired by Nike—Prince had been on the payroll for barely half a year. The company made it plain he wasn’t in the running; he was simply there to keep the seat warm while they headhunted. But instead of feeling rejected, the now-CEO of US Polo Assn. treated it as a deadline to prove them wrong. “They literally told me, ‘You’re not our person, you’ve been at Nike for six months… you’re not really one of us, and we’re going to pull someone from the inside that’s been with us for a long time,’” Prince exclusively told Fortune. “You’re not going to get the opportunity, but we need you just to kind of keep the ship going until we figure out who’s going to be in that position,” he added. “And I thought, I’ve got six months to prove myself.” “I’m going to outwork anybody they’ve ever seen in any of these roles, and I’m just going to make it happen on my own.” That he did, grinding 90-hour weeks, sometimes pulling all-nighters to prove himself. “It was one of those where, when big opportunities and big challenges presented themselves, that’s when you say, I really have to step up and put in the extra time…. I’m going to take it on, I’m going to do it with a smile on my face, and I’m going to do my best to deliver excellence,” he recalled. Many would have walked away from being told they’re not enough, feeling defeated. Prince saw it as a challenge. “When you’re in that position, it makes you want it that much more. It makes you work that much harder,” he says. “It’s a motivator—that little chip on your shoulder to prove everyone wrong.” It worked. Nike gave him the role, and t