13A

Assignment 13A – Reading Reflection #1

To Be Loved, Berry Gordy

·      What surprised you the most?

What surprised me the most was the tenacity and desire to make his life and business exactly what he wanted. Many aspects of his life are truly amazing, and his biography captures many of this mans sides. It begins with his choice to enter the record business, rather than becoming a boxer, a dream he had for a while. Berry always had a desire to make something of himself, and being a young black male in the 1950’s made it even harder. While working for a record store, Gordy was able to gather up 800$ from family, and along with his savings, he began the Motown Record label, and eventually sell the label for 61 million dollars. His personality is also different but the most surprising part to me is the fast track he made for himself in such a tough time for African Americans.

·      What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

I would say that the most admirable trait of Berry Gordy is his mindset, and ability to make the right decisions for himself and the company. He made some not so great personal choices but in the long run, he had an eye for finding prospects. His label went from nothing, to leading the charts with the hottest pop artists of his time in months, which only a truly great mind could accomplish. I also believe that he was pushed by the constant suspicion surrounding him as an African American, which can be handled in many ways. Gordy handled this with working even harder which shows some gret character. His control has many admirable traits but he had some faults as well.

·      What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

The many myths and rumors surrounding Berry Gordy and his label bring some question to his leadership. He denies rumors regarding the mafia and his organization, as well as the well-known claims of him cheating his clients out of money. Another quality I dislike regarding Berry Gordy was his selfishness when it came to his artists. Although it could’ve benefitted the music as a whole, he didn’t share his artists at all, and closely watched their every move. I believe if he was more open with his business he could’ve made even greater things happen.

·      Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure?

Berry Gordy faced adversity for sure being a young black male in this time in the US. During his uprising, many people in the industry closely watched him, trying to find a mistake, and his competitors were always looking for a way to overtake his company.

·      What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?

I noticed that Berry Gordy was a very controlling leader. That being said, his label continued to grow, and he protected his strongest assets with strong force. Without his great deal of passion and care for the industry and his artists, it could’ve been taken from him or left him without his devotion.

·      Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

A part of the reading that I felt is confusing is the sections regarding his love life. A main idea in this book was that you don’t have to be loved to be great. Berry Gordy’s womanizing nature brought him children with 8 different mothers. Many times when he discusses his girls and wives it gets confusing and hard to follow.

·      If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask?

If given the opportunity to speak with Berry Gordy about his life and success, I would ask him if he feels that he couldn’t have been successful with a different personality, and could a totally different person do your job. I would also ask him how he was able to stay so true to himself at the same time that he was doing whatever it takes to grow the label. I believe the success that Gordy held comes from his charismatic nature and way of doing things instead of having a great idea at the perfect time.

·      What do you think the entrepreneur’s opinion of hard work, and do you share that opinion?

Berry Gordy’s hard work came from his will to prove people wrong, and make a name for himself. Through his organization he was able to be one of the most influential African Americans in music during his career. His way of getting there was original but it proves that he made the correct decisions, played the bad guy when need be, and still ran a big time record label.