Reading Reflection No.1 - Assignment 13

The book I read for this assignment was Grinding it Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc

• While reading about Ray Kroc:

1. What surprised me the much while reading this book was the beginning of Kroc's career. He did not finish high school, never went to college. His early jobs were selling paper cups and occasionally played piano at some venues. While working for the paper cup company he became a great salesman and eventually created a great network that lead him to discovering the McDonald brothers.
   
   
2. What I most admired about Ray Kroc is how hard he worked, how he fought for what he wanted and deserved. I also admire the way he inspired other people to be entrepreneurs like him.
    
3.  What I admired the least about Ray Kroc was that in the pursuit for success in his career, he did not prioritize his family. He and his wife, Ethel, constantly fought due to his commitment to his career but not enough to his wife or his daughter. I believe that a successful career is important but it should not come at the expense of the family. 
   
   
4. Ray Kroc has a number of problems along the way to success. At the beginning his boss at the paper company did not want to let him leave the company to pursue the partnership to sell the Multi Mixer. Instead Ray stayed with the paper company because they invested in the Multi Mixer. Eventually Ray found out that his boss was the one that had invested and to buy him out he had to pay a higher than fair price to do so. Later He had trouble dealing with the McDonald brothers after signing the franchise contract. He had a few disputes with his partners along the way.  With all of these problems he usually worked out a solution with the person. 

• Ray Kroc's Competencies:
• Was great at networking with people
• Knew how to sell products and ideas
• Inspired many through his ideas and successes
• Was a hard worker
• Fought for what he wanted
  
  
• What was confusing:
• The one part of the reading that was hard for me to fully understand was the relationship Kroc had with the McDonald brothers.  
  
  
• The two questions I would ask Ray Kroc would be 
1. Is the McDonald's today what you had envisioned it would be.
• The reason I would ask this question is because he had such a vision from the very beginning of what McDonalds would be I want to know if the reality of the company today measures up to his vision. 
2. Where did your drive for entrepreneurship come from?
• The reason I ask this question is to see if the drive came from because of the job he had at the beginning or it was a driver that made him good at the jobs he had.
  
  
• His opinion on hard work
• I definitely think that Kroc's opinion on hard work was that what you want doesn't come easy, you have to work hard. I also believe that he believed that even with hard work, you stumble and fall along the way but it shouldn't stop you from working hard to achieve your goal, because in most cases you will achieve it. I do share this opinion.