Assignment 13A Reading Reflection No. 1

1. You read about an entrepreneur: The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
• What surprised you the most? 
• What surprised me the most was the amount of time, effort, and determination that was put into successfully creating flight. In which, their grit opened my eyes and gave me a new perspective of what passion and determination can lead to, and how it can strive you to achieve your goals. They spent hours studying, reading books, becoming familiar with the language of aeronautics, observing birds and learning from them, as well as putting several hours into building and rebuilding until they succeeded. Also, the fact that they started from nothing- "no college education, no formal technical training, no friends in high places, no financial backers, no government subsidies, and little money of their own"- and the risk of danger they were willing to take, was truly mind blowing and inspiring. 
• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
• As mentioned before, the Wright Brothers characterized a tenacious and hardworking mindset with grit like no other. In which, I admire their determination and persistence of never giving up. Coming into it, they were aware of the previous fails in attempts by previous entrepreneurs, one even resulting in death, and were unfazed. When it came to their own failures, they didn't give up and kept rebuilding until they got it right. Even when others viewing their test trails found the attempt to have been a success, the brothers still went on to rebuild until they were satisfied and saw success in their own eyes. 
• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
• There isn't really anything that I can say that I least admire about the Wright Brothers. Though, it may have seemed liked Wilbur had most of the spotlight, doing all the gliding in their test trials and being left to take on the public roles when it came to public speaking because Orville was painfully shy. Though, Orville was very helpful behind the scenes, when it came to building the aircraft. In which, they balanced each other out and worked well as a team, and I would hate to see if they were viewed as one being superior to the other. 
• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
• The Wright Brothers did encounter adversity and failure before they could succeed. In which, their first flight at Kitty Hawk had many failed attempts that resulting in them having to go back to the drawing board, figure out what went wrong, and rebuild until they go it right. There were even times when others present in their test trials had viewed their flight to be successful, but to the brothers, they would find it disappointing and go back to fix the problem and rebuild. In which, their tenacity became evident through these failures, and they ended up coming out on top and stronger as a result of this adversity. 
2. What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 
• I think that the brothers exhibited their own competencies that came together to make them such a great team, and become successful. As Wilbur was competent in leadership, which made him such an exceptional public speaker for the two and was able to attract attention when taking the public role, Orville was more shy, but more naturally entrepreneurial and had remarkable "mechanical ingenuity" that played an important role in all of their projects. Being able to work together and build upon each other's strengths was evident in their work, and was a significant aspect of their success.
3. Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you
• One thing I found confusing was when the brothers were testing their aircraft at Kitty Hawk, and had people present at their trial. When they had successfully sailed 100 yards, everyone found the trial to be successful except the brothers. I am curious to know at the time, what they would have been satisfied with. In other words, I wonder how they determined what was successful in their own eyes, despite the affirmation from others that it was successful. 
4. If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur what would you ask? Why?
• Seeing the death of Lilienthal after his attempt of flight, what drove you to continue with your attempts, even after acknowledging the risks that came with it? I would like to know to what extent of risk are entrepreneurs willing to take to become successful with their business, and what drives them to take this risk. Is there anything that you felt like you could've changed or done better during your times of building and trial? I would like see an entrepreneur's perspective of reflecting upon their own actions, and how they learned from it. As, experience plays a huge role in entrepreneurship I think it is important to reflect back and see what you can improve to be successful in the future, and grow upon your mistakes.
5. What do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share the opinion?
• I think that they're opinion of hard work is that it is driven by the goals you set, and that you have to go beyond the obstacles. They were great advocates of hard work and perseverance as they always continued to work harder each time they failed. With this mindset, they saw no obstacles to be too difficult to overcome, and had their head held up high all throughout their journey. When Orville would be ask "Were you scared?" he would respond, "Scared? There wasn't a time." That right there summarizes their attitude and outlook on hard work that allowed them to reach their goals. I can't say that I have that quality of being able to take risks, though I do share their opinion of hard work. I find that if you push yourself to never give up and set goals for yourself, you are on the path towards succeeding.