For this assignment, I chose to read Grinding It Out, by Ray Kroc. Ray Kroc was the founder of McDonalds's. I was surprised the most in the fact that Kroc did not start on his journey to making McDonald's what it is today until his 50's. What I admire the most about Kroc is that he used to work long days working several jobs. I admire the sacrifices he made during these times, sometimes working 19 hour days! What I admire least about Kroc is that he neglected personal relationships in the early days of his life, only focusing on business. Kroc faced adversity early on, notably in the second McDonald's he opened. He struggled with getting food to taste how he wanted it to. Kroc seeked professional help and fixed this problem. A main competency that stood out to me about Kroc was his ability to keep goin. It seemed as if throughout his whole life, he never stopped until his standards were met and exceeded. I was confused the most about how it was mentioned early on that Kroc struggled with personal relationships because his mind was so focused on business, however, he formed a quick relationship with the McDonald brothers and turned McDonald's into what it is today.
If I could ask Kroc two questions, they would be as follows:
What inspired you to keep going on your business journey?
What did you pick up on in McDonald's that impressed you so much?
I would ask the first question because Kroc had been a business man all of his life, however he never really hit it big. I would be curious to see what kept him motivated through these times to finally hit the jackpot with McDonald's. I would ask the second question because I am in the restaurant industry and would be curious to see what exactly Kroc saw in McDonald's that made him think it could be what it is today.
I believe that Kroc valued hard work over almost everything. Kroc was a true example of someone who never gave up. I share this opinion with Kroc. I believe everything is earned, not given. I am inspired by Kroc's willingness to persevere.
Hi Jacob,
ReplyDeleteThis was really interesting to read, as it was very different from the last two books I chose! It's interesting to see how my first reading assignment (I read Coco Chanel) can relate to this one as entrepreneurs and their journeys, but I will say I was quite surprised to learn that he was 50 years old when he began this journey. He clearly worked hard all his life to get to the successes he did, but I think thats a really great lesson to learn about life.