13A Reading Reflection 1

For this reading reflection I chose to read The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

What surprised you the most?

The thing that surprised me the most is the journey that the Wright Brothers took to become successful. Prior to reading the book, I had no idea that the brothers actually started out in the bicycle business where they were relatively successful. I was surprised by how long it took them to become successful. Not only was it a long time before they actually got a working model, but it was a long time before they ever received any recognition for it. To me, it was very surprising that the United States did not recognize their work after Europe did.

What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

The things I admire about these two entrepreneurs were their dedication and work ethic. They probably would not have accomplished what they accomplished had it not been for their determination of completing a working airplane and seeing it through. They were so dedicated to their work and they never gave up. I also admired the fact that they were always respectful to the failures others had at creating an airplane.

What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

The thing I least admired about them was how they were around people sometimes. When people took pictures when they were not supposed to, the brothers would react very strongly which I did not admire very much. They also sometimes secluded themselves when away. They would often stay in the hanger with the planes at night which was a safety precaution but at the same time they lost a lot of time in the social atmosphere by doing that.

Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

These entrepreneurs experienced a lot of adversity and failure. The entire time they were trying to build the airplane, many others were trying to develop their own. This particularly did not seem to bother the brothers as much as they saw the flaws in the others’ models. They also faced many weather challenges that would prevent them from conducting test runs. Since it was mother nature, there was not much they could really do but have patience. They experienced many failures. It took Wilbur and Orville years to figure out the right models and engines. Nevertheless, each failure resulted in more motivation to keep going in order to figure it out.

What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

The biggest competency these two entrepreneurs exhibited was the ability to learn. Neither one of them attended college and yet still found a way to engineer a piece of technology that no one else had been able to do. They read and requested as many documents as they could from the Smithsonian about aeronautics and others’ experiences trying to develop an airplane. They were really good at identifying when they could or could not follow others’ data or ideas. The fact that neither achieved a college education and yet understood the laws of aeronautics and physics is quite amazing. They also exhibited tenacity. Nothing was going to get in the way that would prevent the brothers from achieving their goals.  

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

The book itself was an overall easy read and was not difficult to follow. The only part that I found a little confusing was when Wilbur, Katharine, and Orville were all in Europe together. There were so many events that took place with a number of different people in many different locations. To me it got a little difficult trying to keep up with the novel and being able to keep track of the different people and locations.

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

If I were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneurs, I would ask

1.     What was the driving force that motivated you in pursuing the airplane venture knowing that so many other people and organizations were already pursuing it?

2.     How much of a motivating factor was your sister in your business ventures?

I would ask these specific questions because I would like to know why they were not discouraged by the fact that there were already so many people trying to achieve the same thing they were trying to achieve. Also, since the book mentions their sister a lot and the relationship they had with her, I would like to know how much she was a driving force in their minds.

For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

I think the Wright Brothers’ opinion of hard work is a lot of things. Hard work in their minds is being to able to stick to your goals. They never gave up no matter how tough times were. Hard work is often pain. Many of their trials resulted in the planes getting damaged and whoever was flying often getting cuts and bruises (or in one case ending up in the hospital like Orville did). Ultimately, I think their opinions are that hard work is the most important aspect of achieving anything you put your mind to. I one hundred percent share this opinion. I believe you can not get very far in life or achieve your goals without hard work.