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Assignment 13: Reading Reflection No. 1

I read To Be Loved by Berry Gordy. Here are my thoughts:
1. What surprised you the most? I suppose what surprised me most is that Gordy's description of how he treated and paid his artists. I went into the book knowing how many accusations have surfaced concerning him cheating his artists and their creative teams. Of course, this is just his retelling of events, so I'm not sure how much of it is true. The way he explains everything sounds very equitable, but everybody has their side of the story. Gordy was a man who started as a young songwriter, so it makes sense that he would understand where these people were coming from and give them fair pay. Unless everyone involved in founding Motown writes their own book, I guess we'll never know.
2.What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? I admired Gordy's insistence on everyone in the company speaking freely about what they did and did not like, regardless of their rank. He even describes an instance where he hired a girl simply because she spoke her mind and he knew he wanted that kind of honesty on his side. As a journalist, constructive criticism is my lifeblood. I will never understand writers who brush off or are offended by criticism. At the end of the day, there is nothing I delight in more than handing my editor a steaming pile of crap and having them sort out my problems. What could be better? I admire that Gordy also saw the value of honesty from each and every member of his team. His descriptions of his Friday meetings where the staff would vote on what records to put out were my favorite parts of the book. In whatever you do, you need a team of people behind you who aren't afraid to call you out.
3. What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? I know this was the Motown gig and it's what made the wheels turn, but I really got a weird vibe off of Gordy's possessiveness of his artists. The artists were the product, and the product better be perfect. Still, I disliked how he'd refer to his prize singers like Diana Ross or Michael Jackson as "my protege" or "my artist." I know they were, but he still described them more like possessions than people. I also disliked how openly and proudly he talked about his womanizing. I know it comes with the business, but the knowledge that he was romantically involved with so many of his artists really dulls the shine of his professional image.
4. Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it? Most certainly. In fact, Gordy made it a point to describe his failures at length and describe how they informed his future decisions. There were many times in the book where he talks about his failures and punctuates it with, "I learned my lesson that day," "And I never did it again," or something of the like. Gordy was doing something entirely different. He was trying to get black and white audiences to listen to the same music. He wasn't just dealing with breaking new artists into the market, he was dealing with breaking new black artists into the market. That took some innovation and rule-breaking. Every time he broke a rule he shouldn't have, he noted it and used it to make Motown stronger.
5. What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? Gordy was clearly very skilled at knowing what was a hit and what was just a good song. Without that ear and his songwriting background, I don't think he would have survived. However, I think the thing that kept Motown going strong for so long was his ability to delegate. He recognized that he wasn't good at everything, so he employed honest, trustworthy people to keep different aspects of the business in check. It's hard for a creative to relinquish control over something they love dearly. In the end, Gordy was wise to hire people who had his back from many different angles.
6. Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you. One function of this book is for Gordy to thank all the people who made Motown, many of them I'm sure he never said thank you to as it all was happening. The names of the people he discusses became a bit hard to keep track of, especially his many wives, lovers, and children. It started to read a bit like a Game of Thrones novel. He'd throw in the names of people he introduced several chapters back, leaving me flipping through past pages to see if I could find where he last mentioned the person to refresh my memory. I rarely found it and just carried on reading anyway. I know there were probably too many people to recognize in the book and he was trying not to leave anyone out, but all the name-dropping really wears on a reader.
7. If you were able to ask the entrepreneur two questions, what would you ask and why? First, I would ask what he would change if he could do it all again. He describes many low points in the company and people he lost along the way. I wonder if there's anything he would've done to keep those people on his side, or if he thinks everything worked out for the best. Second, I would ask how he feels about his son and grandson being in LMFAO. I feel that hardly needs an explanation but bear with me. Berry Gordy is the man responsible for groundbreaking artists like the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops, and the list goes on. Now picture how he must feel about his son and grandson putting out "Party Rock Anthem." I really have no idea how he might feel, but I'd sure like to find out.
8. What do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion? At first, when Gordy was explaining his upbringing, I thought his opinion of hard work was all too predictable. He was the youngest in a large family in Detroit whose mother and father made honest livings. I expected him to wax poetic about the value of hard work, but he surprised me. He grew up all his life watching hard work and saw how far it got people, so he decided to work smarter instead.

I think my best work comes when I'm being mindful of whether to put in traditional hard work or smart work. Sometimes, I just need to keep my head down and plug away at my work to get it done. Other times, it's beneficial to look up and say, "Wait a second..." It depends on the type of work and the deadline. I'd say I half-agree with Gordy on his idea of hard work.

Comments

  1. Hey Peyton, this synopsis is awesome! I really get a better sense of what the book is about and hope to read it on my own one day. I sounds like, aside from the obvious entrepreneurial theme of the book, you seemed to really gain an understanding of Gordy as a person, not just a businessman. Great Job!

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