Thursday, October 11, 2018
13A – Reading Reflection
I read Twenty Seven Dollars and a Dream by Katharine Etsy.
1) You read about an entrepreneur:
a. What surprised you the most? I was first surprised by his formal education at Vanderbilt and his involvement in political rallies in the US after learning he was a distant and shy young man. The second big surprise to me was his marriage to a Russian lady.
b. What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? I admired his leadership and never give up mentality. Later in life his organizational and management skills were very impressive.
c. What did you least admire? I really couldn’t find anything about Yunus that I did not admire.
d. Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it? He encountered adversity throughout his life. At the early age of 10 his mother was mentally ill and not able to take care of the children. Yunus stepped up and became a parental figure for his brothers and sisters. When the war between East & West Pakistan became a blood shed he leaped into action and put himself at the forefront of a possible solution. When he married a foreigner, he was viewed as an outcast. Throughout his life he courted with adversity and failure but never gave up. He was steadfast in his decisions and blazed his own trail.
2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? Yunus has exhibited many competencies we attribute to entrepreneurs at a very young age. His leadership skills as early as his scout years, his discipline to stick with a plan and a controversial path ahead, his work ethic throughout his life, and management skills are a few of the competencies I noticed Yunos exhibit.
3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you. One part that confused me was why he was not chosen to meet with the leaders of Pakistan and his friend was instead. There wasn’t much detail around that decision which could have been pivotal for the country.
4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why? I would ask the following two questions:
a. If you could do it all again, what would you do differently?
b. What was the most valuable lesson you have learned on your journey so far?
I would ask these questions because they provide insight into learning I could use on my own journey.
For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion? I would have to think that Yunus doesn’t really see things as hard work. His whole life has been what others would consider hard work. For him it’s just another challenge to overcome – another hill to climb. I do share that opinion. I am very optimistic and every challenge that comes before me is an opportunity.
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This was definitely a very interesting choice for the reading assignment. I will admit I have never heard of Yunus prior to this post and had to go online and some research before reading. I can tell that his background (coming from a poor community) was the driving force behind his Nobel Peace Prize-winning banking concepts, which is indicative of the role personal experiences and passion plays in setting one entrepreneurship from another.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of Yunus either, however it seems like he is an amazing person by the looks of your post. You seem to idolize him and I would say that he is a very good choice of a role model. That was really cool to read about his choice of marriage, because in America you can pretty much marry whoever without being looked at as weird, so it was interesting to see the shift in cultures.
ReplyDeleteScott,
ReplyDeleteI will admit that, like those above me, I was not exposed to Yunus before your article, but you do make him seem like an extraordinary person. It sounds as though he has overcome many obstacles in his life and not let any of them phase him. I also personally admire your own optimistic view that every challenge is just an opportunity!