I've been following a thread of comments related to a question about how to handle a boss who is a complete jerk. This boss is antagonizing, bullying, and generally manipulative. What surprised me about the comments was that most people seemed to think the answer was for the subordinate to just move on. Very few thought the subordinate should do much to try to improve this boss. Of those who did, most seemed to advocate a somewhat adversarial approach.

All these comments brought two questions to mind. First, what is the best way to deal with a boss who is a jerk? Second, how did that boss become a jerk in the first place?

It's that second question that I believe really strikes to the heart of the matter. Granted, there are some people who are just jerks, and no amount of training, or intervention, or anything else is going to change them. But, I firmly believe those people are a small minority. The majority of bosses who fall in the jerk category are the victim of a poor training process. The root of that problem is that organizations tend to train entry and lower level leaders as managers, with little or no view towards their responsibility to lead. To illustrate, consider the example of a retail "manager," something I've observed in more than one major retail company.

An employee is selected for promotion to a "management" position, such as a department manager or assistant store manager (key holder in some companies). The employee is trained in many aspects of the art and science of managing the store. They learn about inventory, stocking, store policies, the products, maybe customer service, and a host of other management tasks. They do not learn about human relations, needs and motivation, and effective communication; in a word, leadership.

As these new managers go forth with their new found knowledge, they find they have something else to manage, people. Unfortunately, no one told them how to do that. So, they manage the people in much the same way as they merchandise. Now, I realize this is a huge generalization and doesn't take into account that many of these new managers have enough sense to treat people better than the stuff in aisle 4, but the lack of leadership training does put them at a disadvantage.

Since the company is looking at the bottom line, and many companies do not pay much attention to the effect of bad leadership on that bottom line, they reward managers who keep good inventory numbers and neat shelves with little regard for such skills as creating happy and effective workers, who by the way, are often the company's face to the customer. The rewarded managers are promoted to even higher leadership positions and with those positions comes additional stress and without a good foundation of leadership training. Unfortunately, the leader doesn't know how to handle it. He or she becomes a jerk.

What I found interesting in the comment thread mentioned previously is the large number of people who advised leaving the situation. That should be a significant wake up to companies who don't want to spend time training young managers in leadership. Not too long ago, the employee who worked for a boss they considered a jerk, didn't really feel they had much recourse. The whined to their spouse and friends about the situation, but that was about all they could do. A few might try to help the boss improve their skills, but that was usually ineffective. Now, employees who feel they're in a bad situation will vote with their feet. Yes, the current economic situation may slow this down a little, but it won't stop the trend in the long run.

So, is leadership training for those low level managers necessary? You be the judge. Are your employee's bosses jerks?

This essay will explain how to kill Warbringer O’mrogg; the second boss in Shattered Halls. This fight can be more frustrating than difficult. If you get unlucky, your healer can be dead almost immediately.

O’mrogg’s abilities:

Two aggro lists – It is believed that each head (he’s a two-headed Ogre) maintains its own aggro list. You can tell which head you are attacking by his emotes. When he speaks in a new voice, you are most likely establishing aggro on a new list.

Immune to taunt abilities – Damage/healing is the only way to gain aggro on him.

AOE fear – You have two options with this: either make your tank immune to fear, or make sure everyone gets feared. He will charge any player who does not get feared.

Thunderclap – This does AOE nature damage and slows your movement speed.

Burning weapon – When you see his weapon glow, his next attack will hit for fire damage. This will be immediately followed by two AOE fire waves. Melee DPS should try to avoid the fire waves by moving away from him.

Helpful tips:

One player should announce whenever he switches targets, and your healer should start healing that player immediately.

Using two tanks works extremely well for this fight. We typically let my pet engage the boss initially, and then our warrior steps in after Warbringer speaks in a new voice for the first time. Using two tanks makes this fight almost trivial since our healer never gets targeted. However, my pet does have high shadow resistance (240 when buffed). When O’mrogg casts fear, at least one of our tanks avoids the fear which prevents anyone else from getting targeted.

Paladins are great healers for this fight. Since they are wearing plate, they can take several hits from O’mrogg without much cause for concern. Cloth wearers will usually die in two or three hits.

Very important! You must find and kill the assassin in this room before you engage Warbringer O’mrogg. He is usually lurking in a corner to the right. If you don’t find and kill this assassin, you will most likely aggro him during the fight and he will cause a wipe.

Having a good boss makes a great difference in any work environment. But what traits make a highly effective boss who not only earns the respect of team members but also of peers and superiors? Experience being a given, here are 7 habits of effective bosses that not only earn them the respect but also enable them to handle any challenge that comes their way:

1. They are decisive – Effective bosses are known to make decisions quickly and are slow to change those decisions. That’s often seen as stubborn or even resistant to change but it boils down to this: A boss that changes his or her decisions frequently is seen as indecisive, confusing, and loses the respect as a team leader. Often those who change decisions often rely too heavily on impressing others with their title and position instead of understanding what’s in front of them. Well informed quick decision making is a signature of highly effective bosses
2. They make definite plans and know how to execute them – Leading by guesswork without definite plans can be seen as disorganized. For the most part, effective bosses take the time to think things through, weigh all options and come up with viable ways to address positive and negative risks that may arise. Essentially, they plan their work and work their plan.
3. They have good personalities – I remember during the first week of my new job, I was told how tough and mean my boss was. With that in mind, no one was more surprised than I when he invited me to a party at his house during the first week of my new job. I went and it was the best party I ever went to. He saw me, made time to ask me how I was doing. The following week at work, it was business as usual but that party was a topic of discussion. He was still one of my toughest bosses that pushed to be a better analyst but he knew how to laugh and have a good time with everyone.
4. They sympathize with others – It’s easy for some bosses to dismiss the personal issues of team members citing that if it’s not work related then it’s not that important. That was the party line for many years but effective bosses realize that paying attention to team members as well as their work is essential to having a productive team. Not only does it make the employee feel like they matter, it is also good business. A boss that sympathizes and provides resources to his/her team is a part of the holistic business approach that is good for team morale as well as business at large.
5. They are masters of details – A former boss of mine looked at one of my data sheets and told me what happened during the fourth week in January 1996 and why the strategy we were using in February 2007 needed to align with that. It was both scary and amazing. His in-depth knowledge of such details not only showed me that he respected the seriousness of his position but it also inspired me respect my position that much more.
6. They take full responsibility for themselves and their team – When a mistake is made, it is easy for a boss to (subtly or overtly) point the finger. But the best bosses I’ve seen have embodied the motto The buck stops here. For any and all errors, they take responsibility and choose not to blame anyone else for their mistakes. That habit earns the respect of not only their team but also of their superiors.
7. They know how to enlist the cooperation of others – For any project to work, there needs to be ‘buy-in’ from all parties. There are many ways to enlist cooperation but an effective boss knows that one of the best ways is to use referential authority to induce team members’ and project sponsor cooperation.

Why is it that the last boss has this great influence on us? Because we have experienced that narrative that has led up to it. Most Final Fantasy games start you as a relatively naïve character with little knowledge outside of what the player can immediately see. When you first start up the game you are introduced to your Protagonist, whether that’s Vann, Zidane or Luneth and a brief amount of back-story for them. We empathise with what they do on a day to day basis, Squall training for SEED or Cloud’s job as a mercenary. We learn that this is the norm for these characters and for the first hour or so nothing exceptional tends to happen while we learn the basics of the game.

Then something will go wrong for our protagonist. Something unexpected that breaks down their stereotypical day and as a player we are just as out of our depth as the characters we’ve just gotten to know. We pay attention to why this has happened, and what we have to do to survive, or what needs to be set right. We learn at the exact same rate as the characters we are playing. Understanding the same things and using the knowledge we gain to progress. This simultaneous understanding of the plot draws us into the narrative and lets us embrace it as though it were happening to us as players ourselves.

So we’ve made it past the first few hours or so, discovering and learning alongside our player character, meeting allies who will help us to accomplish our goals and performed a number of smaller quests. We may have our main objective already, who to defeat or what task needs accomplishing, but it is far out of reach. Every time we load up the game we experience another small section, maybe a dungeon that we must traverse, or a fetch quest that opens a new area. But during these quests our character never loses sight of his or her main goal, and as players neither do we. We understand that each smaller quest is a part of our odyssey to beat the Final Boss, another chapter in our characters life, a necessary task that makes him stronger. Each step along the way allows the character to gain not just experience points and equipment that means they can face the final threat on an even field, but in terms of narrative it lets them understand the effects of their actions on the world.

Take any Final Fantasy character at the start of their adventure; now imagine that character facing their main Antagonist. They could surely never win? Both in terms of level and equipment, but in regards to their resolve and constitution they would be un-prepared. But as they venture throughout the story they witness the evil of the antagonist first hand, suffer through the loss of friends and face challenges that slowly increase in difficulty, allowing them to prepare for the final showdown. Now think of you as the player. At the beginning, the first time you play the game you don’t possess any knowledge of the game’s systems, of your character abilities or any real motive behind your actions. But through the gradual progression mentioned above, you grow. You learn how magic elements interact, when it is best to use potions and stat boosting equipment, you meet character that you like only to see them killed off and lost from your party. You begin to empathize with your characters long quest but you also understand that the journey you have taken is making you stronger and ready to face the cause of the game’s problems. You and the character grow to have the same goal.

Beat the Final Boss.

It is this synchronized way of thinking that means that by the time you confront Chaos, dive after the Cloud of Darkness or prepare to strike down Braska’s Final Aeon you know both why you need to take them and that you know you are strong enough to do it. The way that the game builds up your strength then presents you with the ultimate challenge to test it and the emotional commitment to beating the cause of the narrative world’s strife and unrest come together in the climatic battle meaning you are on edge, excited and nervous all at once.

All of this is what makes the final battle have so much of an impact. But of course it is not true of everyone, it might just be that you didn’t save for five hours before the final boss.

What makes the bosses so great for you? Fire off in the comments below!

I was lucky enough to procure a ticket for the second night of a performance by Boz Scaggs at the Las Vegas Hilton Theater, a longtime veteran of the musical world whose whose music, although very popular, is difficult to define. The closest definition to Mr. Scaggs unique voice is silky, smooth, utterly romantic. The last I had heard Mr. Scaggs, the circumstances were nowhere near the current gestalt of what his talent offers. Apparently after a concert at the House of Blues a few years back, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, there was a bit of a tirade after Boz could take no more heckling from the audience in insistent on hearing his big disco hit from the 70s “Lido Shuffle.”

One can only imagine this jazz inspired talented singer and musician having to put up with the bad manners of those whose memories of prowling the disco floor was the only connection they had to his wonderful music. A few days later, he appeared at the Las Vegas House of Blues, apparently still seething from the previous concert in Atlantic City. As he and his band came out, and took up their instruments, without hesitation they played “Lido Shuffle” apparently to shut those people up who he anticipated would cause the same heckling at the previous concert. The audience however, was quite shocked at this, as the song is usually the last number played. He then began to play many of his current cuts that showed the sophistication of the cross-currents of jazz and the lifelong musical education that Mr. Scaggs gained from the roads of his life and the evolvement from the many years of performing. The audience, over the shock, then gave him the attention he deserved and he might have been a bit embarrassed by his over-reaction as he has always been a humble man, at least on stage.

This was not to be tonight, this was a night for celebration. The audience was primed and ready for the master of mellow to dig his heels in and as he always does builds, and builds, and builds his music to a fever pitch bringing the audience along on an emotional delightful ride that only Boz can deliver. He opened with “Lowdown” and then made his way to all his familiar hits stifling somewhat, the cries for “Lido Shuffle.” Unfortunately as my prime seats eight rows back gave me a full view and put me right into the band’s interplay, two younger girls directly behind me talked incessantly throughout the concert. It was obvious by their conversation that they were the band’s “little groupies” and had seen the show numerous times. They knew every word, every line, every song but they were so young there would have been no way for them to have been alive during the years they were popular. As Boz was using younger musicians (himself approaching 70), I can only assume the cute little girls were given complementary seats assigned for the band to use. I just wish they would’ve shut up and even after numerous people hollered at them to do so they didn’t.

One of the highlights of the evening was “Street Life” an old Crusaders song made popular in 1979, and it was brought to a extremely high-pitched level of excitement by the scatting of Ms. Monique, one of two very talented black backup vocalists, that filled every nuance and emotion of Mr. Scagg’s classic repertoire. His new young guitarist had it all down carefully reproducing every timbre of the past superlatively for each song. He took over many of the solos Boz himself would have played in the past and his execution was right on the money, as Boz looked over in a fatherly way smiling at him for each well-played solo. Of course, the highlight of the evening was “Love, Look What You’ve Done To Me.” There’s not much to say about this song other than it’s one of the most soulful, personal renditions of a man’s complete surrender in falling in love again. Shortly after the song ended, a young woman from the center of the crowd yelled “I love you Boz” as the many women in the audience buzzed about with the same emotion. Boz Scaggs is an American institution, one that won’t be around forever as we are all getting older and ultimately become more irrelevant to the generations of today.

And then of course the ultimate dance song for those who have spent their money just to hear Lido Shuffle began and a rush to the stage ensued. As a matter of fact, the first girl down there I was sure was the same girl who rushed the stage at the last Boz Scagg’s concert two years ago at the House of Blues and probably was. Suffice it to say that now everyone was loose, screaming, rocking and rolling, and having a jolly good time as it seemed Boz was as well, a good sign, one that seemed to me that he had made peace with his past and wasn’t going to let the popularity of his own making, interfere with the audience’s enjoyment of his art. After the song, they waved to the crowd and walked off the stage surprisingly, as the show had not even come in at 70 minutes. After a rousing from the crowd they returned on que and went into the classic “Somebody Loan Me A Dime” (I’ve got to call my same old used-to-be) and again Ms. Monique stole the show capturing the full essence of the blues and the pain that the title implies. The dynamics of this very simple blues song are the key that make it emotionally charged. Beginning with a basic blues riff the song ends up eventually with the guitar player flailing double time at the highest range of chords he can play on his guitar and the rest of the band leaving it all on the field. The crowd responded with a roar as Boz went into “Breakdown Straight Ahead,” and got everybody dancing.

This sweet sounding balladeer and rock ‘n roll artist has written some of the most romantic lyrics and combined them with a perfect timbre and chords to create songs that will last lifetimes. His art is of a high order his keys and changes far from typical, brand him with the unique silky smooth sound that will endure for the generations. As he took his bows, he thanked the audience for allowing him to be there on the stage for them. Yes, he was now at peace with his craft and his attitude was all positive and humble. It is hard for a great artist to be content with what they have done. The drive that makes them great, makes them want to do new and different things. He has done more than enough for a lifetime. I hope his songs will never end. Boz, look what you’ve done to me.

Becoming a good boss is not something that takes overnight. It is an ongoing learning process with struggles along the way. But once you are able to achieve a perfect balance between the needs of your company, your employee and yourself, you know that you are on your way to becoming an effective and good employer whom people respect and revere.

So what makes a good boss? Below is a list of some of the qualities that a good boss possesses.

1. Leadership

It is true that not all good employees can become a good boss because there is a significant difference between a follower and a leader. A person who possesses good leadership skills is someone who can be an effective and good employer.

2. Tolerance

A good boss realizes that because employees are humans too, some things are truly beyond their control. So if something goes wrong and it is not something that happens all the time, allow for some human limitation. Of course, your tolerance should not be to that point where employees will abuse it by giving mediocre results because they think you would not mind.

3. Courage

It takes bravery to give out commands and manage a herd. It also takes a courageous soul to take on full responsibility to your employee’s actions. Speaking of this, a good boss should know that because he or she is taking full responsibility for his or her employees, it is very crucial to find the right kind of employees.

If you end up with people who will put your name and reputation, and that of the company’s in danger, you will be in serious trouble. With the growing rate of resume falsification these days, it is a great idea to conduct criminal background check on all your potential employees.

4. Positive Attitude

You cannot expect your employees to produce excellent results if they see you moping around in your office all the time. Be optimistic and smile all the time. It will be good for you and your employees.

5. Patience

You have to realize that teaching people does not happen magically. It takes a lot of time and effort so you have exercise utmost patience.

6. Empathy

A good employer has genuine concern over his or her employees, and would realize that they are people too with needs and feelings. Being able to put yourself in the shoes of your employees will make you understand better what they need to be able to produce better results. Recognition, raise in workers compensation or rewards are some of the best ways to motivate your employees.

7. Fun

During times when work is not that stiff or when you are out with your employees in a company outing, do not be afraid to show your employees the fun side of you. Joke with them, laugh with them, talk to them. Just remember that there is a time and place for having fun.

A good boss has multitude rewards. You earn the loyalty and respect of your employees, and you become their friend at the end of the day.

Quite often in the role of a change agent, a change-related issue must be brought to the attention of people higher-up on the organization chart. A decision must be made, funds approved, change communicated or behaviors adopted, among many ways leaders must become involved in the change.

When you are implementing change from the middle of an organization, often there is more than one layer of hierarchy to navigate. When you need to take an issue "upstairs," the question arises: Who should be the advocate, you or your boss?

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. When dealing with multiple layers of authority, you enter the tricky realm of organizational politics. Yet, there are factors that can help you decide whether you should take the ball or pass it to your boss instead. Consider the following:

Relationship
First of all, it is important to figure out whom you need to influence, and then understand the relationships you and your boss have with him or her. Since relationships are the foundation of influence, the person with the better relationship may be in a better position to persuade the leader to take action.

Passion
Part of influence is expressing emotion, importance and urgency. A person with passion about the project is more likely to fight for what is needed for it to succeed. If the likelihood of being turned down is high, then you probably don't want a half-hearted advocate who will concede at the first sign of dissent.

Knowledge
If you suspect the leader might have questions before committing, you don't want to send someone with mediocre answers. Confident responses allay concerns and reduce uncertainty. Assess who has the right knowledge about the project to properly represent it.

Access
Another factor is access, which comes down to proximity and timing. Depending on location, schedules, or even serendipity, either you or your boss may have a better opportunity to bring up the issue with the leader in question. If you have access to the leader but don't take advantage of it, the opportunity may be missed.

Culture
The unwritten rules of the organization also come into play. The culture often designates the importance of official authority and also who is "allowed" to talk to whom. When selecting an advocate, decide whether it makes sense to fit in with or stand out from the culture.

Career
The individual careers of you and your boss may also be a factor. Perhaps the issue presents an opportunity for you to be viewed as a capable go-getter in the eyes of the higher-ups. Or the risk may be such that it makes sense for your boss to take the responsibility instead.

If you and your boss split the score on these factors, it may make sense for the two of you to advocate as a team. In the absence of that option, you will need to decide which of you can best influence the leader in question, and then prepare the selected advocate in the factors that are lacking.

Nexus-Prince Shaffar is the final boss in the Mana Tombs instance. This essay will discuss the proper method to defeat Prince Shaffar.

You will find Mana Tombs in Auchindoun, which is located in the center of the Bone Wastes zone. To reach Mana Tombs from Shattrath city, you will need to travel east out of town until you reach the first road. Follow that road south until you enter the Bone Wastes, and then keep heading south. You will eventually enter an area of structural ruins called Auchindoun. Work your way to the interior of Auchindoun and you will find the Summoning Stone for the Auchindoun instances. From the Summoning Stone, head directly north and you will find the entrance to Mana Tombs. (Tip: Mana Tombs has many Consortium NPCs outside of the instance-entrance. If you don’t see these NPCs, you may be at the wrong entrance!)

Before your party engages Prince Shaffar, every player should be well aware of the following:

Ethereal Beacons – These are what kill you and will no doubt wipe your party repeatedly until everyone figures out that they must die first. The Prince will have three of these floating near him at the start of the fight. The Ethereal Beacons will transform into casters if your party does not destroy them fast enough. If the Beacons are allowed to transform into casters, they will proceed to blast your party to pieces. It is important to focus on the Ethereal Beacons at the start of the fight, and then DPS the Prince once the Beacons are dead. Additionally, party members should immediately switch their targeting to any Ethereal Beacon should one spawn and destroy it before continuing to DPS the Prince.

The basic strategy for Nexus-Prince Shaffar:

1. Only your tank should engage the Prince at the start. Everyone else should pre-target each of the three Ethereal Beacons before your tank pulls Prince Shaffar. Assign targets to party members to ensure everyone knows which Ethereal Beacon they are killing. (TIP: There is always one Ethereal Beacon located directly behind the Prince. The easiest way to target that Beacon is to click directly above the Prince’s head.)

2. When you tank pulls, all other party members must focus their attention on the three Beacons and destroy them as fast as possible. Killing the Beacons first is critical to winning this fight. When the Beacons are destroyed, party members may begin to DPS the Prince.

3. Occasionally, the Prince will Blink and teleport a short distance away. Normally this does not reset the aggro list. Your tank should be able to immediately move to the Prince after every Blink. Also, your healers must be prepared to move in case there are line-of-sight issues for healing the tank.

4. Approximately every ten seconds, Prince Shaffar will spawn another Ethereal Beacon somewhere nearby. All party members (except your tank and healer) should immediately focus their DPS onto the new Ethereal Beacon until it is destroyed. Do not let the Beacon transform into a caster! Once the Beacon is dead, resume DPS on Prince Shaffar.

5. If you’ve reached this stage, then you’ve got the Ethereal Beacons under control. Now you should DPS the Prince as you would any other boss, and then divvy up the loot.

Nexus-Prince Shaffar does not hit very hard (melee-wise), so your tank should not be taking considerable physical-damage throughout the fight. However, the Prince does cast magic damage, specifically: frost, shadow, fire, and arcane damage. If you have any auras or resistance-spells that can be cast, they will be helpful. It is not necessary to switch to resistance gear for this fight; DPS gear is far more important than any kind of resistance gear that you might have.

If you’re the leader of the party, it is imperative that you stress to your fellow party-members to kill the Ethereal Beacons immediately. The Beacons are the critical element to this fight. Control them and you will defeat Nexus-Prince Shaffar without difficulty.

Good luck!

Krik'thir the Gatekeeper –

Once you attack the mobs surrounding this boss, you will not be able to eat or drink until the boss is dead. Kill the skirmishers first, because they go crazy and attack random people. After the 3 groups of mobs are dead, Krik'thir will charge. Krik'thir is an easy boss. He is just a tank and spank. He summons some little spider adds that can be AoEd. The only hard part about this boss is that its a chain fight.

Hadronox –

Once you reach the big spider web, shortly after killing krik'thir, you will have to attack the two groups of mobs. After you kill the first set of mobs the second will aggro right away. After the mobs are dead just wait for Hadronox to finish killing the little spiders in the way. He should be there in less than a minute unless you get a glitch. Do NOT agro Hadronox while he is attacking the spiders. When he kills a spider he heals to full health, so you will wipe. Other than all that Hadronox is cake, just a tank and spank.

Anub'arak –

Once you get this boss, all party members must get inside the circle. When the boss starts to attack he will put up a shield around the circle he is in, which allows no party members to go in or out of it. Anub'arak digs underground a couple times a fight. While he is underground he does an attack that pushes people in the air. Watch out for the rumbling gravel, because if you are under it you will be kicked up in the air. Also when anub goes underground, some elite and non-elite adds come out. There pretty easy just take em out, and your walking away with another emblem of heroism.

When Motown celebrates its 50th anniversary, one of the names that will be talked about as synonymous with the shaping of Motown history will be Diana Ross. Diana Ross is not just the singer of The Boss, she could figuratively be called one of the first bosses of Motown as far as the impact she had on the label. As the lead singer of The Supremes who started out as the Primettes, Ross hit the rhythm and blues scene with a power and force that can be felt right up until today.

With The Supremes Diana Ross helped make Motown in the 1960's. They were arguably the top female group at the time and went far beyond what they ever dreamed of when they formed The Primettes in 1958. America loved Diana Ross and the Supremes and Motown loved the success they brought in. Indeed, this all female R&B group rivaled the Beatles in international popularity. This is a popularity which has always been attributed to Ross's incredible lead vocals. She was indeed the power behind the group's success. So much so that Motown's Barry Gordy decided to re-name the group Diana Ross & The Supremes.

Capitalizing on her success Diana Ross began her solo career towards the end of the '60's and began a whirlwind career of success as a solo artist. With the production team behind her of Ashford and Simpson, Diana Ross went on to become the most successful female singers in the rock genre. She was one of the few female vocalists to successfully cross over into film winning a Golden Globe and garnering nominations throughout the 70's and 80's. Her hit The Boss has been covered by many prominent artists including Ashford and Simpson who wrote the song for Ross. In her career she has sold over 100 million records and was the first female artist to have six number one hits.

Diana Ross is a staple of American R&B success stories and was instrumental in helping spring Motown as a label onto the American Music scene. With The Supremes as well as her successful solo career, Ross has become a symbol of Motown and an icon of American music. Ms Ross has delivered over 5 decades of hits and has become a cultural behemoth to her fans as well as aspiring female musicians. Diana Ross is an American treasure and Motown is an American success story.