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I don't think that sort of thing makes him more relatable to anyone except bean counters and engineers. It might have been company lore, though. In general the

by Uhhrrr 10y ago

I don't think that sort of thing makes him more relatable to anyone except bean counters and engineers. It might have been company lore, though. In general the book shows him to be very good at seeing opportunities and at optimizing. I recall similar behavior in the sections about issuing stock and shipping via rail as well. Your point about the lowly solder machine operator is belied by the fact that he first suggested 38, then went back up to 39 after there were too many leaks. One other trait which is omnipresent in the book is that he was very careful with the ledger. He would have noticed if costs were increasing elsewhere.

hackuser 10y ago
Thanks for responding ... > He would have noticed if costs were increasing elsewhere. My guess is that you haven't worked in many large organizations! :)
- Uhhrrr 10y ago
  The reason I say that he would have noticed is that the book has many examples of him being careful with expenses and the numbers in general. From the same chapter as the quote above: As a former bookkeeper, Rockefeller devoted special attention to ledgers. One accountant recalled him stopping by his desk and saying courteously, “Permit me,” then flipping quickly through his books. “Very well kept,” he said, “very, indeed.” Then his eye leaped to a tiny error. “A little error here; will you correct it?” The accountant was flabbergasted by the speed with which Rockefeller had scanned so many dense columns of figures. “And I will take my oath,” he reported, “that it was the only error in the book!” http://erenow.com/common/lifeofjohnrockefeller/12.html http://erenow.com/common/lifeofjohnrockefeller/12.html
  - hackuser 10y ago
    Thanks. I really appreciate your contributions and it has changed how I think of Rockefeller; it makes me ask the question of his genius, if that's the right word. I'm still not seeing anything that distinguishes, for me, between genuine genius and much more common hagiography and myth, but I know very little about the subject and now will keep looking and asking.

by Uhhrrr 10y ago

hackuser 10y ago

Thanks for responding ... > He would have noticed if costs were increasing elsewhere. My guess is that you haven't worked in many large organizations! :)

Uhhrrr 10y ago
The reason I say that he would have noticed is that the book has many examples of him being careful with expenses and the numbers in general. From the same chapter as the quote above: As a former bookkeeper, Rockefeller devoted special attention to ledgers. One accountant recalled him stopping by his desk and saying courteously, “Permit me,” then flipping quickly through his books. “Very well kept,” he said, “very, indeed.” Then his eye leaped to a tiny error. “A little error here; will you correct it?” The accountant was flabbergasted by the speed with which Rockefeller had scanned so many dense columns of figures. “And I will take my oath,” he reported, “that it was the only error in the book!” http://erenow.com/common/lifeofjohnrockefeller/12.html http://erenow.com/common/lifeofjohnrockefeller/12.html
- hackuser 10y ago
  Thanks. I really appreciate your contributions and it has changed how I think of Rockefeller; it makes me ask the question of his genius, if that's the right word. I'm still not seeing anything that distinguishes, for me, between genuine genius and much more common hagiography and myth, but I know very little about the subject and now will keep looking and asking.