Book of the Month, July 2024 Letters from John D Rockefeller to His Son Edited by C. Ng and M. Tan

By any measure, John D Rockefeller was one of history’ s most consequential industrial leaders.? Growing up in the oil business through the vehicle of Standard Oil of Ohio, he was so successful that he was the main driver of many of our country’s anti- monopoly laws.? He was a fierce competitor and the ultimate driver.? He also became a very significant philanthropist and the Rockefellers have been active leaders in our society in many ways for generation to follow.? There is no question that he is a man with tremendous gravitas and one worth studying.?

In High School my thesis paper for my US History Class answered the question “Rockefeller and Carnegie- Robber Barons or Industrial Giants” and my memory is that paper was largely positive portraying them both as men who worked hard and did tremendous good and left behind very strong legacies.

The book are 38 letters written by John D to his son over a period of about four years sharing his wisdom on business and life. ?Given my history with the subject matter, I was very favorably disposed to reading the letters.? However, the early letters hit me a completely different way and some of these letters were filled with two key themes- making more money than anyone else and crushing the competition- and viewing them as enemies- bordering on mortal enemies.? Oddly, as I am a fan of competition, capitalism and the long term impact of both- but reading these specific stories struck me that – wow- this guy was over the line- no wonder many people did not like him much.? Phrases like “ the Road to Hell is Paved with Kindness”? cause a double take , especially when viewed out of context.? So, I started thinking? wow my views must have changed over the year. Further, he came across as a bitter man, very unhappy.

However, I kept reading and so glad that I did.? The 38 letters are filled with great wisdom from a man who led a lot of people and accomplished so much- and it is easy to see why.? He has great insight into people , what motivates them and has a way of making complex concepts simple- and with a great deal of nuance.? He seemed to truly value people and took the long view on what is best and what our responsibility as human beings is.?? He discussions of his drive for continuous improvement , his egalitarian approach to treating all people with respect, his view that we all have a role to fill and no matter how great or small it appears- it is equally important and his discussion of the way he felt about and treated his employees was moving.? But he also had a terrific letter on the importance of growing our spirituality and investing in it every day- and his discussion of the importance of reading and gaining from other’s wisdom was outstanding.? His observation that it is hard to imagine being able to live the good life without begin an avid reader resonated with me for sure.? And his observation that the last thing that we need is businesspeople reading books by other business people was I thought both humble and insightful into the multitudes of life. At this point, he came across as a man who learned a lot, cared a lot and was working hard to share what he had learned with the same intensity he did everything else.

So….Yes- this is an outstanding book to read.? My friend who recommended this book to me suggested that I read one or two letters a day and not try to speed through this like a novel- and it was outstanding advice- although short in words, it is long in thought and it took be 2 months to read 38 roughly 4-5 page letters.? It was the right way to read this.? So, I highly recommend readying this book…..slowly and thoughtfully- my version is marked up with both yellow highlighter and ink.

Finally, I would say one more thing- there is something touching about a father working this hard to pass his wisdom to his son.? What a terrific act of love and he talks in the book about our responsibility to help the next generation along. ??So be prepared to be challenged by this book to ask whether you are doing enough to teach the next generation the things that matter- for me, my sense is that I have? a long way to go to match what he did here.

?