Andrew Carnegie's Influence Of Money

As much a businessman as he is an innovator, Andrew Carnegie could just about accomplish anything he set his mind to. He had a canny way about him. His unwavering disposition, broad smile and way of words just seemed to get more effective as time went on. He grew up in Scotland in a very humble household and felt the pressure of poverty from an early age. To say that Andrew Carnegie helped shape America as to what it is now, is truly an understatement. He had the vision for the future and a why from the past. Andrew’s family, close friends, business partners and anyone who came into contact with him would know him as being bright, assertive and extremely generous.
If Andrew Carnegie never was, the world wouldn’t be as it is today. At the age of thirty, Andrew decided to go into business with his former bosses from the Pennsylvania Railroad. The fortune he earned helped to develop oil wells, iron manufactures, bridges and bond trading. He delegated his tasks to those that he worked with, which left him time to work on other projects. More time meant more reflecting, he realized that his success came from informal
teachings and self-development, which is why he was always reading a book. In fact, he was obsessed with learning. Carnegie was able to “preternaturally” apprehend anything that would spark his interest (Edge, 2004). He soon began to work on his next goals that would change the world in a multitude of ways. These ranged from: pensions for college professors, free tuition for Scottish university students, developing a scientific research institution as well as an abundant library and music hall.
The assertiveness of Andrew Carnegie was incredibly influential on his wealth.
He had a technique called the Carnegie technique; “focus on an objective, then cut brutally through any conventions, competitors, or ordinary people who stood in your way” (Morris, 2006). He was out to dominate, to be the best and the biggest. His mind noticed it all, even the littlest of things. His terribly loyal employees would hear it if they failed at even the littlest. Carnegie wanted to rise; competition made his blood boil and he loved it. He used all of his energy to cheat Henry Frick out of his stake in the Carnegie Empire. As assertive of a person Andrew may have been, he also had incredibly pure intentions and motivations of why he did what he did. It is said; the only person that could keep up with Carnegie was John D. Rockefeller who eventually bought him
out.
Andrew called himself a rich man in debt. He felt obligated to give back to the country to which his wealth was made. He spent half of his life accumulating massive amounts of wealth and the second half giving it away. To Carnegie, wealth is not made just by one man- it takes a community. Had it not been for the other four millionaires that built the railroads with him, he wouldn’t have been a multimillionaire. To many people, going through life with just enough to get by is sufficient, but to Andrew Carnegie sufficient is not enough. He committed to administering his wealth to “generations untold” and this motivated him to always do more (Nasaw, 2014). There are to this day, eleven Carnegie institutions and trusts, more than 1,679 Carnegie libraries, The Hero Fund Commission Fund, foundation for Advancement of Teaching, Hague Peace Place, and the Sesame Street television program that is completely funded by the Carnegie Corporation (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica).