o_19kdfsn0q18e31dfraas1esh19vta.pdf

used external coercion effectively and efficiently. During his tenure, he transformed the Royal
Society into a more respectable organization. He introduced rules and etiquette and contributed to a
culture of objectivity. By the time he left, it had become a professional scientific body.
Newton did much the same thing for the Royal Mint. When he arrived at the Mint, there was a
major project in progress—a national recoinage. All of England's money supply was being replaced
by newly minted currency. But things were shockingly behind schedule, and when the government
stopped accepting the old money as payment for taxes, it turned out there was no new money to be
had. Horrors! Taxes could no longer be payed. But besides this, there was no money for everyday
use; no one could collect wages, buy food, or carry on commerce. Great was the outcry of the
people. There were even fears of revolution. 218
The problem was that the current Master of the Mint was basically a parasite who drew a paycheck
while doing as little work as possible. Though Newton was only Warden of the Mint at this point,
he ended up as the de facto boss.
The problem was this: the Mint was required to produce 7,000,000 pounds of new money. It was
producing only 15,000 pounds per week, meaning that the recoinage would take no less than nine
years. 219 The entire endeavor, and maybe even the country, seemed doomed.
When Newton started at the Mint, he knew zilch about the minting money. But he didn't let this
bother him; he set himself immediately to the task of learning everything he could about it—
account books, operations, history. When he understood what was going on, he immediately
ordered new machines to bring up output. He observed the workers and measured how long it took
them to complete a task, then carefully calibrated the entire operation to maximize efficiency. As in
the case of Bowditch, Newton had superior bookkeeping abilities; he took control of the Mint's
budget, and began unravelling the mess created by the old boss.
By the time he was finished optimizing and upgrading the Mint, it was not only on schedule, but
actually ahead of schedule. Furthermore, it was the most productive Mint in Europe. 220 This
seeming miracle of organization can be traced back to the INTJ gift for organizing complex
projects. INTJs love sandbox/strategy games in which the goal is to build and defend a thriving
empire, business, or civilization. They are also extremely good at these games, and when Newton
was put in a situation that basically amounted to, “Sim Mint: Can You Recoin Your Country's
Currency Before the Economy Crashes?” he responded with true INTJ spirit.
218 Levenson, 2009
219 Levenson, 2009
220 Levenson, 2009