#118 Forty Years With Henry Ford

In the early 20th century, Henry Ford revolutionized transportation and industry with the Model T and mass production techniques, yet his personal failings, particularly his harsh treatment of his son Edsel, cast a shadow on his legacy. As discussed by Charles Sorensen in "My Forty Years with Ford," Ford's relentless determination and innovative spirit were instrumental in the success of the Ford Motor Company, despite his resistance to expert advice and reliance on intuition and experimentation. Ford's vision of a car for the masses was almost derailed by a patent lawsuit, but his tenacity prevailed, shaping the future of the automotive industry and American life. Sorensen's account, highlighted by the host and further contextualized by David L. Lewis's insights, reveals the complexities of Ford's character, his management style, and his profound impact on industrial production, as well as the personal cost of his uncompromising drive.

• Henry Ford revolutionized transportation by creating affordable cars for the masses.
• His treatment of his son Edsel is considered his greatest failure, potentially contributing to Edsel's premature death.
• Henry Ford's desire for Edsel to emulate him ignored his own resistance to following in his father William Ford's footsteps as a farmer.
• Edsel, like Henry, was an individualist, but unlike his father, he valued rational decision-making and sought consensus.
• Henry Ford's inability to appreciate Edsel's distinct approach and personality led to a strained father-son relationship.

"Henry Ford's greatest achievement was changing the face of America and putting the world on wheels. His greatest failure was his treatment of his only son, Etzel."

This quote summarizes the dual nature of Henry Ford's legacy, highlighting his monumental success in the automotive industry and his personal failure in his relationship with his son.

• Charles Sorensen, also known as Charlie, worked closely with Henry Ford for 40 years and authored "My Forty Years with Ford."
• Sorensen's book is considered a valuable resource for understanding Henry Ford and the development of the Ford Motor Company.
• The book provides insights into Ford's management style, which favored decentralization and indirect communication.
• Sorensen describes Henry Ford as a complex individual full of contradictions, yet fundamentally simple in his approach to business and innovation.

"That chapter, interestingly enough, is called Henry Ford's greatest failure, and it goes into great detail. The tragedy that Charlie, as we're going to call him today, witnessed with the breaking down of the father-son relationship between Henry Ford and Edsel Ford."

Sorensen's chapter on Henry Ford's greatest failure offers a detailed account of the deteriorating relationship between Henry and his son, providing a personal perspective on the family dynamics.

• Henry Ford's focus was on producing a low-cost car in large quantities, which led to the creation of the Model T and the modern American industrial system.
• Ford's single-mindedness is emphasized throughout Sorensen's book and is seen as a key to his success.
• Sorensen admired Ford's ability to simplify complex problems, which contributed to his pioneering role in mass production.

"He had nothing but one single purposed idea. A low-cost car in large quantities. I saw that dream materialize and change the face of America."

This quote encapsulates Henry Ford's vision and mission, illustrating his singular focus on making cars affordable and accessible, which ultimately transformed American society.

• Henry Ford rarely gave direct orders and preferred to guide through hints and suggestions.
• His working relationship with Sorensen was close and based on mutual understanding rather than explicit instructions.
• Ford's personality was marked by a blend of puritanism, restlessness, and disdain for profit-seeking despite his own financial success.
• He was known for his common sense and ability to engage with new ideas, which made him a successful industrial pioneer.

"During the nearly 40 years I worked for Henry Ford, we never had a quarrel. If we just disagreed on policy or anything else. A quiet discussion settled things."

This quote reflects the collaborative and non-confrontational nature of Sorensen's working relationship with Henry Ford, highlighting Ford's preference for subtle communication and consensus-building.

• Clara Ford, Henry Ford's wife, played a significant role as his advisor and confidante.
• Despite Henry Ford's public persona, he valued solitude with his wife and often turned to her for advice on matters he would discuss with no one else.
• Clara's influence was so profound that Henry Ford made significant business decisions based on her input, including signing a union contract to avoid further violence at Ford plants.

"Once the workers voted for a union, Ford was never the same. He was willing to give up the company and be done with the motor car business."

This quote demonstrates the profound impact of the unionization of Ford workers on Henry Ford's psyche and his willingness to relinquish control of his company to maintain peace, as influenced by his wife's wishes.

• The Dodge brothers, early shareholders in Ford, were known for their rowdy behavior and eventually sued Henry Ford, leading to his decision to buy out all shareholders.
• Despite their wealth from Ford shares, the Dodge brothers had a contentious relationship with Henry Ford.
• The upcoming biography of the Dodge brothers promises to explore their colorful history and contributions to the automotive industry.

"The man stepped up to John Dodge as he was coming in and said, you were the one who struck my horse and wagon yesterday with your automobile. You smashed up my wagon, and I want you to pay for the damage you have done. I heard John Dodge reply, oh, so you're the fellow who got in my way."

The quote illustrates the aggressive and confrontational nature of John Dodge, one of the Dodge brothers, providing a glimpse into the character of early automotive industry figures.

• The Dodge brothers obtained an injunction against Ford, preventing him from using company profits for expansion rather than dividends.
• Ford disliked external influence over his business decisions.
• The legal orders initially restrained Ford's plans but were eventually struck down.
• The court's decision allowed Ford to proceed with the development of his company.

"Within a month, the dodges got an injunction restraining Ford from diverting profits."

This quote highlights the initial legal victory of the Dodge brothers over Henry Ford, emphasizing Ford's resistance to outside control of his business finances.

"Eventually, Ford fights back. The orders get struck down."

This quote indicates Ford's determination to overcome legal obstacles, ultimately allowing him to continue with his business expansion.

• U.S. railroads were in disrepair post-war, causing logistical issues for Ford's supply chain.
• Ford purchased a decrepit railroad, improved its efficiency, and sold it for a substantial profit.
• His success in the railroad venture underscored his ability to succeed independently.

"Ford has to buy a railroad and run it, because the bottleneck is that he can't get supplies into his by rail, into his factories, and can't get cars out by rail."

This quote explains the necessity behind Ford's decision to purchase a railroad, highlighting the strategic move to overcome supply chain issues.

"He winds up selling it. And I think they sell it for like two and a half or three times what they paid."

The quote illustrates Ford's business acumen, turning a necessary purchase into a profitable venture by improving the railroad's operations.

• Ford's determination was a lifelong trait that played a crucial role in his business success.
• To prevent further shareholder interference, Ford bought out the remaining shareholders.
• Ford used a strategic bluff involving a new car to persuade shareholders to sell their shares.
• Shareholders made a significant return on their investment over 16 years.

"Henry Ford once again shows his determination to go ahead as he saw fit."

This quote encapsulates Ford's unwavering resolve to run his company according to his vision, regardless of external pressures.

"These stockholder holders who had originally put up $33,000.16 years later sold out for more than $105,000,000."

The quote provides a financial overview of the outcome for shareholders who invested in Ford's company, demonstrating the massive financial success under Ford's leadership.

• Ford's formal education was limited due to early work responsibilities.
• He preferred hands-on learning and tinkering with machinery over traditional schooling.
• Ford valued practical experience and hired experts to complement his knowledge.
• He was a lifelong learner, despite his lack of formal education.

"As a young farm boy, he had no chance to go beyond the basic rural school."

This quote reflects on Ford's early life challenges and his limited access to formal education, which influenced his practical approach to learning.

"What I don't know, he used to say to I can always hire someone to show me how to do it."

The quote demonstrates Ford's pragmatic approach to knowledge, recognizing the value of experts to fill gaps in his own understanding.

• Ford was known for his energy and endurance, despite his light diet and slight build.
• He was a source of ideas and encouraged initiative and vision in others.
• Ford's determination and sense of responsibility were key to his work ethic.
• Despite his success, Ford remained focused and did not seek to monopolize the market.

"He never ran out of ideas in his prime."

This quote highlights Ford's creative and innovative mind, which was essential to his success and influence in the automotive industry.

"Henry Ford was no mystic or genius. He was a responsible person with determination to do his work as he believed it should be done."

The quote underscores Ford's practicality and determination, attributing his success to these traits rather than to any mystical or extraordinary intellectual ability.

• Ford faced and overcame significant opposition, including from his own directors.
• His success was partly due to his willingness to confront challenges head-on.
• Ford welcomed competition, believing it to be beneficial rather than threatening.

"Nothing appeared to frighten him. His lasting accomplishments were achieved when facing down opposition."

This quote conveys Ford's fearless nature and his ability to achieve success in the face of adversity, suggesting a correlation between challenges and accomplishments.

"I don't want any more than 30%, he replied."

The quote reveals Ford's philosophy regarding market share and competition, indicating his lack of interest in creating a monopoly.

• Ford's business philosophy prioritized action and learning through experience.
• He was skeptical of experts, favoring pioneers who could innovate through trial and error.
• Ford's management style was unorthodox, combining central control with delegated responsibility.

"Henry Ford's philosophy was we must go ahead without the facts."

This quote encapsulates Ford's approach to business, emphasizing the importance of proactive experimentation and learning through doing.

"If experts and the voices of experience had been heeded, there would have been no Ford car and no Ford Motor Company."

The quote criticizes the overreliance on experts, suggesting that Ford's willingness to ignore conventional wisdom was crucial to his success.

• Ford was a strong individualist, making it difficult for others to truly understand him.
• His public persona of modesty was often an act, as he sought publicity and recognition.
• Despite some negative personal traits, Ford's positive qualities and impact outweighed them.

"He was so much of an individualist that no one ever really knew him."

This quote reflects on Ford's complex personality and the challenge others faced in understanding his true character.

"Henry Ford was opinionated in matters about which he knew little or nothing."

The quote provides a critical perspective on Ford's character flaws, suggesting that his success occurred despite these imperfections.

• The Ford Motor Company underwent significant changes from its early days to the end of Henry Ford's 40-year career.
• The organization became unrecognizable due to its evolution and growth.
• Henry Ford's approach to business and innovation was pioneering rather than expert-driven.
• Ford's individualistic and first-principles thinking led him to challenge conventional expertise across various fields.

"Motor Company. Right. There's a lot of writing in the book towards the end of his 40 year career, and that organization is unrecognizable compared to the early ones."

"Ford was not an expert, and he didn't rely upon experts."

The quotes highlight the transformation of the Ford Motor Company over four decades and Ford's unique approach to business, emphasizing his disregard for traditional expertise in favor of pioneering and individualistic thinking.

• Pioneers, like Henry Ford, are willing to try new things and challenge the status quo.
• Experts tend to stick to rules and may doubt the feasibility of unproven ideas.
• Ford's leadership style favored innovation and flexibility over rigid adherence to established systems.

"The experts come along and pick up where the pioneers leave off. Confronted with the unusual, something beyond their rules and special knowledge, their reaction is, it's never been done, or even it can't be done. The pioneer, in contrast, says, let's try it."

The quote contrasts the mindset of experts, who may be skeptical of uncharted approaches, with that of pioneers like Ford, who are open to experimentation and innovation.

• Ford opposed cumbersome and inefficient systems that hindered production.
• He valued flexibility and focus on objectives over strict procedural adherence.
• Ford's actions against the Hawkins cost accounting system illustrate his preference for practicality and efficiency in production.

"This was Henry Ford's response to this. He's had enough. One Sunday morning, Ford and I went into the record room Hawkins had set up. We found drawer after drawer of cards and tickets. Mr. Ford took one drawer, held it bottom up, and its contents spilled on the floor."

The quote describes a pivotal moment where Henry Ford physically dismantled an inefficient record-keeping system, demonstrating his rejection of bureaucratic procedures that slowed down production.

• Henry Ford believed that labeling oneself as an expert could lead to a closed mindset.
• Ford preferred to work with individuals who were willing to learn and adapt, regardless of their previous experience.
• He valued intellectual curiosity and the ability to tackle problems without preconceived notions of impossibility.

"You could probably summarize this section with his belief that there's always more to learn when one man begins to fancy himself an expert, we had to get rid of him."

This quote encapsulates Ford's belief that self-proclaimed experts could become obstacles to learning and innovation due to their fixed mindset.

• Henry Ford recognized the benefits of decentralizing command within his company.
• He sought out gifted individuals who could work independently and make decisions without constant oversight.
• Ford's close associate, Cousins, played a crucial role in the company's success through his focus on sales and finance.

"He did not want to be informed just for the sake of being informed. For soon he would be doing nothing but getting information."

The quote reflects Ford's philosophy on leadership and information management, emphasizing the importance of delegation and avoiding micromanagement.

• Henry Ford had a disdain for corporate titles, believing they could distract from the actual work that needed to be done.
• He encouraged a focus on the job rather than the title and fostered collaboration among his employees.
• Despite Ford's preference for a titleless structure, the company later experienced internal politics and infighting as it grew.

"So people would ask, like, well, without titles, how do you build an organization? This is what Ford. This is a summary, my interpretation of what Ford would tell you, that you should anchor yourself around the job that must be done and not the title you hold."

The quote summarizes Ford's perspective on the role of titles within an organization, suggesting that the work itself should be the central concern, not the prestige of a title.

• Ford advocated for continuous learning and personal development, regardless of one's formal education.
• He believed in the value of determination and the pursuit of education through all stages of life.
• Ford emphasized hiring for the capacity to learn rather than for existing knowledge.

"No man can help it if he has to leave school in his early years, but he can very much help it if he lacks an education thereafter."

This quote emphasizes the importance Ford placed on lifelong learning and self-improvement beyond formal education.

• Detroit became a hub for automotive innovation and manufacturing, with many experimental mechanics and enthusiasts contributing to the industry.
• The early automotive industry was characterized by a high level of experimentation, with many backyard mechanics working on their own projects.
• Charles King and other designers brought their ideas to life through experimental pattern making, which was crucial for the development of the automobile.

"All over the country, there are imaginative mechanics. Detroit had perhaps more than its share of enthusiasts and within a couple of years would become the chief automobile manufacturing center."

This quote describes the vibrant and experimental atmosphere in Detroit that fostered the growth of the automotive industry, highlighting the city's role as a center for innovation.

• Henry Ford sought to bring his ideas to life through physical models, similar to how modern product design uses prototypes.
• The meeting between Charles Sorensen and Henry Ford marked the beginning of a significant collaboration in the automotive industry.
• Sorensen's skill in creating patterns and models was a perfect fit for Ford's vision of a gasoline engine for a racing car.

"The year is 19 two, and Henry Ford is 39 years old. With him that morning was a lean, sandy haired stranger. Charlie, he said, meet Mr. Henry Ford."

The quote captures the moment when Charles Sorensen was first introduced to Henry Ford, setting the stage for their future work together in revolutionizing the automotive industry.

• Henry Ford had a dream of creating an affordable car but initially lacked a clear vision of what it would look like.
• The first products of Ford Motor Company were models A, B, and C, with A and C being the first steps towards affordable cars.
• Ford faced resistance from directors who wanted him to design luxury vehicles.
• This period taught Henry Ford the importance of focusing on a singular vision in the early stages of a company.

"For Ford merely had the idea. He had no picture in his mind as to what the car would be like or look like."

This quote highlights that Henry Ford started with a vision but did not have the specifics of the final product in mind, which was a source of his early discouragement.

• Workdays were long and included weekends, which allowed Ford and his team to continuously discuss and refine their goals.
• Ford was determined to build a car for the masses and understood the need for a new manufacturing technique to make cars affordable.
• The narrative emphasizes the importance of relentless focus and continuous improvement to achieve a significant goal.

"Every day was a workday and even Sunday mornings I would go to the plan."

This quote illustrates the rigorous work ethic at the Ford Motor Company and the dedication of the team to achieving their vision.

• Henry Ford was fortunate to have the support of three notable individuals: James Cousins, Harold Wills, and Walter Flanders.
• Their contributions were crucial to the early success of the company, but eventually, their paths diverged from Ford's vision.
• The story of Harold Wills serves as a lesson in maintaining work ethic and focus.

"It was Henry Ford's good fortune to have at his side three greats in the early days of his company."

The quote underscores the significant role played by key individuals in the foundation and success of the Ford Motor Company.

• Wills was initially a hard worker but later became distracted by wealth and luxury, leading to a decline in his work ethic.
• His departure from Ford and subsequent creation of the Will St. Clair car company illustrated a divergence from Ford's philosophy of simplicity and affordability.
• Wills' failure and inability to adapt to a more humble role at Ford highlight the pitfalls of losing focus on the work that leads to success.

"Wills went to sleep on a win and he woke up with a loss."

This quote serves as a moral lesson on the importance of continued hard work and the dangers of complacency.

• A conversation with a colleague marked a turning point for Ford, reinforcing his resolve to create an affordable car for workers.
• Ford's ambition was not only to build an affordable car but to benefit the country by making transportation accessible to all.
• The anxiety about finances was temporary, but it spurred Ford's no-turning-back determination to realize his vision.

"I'm determined to do it, and nobody is going to stop me."

This quote reflects Henry Ford's unwavering determination to achieve his goal despite facing discouragement and financial concerns.

• The Model T's development required simplification of parts and innovative mass production techniques to make the car affordable.
• Historical parallels and previously discarded ideas played a role in simplifying the transmission and other parts of the car.
• The concept of interchangeable parts, while not new, was essential to the success of mass production at Ford.

"To get everything simple took a lot of fussy work."

This quote encapsulates the meticulous and challenging work involved in simplifying the car's design to enable mass production.

• Ford's method of design was experimental and iterative, akin to the "Edisonian principle" of tinkering and perseverance.
• Ford focused on product design and engineering, leaving other aspects of the business to his team.
• The Model T was a result of deliberate experimentation and was not designed through traditional blueprints.

"All of our experimentation at Ford in the early days was toward a fixed and then wildly fantastic goal."

The quote highlights Ford's goal-oriented experimentation and flexibility in the path to achieving his vision.

• A patent lawsuit threatened the success of the Model T, but Ford responded with increased production and a willingness to fight the case to the Supreme Court.
• Ford's team undermined the patent claim by building an engine based on an earlier French design.
• The legal battle against the Selden patent is seen as a significant victory for the entire automobile industry.

"Mr. Ford's answer to the threat was to increase production and extend plant facilities."

This quote demonstrates Ford's courage and strategic response to a potentially devastating legal challenge.

• Ford's legacy includes the clarification that he was not the originator of mass production but a key figure in its development.
• The focus on what could be controlled and working persistently towards a goal is emphasized as a core lesson from Ford's career.
• Ford's story serves as an inspiration for determination, innovation, and the power of a clear vision.

"Henry Ford had no ideas on mass production. He wanted to build a lot of autos. He was determined, but like everyone else at the time, he didn't know how."

This quote captures the essence of Ford's journey from having a vision to figuring out the means to achieve it through determination and innovation.