Notably, Henry Ford is identified as an influential figure in the car production industry, as well as an influential speaker. He created a fortune of over $600 million before his death. Levinson (16) argues that Henry Ford saw the importance of influential speaking and using rhetorical figures of speech, which gave the company an added advantage.
Henry Ford, like most Americans in the 1800’s, grew up in a farm, in a small township of Springwells. He was born on July 30, 1863 as the first-born to five other siblings. In his school, he revealed an interest to everything mechanical at a very early age. At age 16, Ford Motor Company (2014) states that he left for Detroit where he got a job as a mechanic. In 1888, he married Clara Bryant, who had also grown up at a nearby farm. In 1891, he got a job as an engineer for the Edison Illuminating company where he swiftly rose through the ranks to be the chief engineer in only two years. While still at Edison, Ford used his free time to develop a gasoline powered horseless carriage. In 1896, he completed what he called a Quadricycle which was mainly a light metal frame with four bicycle wheels and was powered by a two cylinder, four horse power gasoline engine (Ford Motor Company 2014).
Since he started creating cars, Henry Ford aimed to create affordable products. However, his investors wanted him to produce a car that attracted wealthy customers only. Levinson (16) argues that Henry Ford vision was to create a fast, reliable, and affordable car for all Americans. The cover of different prototypes that he allowed his employees to create worked as a perfect cover for his real visionary project.
Soon enough, his investors realized his intention and stopped funding his projects but through perseverance and very intriguing social ploy, Henry Ford found others with a similar vision to his in 1901(Ford Motor Company 2014). People say that henry Ford once said that if he had asked people what they wanted, most would have said a faster horse. Unfortunately, that is what he based his whole visionary on. This idea sure did worked in the first few years of investing in his company, but it ultimately led to the company’s decline. In a few months, he released his first model, which was a two-seater and had an efficient eight-horse power engine (Henry Ford Biography 2013).
In 1908, Ford Motors released the Model T, which was exactly what Ford was aiming at. Its fours cylinders and twenty-horse power engines gave the car incredible transmission as well as enough power for the ignition and the lights. This revolutionary model changed the perception of cars all around the world. Where initially an average car $2000, Henry’s model T cost only $800 (Henry Ford Biography 2013).
His decision and genius thinking, however, still created another problem. Work at the factory becomes tiresome and monotonous leading to high employee turnover. Ford Motor Company (2014) says that Henry Ford decided to increase the wages to five dollars, which was unheard of in Detroit. Just as Henry Ford once said that, a man who is best educated is the one who knows the greatest number of things that are so, and who can do the greatest number of things to help and heal the world (Levinson 17). Henry Ford did follow what he said and believed in. His focus was not only to create a car that would help the American people, but also help them financially.
Since Ford focused so many of his efforts in creating this perfect and affordable car, he did not see the need to create different products that suited different clientele. Truly, his company had very attractive prices but his customers were left with only the choice of color when it came to Ford products. On the other hand, their competitor general motors pursued products that fit different needs for different people. This lead to declined sales from the 1920s to the 1940s (Ford Motor Company 2014).
Despite the clear indication for some much-needed change, Mr. Ford did not allow any of his engineers any creative inspiration to try to create a different model. He did not love change. His son Edsel is the one who forced his father to allow the production of the Model A. interestingly, his son developed this prototype without his fathers knowledge because he knew that Mr. Ford did not want a different car. It as also a very hard project to partake since Henry Ford was very involved in the everyday running of his business even after leaving his son in charge of the company. Although he did not agree with the son’s strategy, Henry Ford has to follow it because the shareholders and his customers kept demanding for a new model.This model steered the company into change and success once again.
His political views also earned him widespread criticism. His campaign against the U. S involvement in the world war I. He also narrowly lost his campaign for the senate seat in 1918. He also bought the Dearborn Independent in 1918 where he published anti-sematic writings that were called the International Jew. Due to his writing, he earned the admiration of Adolf Hitler and Germany and was awarded the grand cross of the German Eagle, which was the highest medal that was awarded to a foreigner. Ford Motor Company (2014) state that, after a few years, he sold this paper and denounced his believes regarding Germany and the Jews.
His only son Edsel died in 1943, which forced Henry Ford to reinstate his position as the president of the Ford Motor company for over two years. Due to differences in ideologies, Ford Motor Company (2014) states that Henry Ford did not have a very good relationship with his son. Edsel died at the age of 43 from stomach ulcers. After his brief return, he handed over the presidency to his grandson Henry Ford II in 1945. Henry Ford was never accepting of change. However, when he died at the age of 83 from a series of strokes, the American people did not mourn and remember him as the uneducated lad from the country with a big ego, but as a man who revolutionized the automobile industry and took the country to heights that it had never imagined.
This video reveals Henry Ford as a man who understood the social and technological system of an organization. He also recognized the power of the social media even in his era. The video paints the picture of a man who did not believe in the constraints imposed by adversity. As he once said, one of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his greatest surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he could not do. However, the video also shows him a stubborn man who was opposed to change. Henry ford believes that whatever he created or believed in was the only right thing. However, this became his downfall adversely affecting his company.
If Henry Ford were alive today, he would still be the charismatic speaker who drew headlines with his family oriented lifestyle integrated with the top type of technology available. Although he would have adopted this technology, he would talk about it has eroded family values of the simple and typical American citizen. I believe would give highly publicized speeches on the government spying on its citizens and its involvement in the Middle East. His voice would be directed on the most controversial matters of the day that otherwise would be considered unorthodox. In conclusion, his rhetoric speech would be directed towards recreating a traditional reality while giving the raw truth regarding the misuse of power in the current powers.
Works cited
Henry Ford Biography. PBS American Experience, 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/henryford/
Ford Motor Company. The Henry Ford story, 2014. Retrieved from: http://www.ford.co.uk/experience-ford/Heritage
Levinson, William A. "Henry Ford's Proven Lessons for American Industry." Industry Week/IW 258.7 (2009): 16-17.
