Iconoclast Part 3 of 4: Henry Ford
April 7, 2010 by dr. lam
Born in 1863 in Dearborn, Michigan, Henry Ford worked on his family’s farm. He hated the drudgery on the farm and first worked to build steam engines to alleviate some of the hard labor associated with farm work. He heard of the gas engine created in England and was fascinated with it but saw that the engine at the time was anemic and inefficient. However, he believed that it had potential. Working in the Edison company, everyone there accordingly believed the future lay in electricity. Everyone, of course, except for Ford who held out hope for a more powerful method to fuel engines. Quitting his job in 1899, Ford dedicated himself to creating a double-cylinder gasoline engine that could power a “horseless carriage”. He introduced the Model A that contained this double cylinder but it only sold modestly well.
Ford then heard of a discovery in France of steel that contained a secret ingredient, vanadium, that made steel three times stronger. Accordingly, he could make his car three times lighter and the same engine would become significantly more powerful. Having reinvested the profits from the Model A, Ford created the now famous Model T that sold in the first year over 10,000 units and went on to become a blockbuster, eclipsing all other manufacturers.
Ford declared: “One who fears the future, who fears failure, limits his activities. Failure is only the opportunity more intelligently to begin again. There is no disgrace in honest failure; there is disgrace in fearing to fail.”
Ford overcame the prevailing doctrine that steam engines were the way to go for heavy-duty machinery. He then overcame the idea that electricity would be the future. It took a creative mind that did not fear failure to see that a double cylinder engine combined with the French steel vanadium would create the magical ingredients of success.
We too often fear ridicule, failure, or risk because we are hindered by our own sense of inadequacy or what others will think of us. Ford had no such limitations in vision. He did what he did without external reference to others’ approbation or perception of him. The next step for the iconoclast is to overcome the innate fear that one possesses about social or professional judgment and failure.
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6 Responses to “Iconoclast Part 3 of 4: Henry Ford”
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Dr. Lam, your blogs are so fun! Luv ‘em!! Great wisdom is Ford’s statement. GREAT message!
thanks!
I like the Gravatar, Heather. Very beautiful.
I didn’t know Ford was a farm kid. Figures! They know how to work.
Thanks, Nord! It’s spring!
Love yours too!!