Left: Henry Ford driving the Twenty Millionth car built by Ford Motors which is a 1931 Model A. Source: blog.hemmings.com    Middle: An incredible circle of the most influential people of their times consisting of Henry Ford(Founder of Ford Motors; far left), Thomas Edison(inventor of the light bulb; left), Warren G. Harding(29th President of the United States; right) and Harvey Firestone(founder of Firestone Tires; far right). Source: taringa.net    Right: An early Model T Ad. Source: seekingmichigan.org 

Ford                                                               "In the Ford Motor Company we emphasize service equally with 
Motors                                                  sales."      -Henry Ford in Ford Service Manual(thehenryford.org                                                                                                                                    Henry Ford Quotations   

Ford's leadership was best exemplified through the company he built from the ground up, Ford Motors.

Nevertheless, he was not just a successful business leader; he was the successful business leader- the icon of the 20th century.                 -Keith Grint(excerpt from "The Arts of Leadership p.189")
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The first Ford factory where Henry Ford made the quadricycle located on Bagley Street, Detroit. Only Henry Ford worked there. Click to enlarge. Source: hfha.org
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Henry Ford's biggest factory know as the River Rouge Plant was the crown jewel of American Industry. Over 100,000 people worked here in the 1930's. Click to enlarge. Source: theoldmotor.com
"Despite the fact that the entire motor industry had lost faith in him, he managed to find another investor to start the Ford Motor Company and the rest is history."         Bernard Marr (charterforcompassion.org)

His qualities of independence and thinking of the people's wants instead of the investor's showed just how tenacious he was in doing the right thing.

"A big business never becomes big by being a narrow society looking after only the interests of its organization and stockholders."                 -"Henry Ford excerpt from Moving Forward."
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Henry Ford standing with the newly produced one piece V-8 engine. Click to enlarge. Source: newsday.com
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Click to enlarge. Source: time.com
'"Stock in the Ford Motor Company would increase the cost of the car. I am only interested in reducing the price of our car."                  -Henry Ford 1935 (thehenryford.org Henry Ford Quotations) 

He wasn't a tyrant either though. Ford valued the human nature of Ford Motors in not just getting profits but genuinely wanting to help not only the consumers but also his workers as well.

"The 11-year-old company was willing to spend 
an additional $10 million annually to improve productivity and the lives of its workers.

The news spread quickly beyond southeast Michigan. "A magnificent act of generosity," declared the New York Evening Post. But the Five-Dollar Day turned out to be an excellent investment. Within a year, annual labor turnover fell from 370% to 16%; productivity was up 40% to 70%. Between 1910 and 1919, Henry Ford reduced the Model T's price from around $800 to $350, solidified his position as the world's greatest automaker, and made himself a billionaire.

And by raising wages he expanded the overall market for the Model T. As Ford said to reporters that January: "We believe in making 20,000 men prosperous and contented rather than follow the plan of making a few slave drivers in our establishment millionaires."                     


-Alex Taylor III taken from excerpt of Fortune "The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time."  
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A family picture of a normal American family in their Model T during the 1920's. Click to enlarge. Source: mtfca.com
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Roughly 10,000 prospective workers from all around the country after the 5 Dollar a day speech. Click to enlarge. Source: huffingtonpost.com
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The cover page of the New York Times for the caption to the right. Headline: Gives $10,000,000 To 26,000 Employees. Click to enlarge. Source: nytimes.com
"It is our belief, that social justice begins at home. We want those who have helped us to produce this great institution and are helping to maintain it to share our prosperity. We want them to have present profits and future prospects. Thrift and good service and sobriety, all will be enforced and recognized.

"Believing as we do, that a division of our earnings between capital and labor is unequal, we have sought a plan of relief suitable for our business. We do not feel sure that it is the best, but we have felt impelled to make a start, and make it now. We do not agree with those employers who declare, as did a recent writer in a magazine in excusing himself for not practicing what he preached, that 'movement toward the bettering of society must be universal.' We think that one concern can make a start and create an example for other employers. That is our chief object."                                              -James Couzen(Treasurer of Ford Motors) statement to New York Times( January 5th, 1914) 

The crucial traits as leader of Ford Motors was his self confidence and courage to take risks. He did things that were criticized by the critics of the business world but they were shut down once they made profits.

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Henry Ford is shown stamping the serial number on the first one piece V-8 engine. This was an intricate project of Ford's that was as instrumental as the Model T in making the V-8 cheap enough for the aveage consumer. Click to enlarge. Source: blog.hemmings.com
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Henry Ford(left) on his 1896 Quadricycle with grandson Henry Ford II(right) on 1946. Ford took a great risk letting his under experienced grandson take over the company but paid off as one of Ford Motor's greatest leaders. Click to enlarge. Source: allposters.com
"This of course. does not mean that a product should never be changed, but I think that it will be found more economical in the end and not even to try to produce an article until you have fully satisfied yourself that utility, design and material are the best. If researches do not give you that confidence, then keep on searching until you find confidence. The place to start manufacturing is with the article."                    -Henry Ford(My Life and Work p.16)

Ultimately his ability as a innovator led him to be an iconic leader among the many.

"Henry Ford didn't invent anything. All of the technologies already existed, but what he did was to take the next step."                                                                                                    -Nick Scheele(President and COO of Ford) excerpt from Orlando Sentinal June 19th, 2003 by Jim Mateja 
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Perhaps two of the greatest innovations of the modern era and Henry Ford's greatest are pictured here with the Model T(consumer car) and the Assembly Line(mass production). Click to enlarge. Source: worldsciencefestival.com