Henry Ford

Henry Ford, the Icon of Self-Made Man

Yesterday I watched to an interesting documentary on TV. It was about Henry Ford, you know, one of the most famous examples of success and strength. Yes, the same one who built the Ford motor company. This documentary was not about his brilliant career as an engineer, but was connected to the events that brought trials to one of the richest man ever. It was about his way of thinking and his relationship with his son, William Ford. As I search in the Internet, his Rouge Plant in Dearborn, Michigan, had a total floor space of 6,952,484 square feet, with a total cost of $268,991,592.07. Note that according to the 2010 census, the entire population of Dearborn City was 98,153 people. Amazing! What called my attention to this documentary though was the information that Henry Ford was a man of strong convictions and did not change his mind easily. After producing the Model T, in 1908, he thought he has built the most perfect car ever and decided that there was no need to try any new models, despite his son’s suggestions. It took several years and the risk of losing his empire until he recognize the need of a new model. The relationship between father and son was so complicated that William, the son, was diagnosed as having a severe stomach ulcer that became the cancer that eventually caused his death. The old Ford was a very difficult father, although he was a very respectable man in his own way.