Born on July 30th 1947, Henry Ford was the founder of Ford Motor Company, an American industrialist, and the sponsor of the development and testing of Assembly line technique of mass production. Although he did not invent either the assembly line or automobile himself, he manufactured the first car that most Americans could afford. In doing so, Ford transformed motor industry from an expensive venture into a practical conveyance that could significantly impact the landscape of the 21st century.
Ford’s introduction of the Model T automobile dramatically changed the American transport industry. Being the proprietor of Ford Motor Company, Ford rose to become one of the wealthiest and most famous individuals in the world. He is accredited with Fordism; mass production of inexpensive goods coupled with high wages for workers. In fact, you can rightly argue that Ford had a global vision, with consumerism as the key to peace. He was a great inventor who was awarded the 161 U.S. patents. Here are top 10 must read success lessons from Henry Ford. Check them out.
10. Serve Others
Ford says, “A company that is devoted to serving its clients will only have 1 worry when it comes to playoffs. They will be amazingly large.” The secret to success in business lies in serving others! The greater the quality of the services you are offering, the greater the success you will achieve. Richness is generated from services. Ford said, “Richness, just like happiness, is never attained when you seek it directly. It is attained as a by-product of giving useful and high quality services.”
9. Focus
“There is no living human being who cannot do more than he is currently doing,” Ford said. You are always unaware of you potential, since you have never directed all your energy at a single goal. You spend 1 hour doing this, 2 hours dong that, but you rarely if not never, focus all your effort and attention to a single purpose. When you focus you energy, impossibilities become possibilities. Keep focused, you can achieve way too much than you currently think you can achieve.
8. Be Productive
“I have learnt the most people outsmart others since they get ahead when others are wasting time.” Ford said. We all have 24 hours available each day, yet, we attain varying levels of success. Some fail while others succeed. But why is this the case? The reason is that successful people manages their day while failures are managed by the day. Some people dictate where the day goes, while others allow the day to dictate where they go. If you fail, it will be because you failed to attain excellence in your time management, if you succeed, it will be because you have mastered the art of time management. The question is, are you mastering your time?
7. Solve Problems
Ford said, “A large number of individuals utilize their day and energy pondering over problems, instead of trying to resolve them.” You will only be paid for the problems that you solve or help other people solve. Ask yourself, are you solving any problem? If you solve large problems, you will earn bigger rewards. If you solve smaller once, you will get smaller rewards. If you only solve problems for a limited number, then your rewards will be little, if you solve for a huge group, then your rewards will be huge. Do not spend your time evaluating problems, solve them. That is how you become successful.
6. Nothing Is Particularly Hard
“Nothing is particularly hard if you break it into smaller tasks.” Says Ford. He said, “There is never a huge problem. There is only a collection of many small problems.” If you stop and ponder about it, you will see how true this statement is. Nothing is ever pretty hard, even if you want to climb a mountain. All you have to do is climb it step by step. The individual steps are not hard, and the whole will be achieved provided the steps are consistent.” Eat your elephant a bite at a time, and one day it will be gone.
5. Keep Your Eye On The Prize
“Obstacles are those beautiful things you see when your eyes get off your goals.” Never allow your mind to go off your goals. It is the goal that gets you motivated; it is the goal that gives you the strength to keep going. You must consistently see that which you want to be and make sure you live to be it. You must see your goals as complete; you must experience you goal as accomplished in your imagination.
4. Think!
“Thinking is the hardest work there ever is, which is probably the main reason only a few engage in it.” Thinking is the only way to prepare; it is the hardest work, it is the point at which you figure out the little nuances and get ready. Ford said, “At the heart of success in everything, getting ready is the secret to success.” Thinking is a hard task, but if at all you dream of being successful, you will have to do it.
3. Treat Employees Well
“It is rare to see ventures that treat employees as partners, yet they are.” Ford said, Ford commenced employing Black Americans, disabled people and women long before any other business. What’s more, he was fully committed to paying them decent wages. In fact, by 1914, he was giving them up to 5 dollars, which was more than twice the minimum wage of the time. Ford also initiated a 40 hour work week, which means his employees were the first to enjoy a weekend off. Treating employees well is vital in business success.
2. Keep Innovating
“All things can be done better, than they are already being done.” Ford said , Production rates greatly improved as Ford engineers experimented with rollways, conveyer belts, slides rolls, and hundreds of multiple other ideas. By 1914, Henry had developed an endless chain-driven conveyors to move the chassis from 1 work station to another while workers remained stationery.
1. Have The Right Attitude
Henry Ford always knew what to say. He once said, “Although we have failed, we have learnt one way we cannot make this work. We will go on and look for the right method.” Well, these are top 10 must read success lessons from Henry Ford. Which one do you find most useful? Do you have more success tips you would like to share with the universe? Feel free to leave a comment in the box below and let the world you’re your opinion. You are also welcome to share or tweet this post via social media.