HENRY FORD’S TODAY & TOMORROW 2: Henry Ford’s Blueprint for Success - Part 2 (13-24)
(00:00:00) 13. WAGES, HOURS, AND THE WAGE MOTIVE
(00:21:19) 14. THE MEANING OF POWER
(00:48:07) 15. EDUCATION FOR LIFE
(01:03:56) 16. CURING OR PREVENTING
(01:16:46) 17. MAKING A RAILROAD PAY
(01:37:48) 18. THE AIR
(01:47:32) 19. FARM PROBLEMS ARE FARM PROBLEMS
(02:04:53) 20. FINDING THE BALANCE IN LIFE
(02:20:55) 21. WHAT IS MONEY FOR?
(02:44:38) 22. APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES TO ANY BUSINESS
(02:57:36) 23. THE WEALTH OF NATIONS
(03:23:39) 24. WHY NOT
Henry Ford’s Today and Tomorrow (1926) – Part 2 (Chpts. 13–24) Henry Ford’s Today and Tomorrow remains one of the most influential industrial manifestos of the twentieth century—a blend of practical genius and social philosophy that unites efficiency, morality, and human betterment. In the book’s second part (Chapters 13–24), Ford moves beyond machinery and factory organization to explore the broader social, economic, and moral principles that govern progress. He argues that the same discipline that revolutionized manufacturing—eliminating waste, respecting natural laws, and aligning labor with purpose—applies to every area of life. Industry, education, agriculture, and finance, he says, can all be organized with intelligence and fairness to create a balanced and prosperous society. 13. WAGES, HOURS, AND THE WAGE MOTIVEFord opens this section by redefining the relationship between wages and productivity. He rejects the idea that higher wages mean lower profits, showing instead that fair pay strengthens both business and society. His 1914 decision to introduce the $5-a-day wage doubled the prevailing rate and sparked widespread skepticism—yet it produced the opposite of what critics predicted: increased efficiency, loyalty, and morale. He also disputes the notion that shorter hours reduce output. Properly organized work, he says, should be intense but not exhausting, built on purpose and system rather than endless labor. The true wage motive is service, not greed: the worker earns more by giving more value, and the employer prospers because his people are happy and productive. This “square deal” forms the basis of enduring industrial and national success. 14. THE MEANING OF POWERFord redefines “power” as the ability to serve and produce, not to dominate. Mechanical and human power alike have meaning only when directed toward constructive ends. Once feared as a destroyer of jobs, industrial power has become a liberator, freeing humanity from drudgery. He distinguishes power over others—which leads to tyranny—from power with others, which fosters cooperation and abundance. Civilization’s challenge, Ford writes, is to channel physical and social power in the service of humanity. Power without wisdom wastes resources; power without morality destroys. Only when guided by service can power advance civilization. 15. EDUCATION FOR LIFEEducation, Ford argues, must prepare people for living, not merely fill their heads with facts. He criticizes schools that separate knowledge from practice, producing students who are “book-smart” yet helpless with real problems. True education, he says, combines head, hand, and heart, uniting practical skill, intellect, and character. Schools should teach not only academic subjects but also industry, mechanics, agriculture, and cooperation, preparing capable citizens rather than detached scholars. Work itself should be viewed as continuous education. The highest form of learning, Ford concludes, is discovering how to live usefully and joyfully. 16. CURING OR PREVENTINGDrawing from his manufacturing experience, Ford contrasts the “curative” mindset—fixing failures after they occur—with the “preventive” one—designing systems that avoid them altogether. Prevention, he says, is the highest form of efficiency. Just as it is cheaper to prevent machine breakdowns than to repair them, it is wiser for society to prevent poverty, disease, and ignorance than to patch them afterward with charity or punishment. Most institutions, he observes, are still “cure-minded.” Ford urges the adoption of preventive medicine, preventive education, and preventive economics, which tackle causes rather than symptoms. Prevention reflects foresight, intelligent planning, and respect for natural law. “We do not need to reform people,” he writes, “so much as remove the conditions that make them inefficient or dishonest.” 17. MAKING A RAILROAD PAYUsing the railroad industry as an example, Ford exposes the waste caused by poor organization. Outdated equipment, unnecessary middlemen, and mismanagement, he argues, make transportation costlier than it should be. The remedy is not legislation or higher fares, but scientific management and coordination. By applying mass production principles—standardization, maintenance, and preventive service—railroads could become both profitable and affordable. A railroad is not merely a private enterprise but a public trust that supports national prosperity. True profit, Ford insists, is measured not by dividends but by the wider wealth it helps generate. 18. THE AIRFord turns to aviation, then a new frontier. He views the airplane not as a toy or weapon, but as a transformative means of communication and transport. Like the automobile, flight can unite the world by overcoming distance and isolation. However, Ford cautions that progress in aviation must rest on safety, reliability, and affordability. He predicts the rise of commercial air travel and air mail, foreseeing the day when flying would be part of everyday life. The air, he writes, belongs to everyone; its use should promote peace and cooperation, not destruction. 19. FARM PROBLEMS ARE FARM PROBLEMSFord insists that agricultural challenges must be solved on the farm itself, not through industrial imitation or political subsidies. “Farm problems are farm problems,” he declares—they require better farming, not price manipulation. He laments society’s neglect of agriculture, the foundation of all civilization, and urges mechanization, scientific cultivation, and rural education as the real solutions. Farmers should cooperate, eliminate wasteful middlemen, and modernize production and distribution. The goal is a balanced economy in which city and countryside prosper together. The modern farmer must be both producer and scientist, mastering efficiency like any industrial manager. 20. FINDING THE BALANCE IN LIFEIn this reflective chapter, Ford explores the rhythm between work, rest, and recreation. True efficiency, he writes, lies in balance, not in unbroken motion. Both idleness and overwork are forms of waste. A well-ordered life uses all faculties—physical, mental, and spiritual—in proportion. He extends this balance to society. When any element—capital, labor, or power—overwhelms the others, civilization falters. Progress depends on harmony between production and consumption, individual and community. Ford’s philosophy of moderation and discipline offers a model for what he calls “the economics of balance.” 21. WHAT IS MONEY FOR?Here Ford tackles money’s fundamental purpose. Money, he argues, is not wealth but a tool of exchange. The real wealth of a nation lies in its productive capacity—its ability to create useful goods and services. Money should circulate to facilitate work and trade, not stagnate in speculation or hoarding. Ford condemns financial manipulation and artificial scarcity as enemies of progress. When money ceases to serve labor and production, it becomes a source of instability. “Money is only good when it works,” he writes. He calls for an economy built on productive enterprise rather than speculation, where every dollar is a servant of human effort and ingenuity. 22. APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES TO ANY BUSINESSFord condenses his philosophy into universal laws of enterprise. The principles that made his company successful—simplicity, system, service, and sincerity—apply to every business. Industry, retail, and agriculture alike depend on the same fundamentals: organized people, efficient methods, and a clear purpose. Business, he insists, should be seen as a public service, not merely a private profit-making venture. The enduring secret of success is to do one’s work better and cheaper than anyone else, while serving people sincerely. Efficiency, Ford reminds readers, is moral as well as mechanical: the waste of human potential is the worst waste of all. 23. THE WEALTH OF NATIONSBorrowing Adam Smith’s phrase, Ford redefines national wealth as productive power joined with moral character. A rich nation is one where all citizens can work usefully and share fairly in the results. Material abundance without justice is unstable; virtue without organization is futile. Machines, science, and cooperation should liberate humanity, not enslave it. National wealth, Ford argues, must be measured by what the average person can enjoy and achieve, not by the luxuries of a few. He advocates industrial democracy, fair wages, and intelligent planning as the true foundation of prosperity. 24. WHY NOTFord concludes the book with a challenge: Why not build a better world? Poverty, ignorance, and inefficiency persist not from lack of means but from lack of imagination and will. Progress, he says, is always possible when people think constructively and work together. Skeptics once claimed that automobiles for everyone were impossible; Ford proved otherwise. The same spirit of initiative can transform any field. “Why not?” becomes his creed—a question that turns doubt into determination and dreams into achievement. For Ford, the limits of progress exist only in human unwillingness to act. ConclusionPart 2 of Today and Tomorrow presents Henry Ford at his most visionary. Beyond his role as industrial pioneer, he appears as a moral reformer and philosopher of work, showing how industrial principles can uplift society as a whole. His timeless message is that progress depends on aligning industry with intelligence, money with morality, and power with purpose. The same logic that makes a factory efficient can make a nation just, prosperous, and free. Ford’s outlook remains as relevant today as it was in 1926: efficiency and ethics must advance together if civilization is to thrive.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/secrets-of-success-master-the-mindset-of-success--5835231/support.
New Zealand