Handwriting a letter versus sending an e-mail message - Essay Example

Comparing Leadership Styles: Henry Ford and Thomas Jefferson In order to be a successful leader, one must learn how to work for and with others. Being a leader is no easy task, because one is required to inspire others, and it can be difficult to gage what another individual may do. However, a successful leader is able to understand those that follow him or her, and can make solid decisions about what direction to take. An example of two excellent leaders, Thomas Jefferson and Henry ford, will help to demonstrate the successful leadership qualities of each man.

Both men were not only successful decision makers, they also showed concern for human welfare and devoted their time to both their leadership skills and the needs of others. Henry Ford was the industrialist for whom the Ford Motor Company was named. In 1891, Ford went to work for the Edison Illuminating Company (Later Detroit Edison Company). He advanced rapidly and became chief engineer. In his spare time, he worked in a building behind his home to build a “horseless carriage.” Thomas A.

Edison, who later became a close friend, encouraged him at their first meeting in 1895. The next year Ford completed his first working model of an automobile. He later built several racing cars, including the 999 in which Barney Oldfield broke the world’s speed records in 1902 and 1903. Ford himself set a new record (91.3 miles per hour) (Collier 34). In addition, a coal leader Alex Y. Malcomson, became interested in Ford’s car after Ford had failed twice to get into manufacturing. In 1903, Malcomson, Ford, and 10 other men formed the Ford Motor Company.

After buying out Malcomson and two other stockholders in 1907-07, Ford became president and the dominant figure in the company. However, he shared control until 1915 with James Couzens, later United States senator from Michigan (Collier 35-37).In 1911 Ford won a lengthy court fight in which it was decided that he had not infringed on the automotive patents of George B. Selden. This victory not only saved the Ford Motor Company from possible ruin, but benefited the entire industry be freeing other manufacturers from the necessity of paying royalties.

By 1915, Ford’s company was producing almost half of all the automobiles sold in the United States (Collier 37). Furthermore, He is considered the man who “put America on wheels” because the assembly-line method of manufacturing, which he pioneered, allowed him to become the first to produce low-priced autos in large quantities (Collier 41). His Model T “Tin Lizzie,” produced from 1908 to 1927 and coming in “any color as long as it’s black,” at one time sold for less than $300 (Collier 42).

Fifteen million Model T’s were produced. Ford’s method to producing cars helped produce thousands of jobs, which demonstrated his reflection on human welfare. For was able to not only make cars at a faster rate, but he was also able to provide individuals in his community with work. Since he was loyal to the place in which he lived, he made sure the main plant remained in his hometown, providing work for those that needed it.Our next leader to examine is Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States.

He was also the second Vice President. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, founded what came to be the Democratic Party, and established the University of Virginia. He played a major part in shaping the theory and practice of government of the new nation. As President, Jefferson was a strong and generally effective leader. During his tow terms, he more than doubled the size of the country, through the Louisiana Purchase, and kept the nation from involvement in the Napoleonic Wars despite both British and French violations of America’s neutrality (Cunningham 21).

Jefferson had varied interests; he came close to the Renaissance ideal of the universal man. Although his most important achievements were in government and politics, he was also successful as a lawyer, farmer, writer, architect, scientist, musician, and inventor. He was internationally known as a patron of the arts and learning. His extensive private library was sold to the federal government after the British burned Washington, D.C, in 1814, and was the nucleus for the Library of Congress.

He not only founded the University of Virginia, but also designed its buildings and shaped its educational program. He also was the architect of the Virginia state capitol, Ash Lawn (James Monroe’s home), and Monticello (his own home) (Cunningham 22) While president of the American Philosophical Society (1979-1815), Jefferson presented several papers that revealed his knowledge of various branches of science. His inventiveness was demonstrated at Monticello, where there were a variety of mechanical contrivances unusual or unique at the time.

In addition, Jefferson was a justice of the peace and a church vestryman before he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1769. In 1770, he was given command of the Albemarle County militia. He continued to be elected to the House of Burgesses until it ceased to function in 1775, though he did not attend its sessions in 1772 (Dabney, 2001). In 1773, he was appointed surveyor of Albemarle County. While in the House of Burgesses he allied himself with Patrick Henry, who was spokesman for a progressive group opposed to the aristocracy (Cunningham 34).

As one of the militant anti-British group, Jefferson helped to organize the Virginia Committee of Correspondence and was one of its 11 members. Illness prevented his attending the Virginia Convention in 1774, but he contributed a paper called “A Summary View of the Rights of British America.” This ranks next to the Declaration of Independence as a literary document of the American Revolution. It established Jefferson as an intellectual leader of the revolutionary forces (Cunningham 44). Like Ford, Jefferson was a man full of new ideas, and focused on the betterment of his fellow countrymen.

Jefferson focused his energies on political and philosophical interests, unlike Ford, who focused mostly on the development of his new invention. However, both men were impressive intellectuals and leaders of their time. Both men showed devotion to the human situation—Ford with his advent of jobs, and Jefferson with his desire to better the situation of Americans through his participation in the American Revolution. Both men were extremely intelligent individuals, and were able to influence the time period in which they lived in.

Jefferson’s writing talents helped prepare the Declaration of Independence, for instance, and Ford’s invention and approach to car manufacturing revolutionized the way people traveled, and the way factory items were produced. These two personalities exuded different and impressive leadership styles. Though they ran different organizations, they are able to make their careers successful and remarkable. Both men were able to successfully improve the lives of individuals around them, Jefferson through his focus on independence and Ford on his revolutionary inventions and manufacturing ideas.

While these men lived during different times, it is clear that both of them had a strong influence on the time period in which they lived. They both set standards, helping them to be successful leaders.Works Cited:Collier, Paul. The Fords: an American Epic. New Jersey: Summit, 2006. Cunningham, Nathan.. The Process of Government under Jefferson. New Jersey: Princeton, 2002.