3 Lessons from Uncommon Friendships
Thomas Edison, Henry Ford & Harvey Firestone had a friendship that benefited each of them throughout their lives. The extensive story is told in James Newton’s book, “Uncommon Friends,” which I highly recommend. Below are three impactful pieces that I took away from it.
1. Support Dreams – Thomas Edison supported Henry Ford before anyone else believd in him. This meant a lot. Ford recalls their first meeting at a Convention of Edison Illuminating Companies in Manhattan Beach outside of New York in the 1890s.
“I should say I remember that day. It was a turning point for me. Mr. Edison listened to me very patiently. Then he banged a fist on the table and said, ‘Young man, that’s the thing. Your car is self-contained, no boiler, no heavy battery, no smoke or steam. Keep at it!’ You can imagine how excited I was, the man who knew most about electricity in the world – my boyhood idol – telling me my gas car was better than an electric car! He was the first to give me real encouragement that my dream would work! Well, that boyhood idol became my manhood friend.”
2. Add Value by Educating Your Customers - Before they were friends or even business associates, they were salesman and customer. Harvey Firestone recalled his first meeting with Henry Ford:
“The first time we met was before I started our company. I was a salesman for the Columbus Buggy Works in Detroit.” He said that one day a young man came in with a plan for building a low-priced car that farmers and the workers could afford. The man said he was building in a shed behind his house and he needed four tires. He was looking for solid-rubber tires – the old carriage tires that were in use then –but Firestone recommended trying a new type, pneumatic tires, with air in them. His company had just ordered a few. He took Henry Ford back to the warehouse stockroom to see if he could find them. He did, and Ford bought them. As he left, Ford said, “I may be back for more.”
“In 1905 I was in business for myself, I heard that Henry Ford was going to build two thousand cars…I hurried to Detroit with a few sets of our pneumatic tires.” Due to his initiative, reputation and product quality, Firestone left with an order for eight thousand tires!
3. Value Key Friendships – As a token of his friendship with Edison, Ford gave him the first car off each new assembly line. Also, when Edison’s Menlo Park laboratory burned down in 1914, Ford showed up with a check for $750,000 to help him rebuild.
In 1915, Edison, Ford & Firestone journeyed to the West Coast with their wives to visit the San Francisco World Exhibition. They had such a good time that the Edisons, Fords & Firestones set off on the first of their annual camping trips. They continued the practice of relaxing together including time spent in Fort Myers, FL.
I can’t help but wonder what the association of each of these great men had upon the others. I often tell my kids, “You pick your friends and then you’ll become like your friends.” Similarly, as it states in Proverbs 13:20, “Walk with wise men and you will become wise.”
Who are you surrounding yourself with?
Mark Fennell – Mark has over 19 years in the energy industry, including sales, speaking and leadership experience. He is the Business Development Director, State Government in the East Region at Johnson Controls, a global diversified energy company making the future more productive, more secure and more sustainable.