Little Ford: Dharma Helps Adversity

In theory, William Clay "Bill" Ford Jr. is the least likely to be a Western CEO following an Eastern philosophy.

His great-grandfather, Henry Ford, invented the assembly line to mass-produce cheap cars and was one of the leading advocates of consumerism. His maternal great-grandfather, Harvey Firestone, founded one of the world's first car tire manufacturing companies, and has been criticized for enslaving and exploiting workers.

However, it was the legacy of his predecessors that turned Ford Jr. into spiritual philosophy.

When Ford Jr. was named CEO in 2001, the company was in crisis when the Firestone tires used by Ford cars exploded. From a profit of $6.5 billion in 1999 to a loss of $5.45 billion in 2001, Ford's performance plummeted. Following the Firestone tire incident, the company spent about $13.5 billion to replace 20 million tires installed on its Explorer SUV line of vehicles. And the lost user confidence is incalculable. After the crisis, then-CEO Jacques Nasser resigned and Ford Jr. took over.

For some, being a CEO is the pinnacle of their career. But for Ford Jr., being CEO was the lowest point in his life. "I didn't want to be a CEO that way at all," he told Newsweek. Before long, the reasons for his reluctance to become CEO became more apparent. To save the company, he had to cut tens of thousands of jobs and closed several factories. But many see him as the only one who can turn the tide and save the world's fourth-largest company from the brink of collapse.

The business passed to him does not have a bright future. So is his family.

Jr. Ford's father and uncle were both alcoholics. His grandfather had been at odds with his father over important decisions and struggled until he was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 49. The leadership crown of the Ford Motor Company is so heavy.

“Fame, wealth, and power just didn’t appeal to me,” he told BusinessWeek. “They grew up with me, and I saw them make so many people miserable. I know They cannot bring happiness."

To balance these unhappy emotions, Ford Jr. turned to Eastern philosophy at the beginning of his career. He studied Zen, Tibetan Buddhism and Vipassana meditation. However, he is quick to point out that he is not a Buddhist. "Although I read quite a bit, I am not at all Buddhist."

He is a strict vegetarian and never drinks alcohol. He believes in the medical role of alternative medicine. "I've seen acupuncturists and Chinese medicine practitioners," he said. Eastern philosophy is also applied to his exercise routine - he practices yoga and Korean taekwondo.

Mark Higbie, one of his longtime friends, recalls that the conversation between him and Ford Jr. became "more in-depth, more analytical and introspective." He told The New York Times, "Jr. Ford appears to be upending his education and replacing it with a whole new set of worldviews of his own." In lieu of the old worldview, this is also a core part of the Eastern philosophy followed by Ford Jr. Among the books he studied were the writings of Jack Kornfeld. Kornfield was a Buddhist teacher and a meditative Hindu leader. One of Kornfield's theories is about "mindfulness" - "the ability of humans to be engrossed in our environment and real experiences, and to learn from it."

Mindfulness also teaches CEOs how to use wealth and power, This is what Little Ford learned from his Buddhist teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. He learned that wealth can be used as a spiritual tool through the "three forces". Thich Nhat Hanh wrote on The Mindfulness Bell website, "If we have these three powers - the power to remove pain, the power to see, the power to accept, love and forgive - then fame, money and power become Tools of meaning. At this time, the richer we are, the better we are, and the more power we have, the better, because they become the means by which we can help improve the lives of others."

To show that he could practice these teachings firsthand, Ford Jr. aggressively pursues Ford as an environmentally friendly company that can make the world a greener place. Under his Green Ford Motor Company concept, cars will be made entirely of recyclable materials, with parts that can be reused. The assembly, disassembly and reassembly of the car will become very simple, just like Nirvana in Buddhism. He wants Ford to lead in alternative energy technology to articulate his belief in the company's ability to do good while generating profits.

The company does generate profits. Ford Motor has maintained a strong financial record of positive pretax earnings for the four consecutive years since Ford Jr. took over as CEO.

At the end of 2006, he handed over the CEO position to Alan Mulally, and he continues to serve as the company's executive chairman. "Ford put his pride and ego aside and brought someone of Mulally's stature into the company. You have to admire him for that," the analyst said.

Jr. Ford didn't give up on his dream. For one, sustained efforts are still needed to turn the company's finances around; Ford's earnings have turned negative again over the past two years due to buyouts and plant closures. Second, Ford Jr. is still promoting the company's social responsibility.

He said at a press conference after announcing his departure as CEO: "I come here every day, and I will not rest until the company can secure a prosperous future."

In this way, Ford has focused on For the company's present, to build the company's future. "I don't know if the company has a soul, but I think it can," said the CEO, who has spent a lot of time searching for his soul.