Ferdinand Porsche

I chose Ferdinand Porsche as my Leader primarily for his extraordinary dedication to pursuing and improving his craft and the stubborn self belief in his own abilities that propelled him in his career. He was a designer whose achievements and positions of prominence came despite his humble beginnings and lack of formal education or training, he operated and pursued his interests regardless of the obstacles or challenges in his way.

A brief history.

Ferdinand Porsche was born on the 3rd of September 1875 and died on the 30th of January 1951. He is probably best known by most as the founder of Porsche and Volkswagen motor vehicles, he was a designer of cars, trucks, tanks, tractors and other vehicles for air, road and sea travel. In 1996, Porsche was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and in 1999 posthumously won the award of Car Engineer of the Century.

Porsche was an innovator; Ferdinand Porsche introduced his first design in 1900, the 'System Lohner-Porsche' electric carriage made its debut at the World's Fair in Paris. It did around 35 mph and set Austrian land speed records at the time. Porsche then harnessed Daimler's and Panhard's internal combustion engines to power wheel-mounted electric motors in the new "System Mixt." This was the worlds first acknowledged Hybrid car. Later in 1905 Porsche won the Poetting Prize as Austria's outstanding automotive designer. While his then employer; Austro-Daimler pursued large luxury sedans in the '20s, Porsche was principally interested in light cars and racing. Porsche began competing in hillclimbs, speed trials and rallies from his first days in the industry. By 1922, Dr. Porsche had embraced racing as a way to improve his cars, his vehicle; the Sascha; won races throughout Europe with 43 wins in 51 starts. He absolutely refused to accept the status quo and constantly strived to improve.

He was a leader of men in significant times; It's impossible to talk of him without discussing Hitler and WW1. As Germany's newly elected chancellor, Adolf Hitler, decided every German family needed a radio (to be able to listen to his dogma) and either a small car or a durable tractor. In June of 1934, the Third Reich signed a contract to build prototype Volkswagens. Porsche was Hitler's favourite designer and commisisioned in to the project. By 1936, three prototypes of the VW3, had been built in the garages of Porsche's home. In early 1937, the Nazi 'oversight' organization, the RDA (Reichverband der Deutschen Automobilindustrie) recommended further development and that 30 additional prototypes be built by Daimler-Benz. During the testing of the VW3O, the Reich selected an estate northeast of Hanover to become the site of the Volkswagen factory. Originally called "Die Autostadt"; today it is Wolfsburg, still the worldwide headquarters of Volkswagen.

Resilient in the face of adversity; In 1929, Porsche left for a brief stay at Steyr, but the Great Depression was on and car manufacturing was not the place to be. Steyr collapsed. At age 55, Porsche had no job. Despite his broadly-acknowledged brilliance, his well-earned reputation for stubbornness was not going to help him find a good job in those hard times.

Later he was jailed as a war criminal. He invited Professor Porsche to visit them at their occupation headquarters in Baden-Baden. There he was offered the opportunity to redesign the Volkswagen to be "more French" and to move equipment (which the French would claim as war reparations) from Wolfsburg to build cars in France. The offer was probably a sincere one; the French had already nationalized Renault, and had arrested Louis Renault as a Nazi collaborator.

Disagreement within the government ensued. French automakers, led by Jean Pierre Peugeot, wanted no part of a French Volkswagen. On December 15, 1945, while the invited guests of the French in Baden-Baden, Professor Porsche, Ferry Porsche and Anton Piech were arrested as war criminals. Ferry was soon released, but the Professor and Piech went to prison in Dijon. No charges were brought and no trial was scheduled, but "bail" was set at 500,000 francs each. The fees Porsche earned for its design bought the release of Professor Porsche and Piech. They were freed August 1,1947 after almost 20 months in captivity, mostly in terrible conditions in the medieval Dijon prison. The Professor's health was poor.

Ability and Application to task; Porsche was tasked by Hitler to design a car for the people and set strict criteria in April 1934 of designing this special car within 10 months. Hitler specified certain criteria the car must meet. The car must have a top speed of 62 mph, achieve 42 miles per gallon, must have an air-cooled engine (?) and be able to transport 2 adults and 3 children. And most importantly it should market at no more than £86. Ferdinand Porsche decided on a rear engine car, the car was then known as the Type 60. He experimented with various engine designs; flat jour, vertical four cylinder, two cylinder but none of them proved adequate. In 1935 an Austrian engineer, who had been working for the company for less than a year, came up with a design for a flat four engine within two days of working on the project. After the accountants had checked it, it proved to be the most financially viable option. The same engine design has driven the Volkswagen Beetle for the last 60 years.

According to FedEx, its best leaders share nine personal attributes - which the company defines with remarkable specificity. FedEx also has a system for rating aspiring leaders on whether they possess these attributes. How do you rate? Judge yourself against these edited descriptions of the nine faces of leadership at FedEx.

Charisma

Instills faith, respect, and trust. Has a special gift of seeing what others need to consider. Conveys a strong sense of mission. Very strong in this field, Porsche was extremely successful in inspiring his design teams to overcome perceived challenges, he was described as intense and stubborn but seen also as driven to succeed and ultimately was very successful in challenging times.

Individual consideration

Coaches, advises, and teaches people who need it. Actively listens and gives indications of listening. Gives newcomers a lot of help. In 1935 an Austrian engineer, who had been working for his company for less than a year, came up with a design for a flat four engine within two days of working on the project. After the accountants had checked it, it proved to be the most financially viable option. The same engine design has driven the Volkswagen Beetle for the last 60 years.

Intellectual