A Passion for Engines and Racing
The Story of Soichiro Honda
Japan’s remarkable rise from the ashes of destruction after World War II and its transformation into a wealthy country with the world’s highest life expectancy was partly due to the leadership of a few extraordinary entrepreneurs. These business leaders were focused not on personal wealth but on creating innovative, highly successful companies that benefitted customers, employees and society at large.
Konosuke Matsushita was born into poverty but grew to found Panasonic and then set up a leading educational institution for a new type of Japanese leader. Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka founded Sony, which in the 1970s and 1980s was the leading innovator in consumer electronics. These entrepreneurs were not part of the old keiretsu (business groups that were affiliated with banks and trading companies) and helped create modern Japan. One of the brightest stars, and perhaps the most independent amongst this eminent group, was Soichiro Honda (1906–1991), the founder of the Honda Motor Company.
A key feature of Honda’s life stands out. Honda followed his passions and built his life around what he enjoyed doing. Too often, we conduct our lives as a means to an end. While we all need to make a living, spending one’s life primarily in activities that one feels is dreary or only for the money results in…
