“No person will make a great business who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit.”
Richard Arkwright was destined to be called the “Father of the Industrial Revolution.” It is an appropriate title in many respects for he possessed the organizational ability to fit all of the “pieces of the puzzle” together. He was in the right place at the right time; he anticipated the demand and built the supply mechanism – the modern factory system.
It is possible, even probable, that one person will receive the acclaim and the accolades. It is in our nature to ascribe credit to one person, to point to a singular incident or a specific discovery or invention. Perhaps it is our way of simplifying the many small details, processes, iterations that work together to create the finished product. We do not usually have the time to ponder the sequence of events. Yet, most of us recognize there are many unsung, unknown people who have worked to bring an idea to life. There is always more to the story; it is this “more” that makes the end result the stuff of legends.
William Shakespeare once wrote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.” There are many players on the Richard Arkwright “stage,” each one contributing to the success of the venture. Their lives were defined by the age in which they lived and their inherent desire to innovate. They looked beyond convention and shunned mediocrity. They played their parts well. Curtain time…