The idea of We

President Obama's speech in Selma, Alabama March 7 was a potent quintessence of the idea of America. You should read it. (Time has the full text here.) 

The ideas business seems so often slanted towards individualism. The lone idea generator. The singular wit. 

But success within the idea business is much more often the result of "we."  

And in the building of this idea we call America, Obama rightly claims:

"...the single most powerful word in our democracy is the word “We.” We The People. We Shall Overcome. Yes We Can. It is owned by no one. It belongs to everyone. Oh, what a glorious task we are given, to continually try to improve this great nation of ours."

"We know America is what we make of it."

Every idea I've ever worked on was the result of we, not me. I have never produced anything worthwhile alone. Any success I've had in the ideas business is absolutely the result of collaboration. (About the only project I do entirely alone is this blog, and I suspect it shows!)

Like this nation of ours, our "constant work in progress" as the President called it, the ideas business can not thrive on the efforts of individuals alone. Better to seek out community, to build partnerships. Better to unite outstanding individuals. Better to celebrate the band than the performer. 

The track record of "we" is so much better than that of "me."