The Power of Progress

Today, we celebrate Labor Day, the collective benefits negotiated by those who labor with those who pay for the labor. This event traces its roots back 140 years to a parade in New York City that almost wasn't a parade (see the origins of Labor Day here).

Since that first Labor Day, countless parades have been celebrated, along with protests, laws, and court cases surrounding workers' pay and protection rules. The effort for fair wages continues today with the recent SAG/AFTRA strike for screenwriters and the numerous local union strikes.

At times, certain individuals stepped up and provided a vision for a better tomorrow for workers. They pushed through even when they encountered setbacks. They persisted even when they didn't make any meaningful progress. As a result, we now have fair wage laws, safety protection for workers, minimum wage, minimum age requirements to protect children, 8-hour work weeks, weekends, and so much more. Some of these rules and protections took decades to achieve. In many cases, it was an incremental win that required a lot of patience and persistence.

It's a good reminder of how long it sometimes takes for progress to be achieved. We live in a world of instant gratification, on-demand production, and delivery services for our food and goods delivered in thirty minutes or less. All of this makes us believe that progress in other things should happen as quickly.

Do you remember where you were 246 days ago? It was Jan 1st, the beginning of a new year. You were setting out your New Year's resolutions, plans, and goals for the year. Do you remember what they were? How are you doing with them? On track, off track, not even being tracked?

September has always seemed like a new season. Summer is over, school starts up for many, and the end of the year is looming ahead of us. We can tell now how realistic our annual goals are and our progress towards achieving them. We have the option to give up or to push through. If the goal is worth pursuing, put in the extra effort. If it's not, let it go and find a goal worth pursuing.

It's also a great reminder as a leader to look after your team. It shouldn't take strikes, laws, and regulations to force you to care for your team. A strong leader is always concerned about the safety and success of their team. They go out of their way to ensure their teams can do their best without any temporary or permanent injury. They don't look to sacrifice their team to benefit the corporate goals. They will need to push the team to perform at times, but it should never harm anyone. That's not leadership; that is taking advantage of someone for your own benefit.

As you grill and enjoy the last days of summer, think about those who stood up to protect you. Take the time to learn more about how you can do the same for future generations. Read up on the current issues impacting your team and industry. Be a voice for the voiceless and help those less advantaged move up in the world.

Happy Labor Day!