Labor Day Is About More Than a Day Off
Today, I hope you rest.
Enjoy your family. Fire up the grill. Watch some football. Put the phone down for a while.
You don’t need another list of things to accomplish today.
It’s Labor Day.
And sometimes progress looks like knowing when to work—and knowing when to rest.
But while we have the day off, I think it’s worth remembering why we have the day at all.
Why We Celebrate Labor Day
Labor Day was born during a period of tremendous growth in America.
In the late 1800s, industry was expanding rapidly. Factories were producing. Railroads were connecting the country. Businesses were growing.
But behind all of that progress were people.
People doing the work.
Many were working extremely long days, six or seven days a week, often under difficult and dangerous conditions.
Workers began organizing for better treatment and greater recognition of their contribution.
On September 5, 1882, thousands of workers gathered in New York City for what is widely recognized as America’s first Labor Day celebration.
By 1894, Labor Day had become a federal holiday.
So underneath the cookouts, sales and long weekend is an idea worth remembering:
People matter to progress.
More than 130 years later, I wonder if that’s a message we still need.
Work Has Changed. People Haven’t.
Today, most of us reading this aren’t working in the factories of the 1880s.
We have laptops.
Zoom.
Artificial intelligence.
Remote teams.
Automation.
Technology that allows one person to accomplish things that once required an entire department.
Work keeps changing.
But the human desire to know that our work matters hasn’t changed very much.
People still want to contribute.
People still want to grow.
People still want to know where they’re going.
People still want to be part of something meaningful.
And people still want to know that what they do makes a difference.
Maybe that’s something worth remembering on Labor Day.
Something Interesting We’re Seeing
Over the past several weeks, we’ve been asking leaders to complete our Make Progress Team Assessment.
And I’ve been paying attention to what they’re telling us.
The responses don’t paint a picture of organizations where nobody is working.
Quite the opposite.
These are leaders running companies, managing teams, serving customers and pursuing significant goals.
But some interesting phrases keep appearing in the results:
Not enough of the right people.
Weak accountability and ownership.
A team that isn’t all-in.
Everything running through the leader.
Not moving fast enough.
Lack of clarity around the vision.
That got me thinking.
Maybe one of the biggest challenges facing organizations today isn’t getting people to work.
Maybe it’s helping all that work produce progress.
There’s a difference.
Busy Isn’t the Same as Progress
You can work all day and still not move the organization forward.
You can attend every meeting.
Answer every email.
Complete every task.
Hit every deadline.
And still finish the week wondering:
What actually got better?
I’ve experienced that myself.
There are seasons when you’re working hard but moving slowly.
And there are other seasons when the right people, clear priorities and focused effort seem to create momentum.
The amount of work isn’t always the difference.
Sometimes it’s the direction of the work.
That’s why I think Labor Day gives all of us—leaders and employees—an interesting opportunity to reflect.
Not on how much we’re doing.
But on what our work is producing.
What Is Your Work Producing?
Don’t answer that too quickly.
Think about it.
Because work produces more than revenue.
Your work can produce confidence in someone.
Your work can develop another person.
Your work can solve a customer’s problem.
Your work can create stability for your family.
Your work can strengthen a community.
Your work can build something that didn’t exist before you showed up.
And sometimes the greatest progress isn’t immediately visible on a spreadsheet.
That’s why I’ve always believed work has meaning beyond compensation.
A paycheck tells you what someone is willing to pay for your work.
It doesn’t tell you the full value of your contribution.
A Different Labor Day Question
So I’m not giving you homework today.
No five-step plan.
No challenge to complete before midnight.
Enjoy your holiday.
But sometime today, maybe while you’re sitting outside, driving home or getting ready for the week ahead, think about one question:
Did something become better because I showed up?
Maybe it’s your business.
Maybe it’s your team.
Maybe it’s a customer.
Maybe it’s your family.
Maybe it’s you.
If the answer is yes, that’s worth celebrating.
And if the answer makes you uncomfortable, that’s worth paying attention to too.
Because progress begins with clarity.
The People Behind the Progress
Labor Day was created because a growing nation had to stop long enough to recognize something that economic statistics could easily hide:
There were people behind the progress.
There still are.
There is a person behind every sale.
Every customer experience.
Every innovation.
Every shipment.
Every classroom.
Every hospital room.
Every small business.
Every growing company.
Every great team.
So today, before we rush back into another week of targets, deadlines, meetings and responsibilities, let’s remember the people who make progress possible.
Including you.
Rest today.
Be grateful for the opportunity to contribute.
Appreciate the people who contribute alongside you.
And tomorrow, when it’s time to go back to work, don’t just go back to being busy.
Go back determined to make what you do matter.
Because work is what we do.
Progress is what our work can produce.
Make Progress.
Walter Bond
Build the People. Build the Culture. Build the Business.
Want to know what’s helping—or slowing—your team’s progress?
Our Make Progress Team Assessment is helping leaders get a clearer picture of where their teams really stand.