Reflections ... Labor Day

“It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Labor Day

Today is Labor Day. The U.S. Department of Labor states that Labor Day “constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” APM especially values this day because it was started in the unions as a day to commemorate hard work. All of your dedication and hard work throughout this “unprecedented” year is very much appreciated.

This day is dedicated to all of the hard workers – YOU. On behalf of our APM Family, THANK YOU for your commitment in time, energy, and perseverance.

Looking Ahead

We celebrate Labor Day as many of our APM teammates return to the field for the fall outage season. This past week we have 800 teammates in the field working 36K hours. By the end of September we expect three times that much volume, pushing 110K hours.

I appreciate there is a lot of uncertainty around us – in our society, in our business, in our personal lives. And I appreciate that creates angst. I sense that in your questions on the open forum calls and in our 1:1 discussions. I read that daily in my newsfeeds and social media. I hear that in my wife’s voice as school is restarting this week.

I ask that you reflect on the 5 tenets that kept us successful throughout our spring outage season. They are bulleted below – you can read them in more detail here and here.

• Say thank you often.

• Do your job well – maintain daily focus and confidence.

• Use the chain of command.

• Lead yourself and your teams.

• Celebrate our success.

What have we done well? What can we improve? Keeping these in mind will help you and our APM team excel this fall.

Thanks again for all that you contribute to make APM (and beyond) strong and successful.

May you enjoy the Labor Day weekend – you have earned it!

May you return next week ready to win the fall outage season!

—Jake