While it may sound harsh, it’s a truth that needs to be emphasized more often. Whether it’s attending a dinner party, a conference call, or a coffee meeting, your ability to be on time speaks volumes about your character.
Setting meeting times and deadlines serves a purpose. It allows for effective coordination, minimizes wasted time and effort, and helps establish clear expectations. Just imagine the chaos and inefficiency that would ensue if everyone simply adopted a “chill out” and “go with the flow” attitude. Unfortunately, this lack of punctuality seems to be a growing epidemic, with individuals nonchalantly brushing off their lateness with casual apologies and excuses. While the desired response may be “it’s all good,” the reality is that it’s not okay. Let’s examine what it truly represents.
- Disrespectful: Being punctual demonstrates respect for others. It shows that you value and appreciate their time. If you don’t respect the participants of a meeting or a commitment, then why are you engaging with them in the first place?
- Inconsiderate: Unintentionally being late reflects a general lack of consideration for the lives and schedules of others. It implies that you simply don’t care about inconveniencing them.
- Big-Timing: Intentionally being late is a power move. It’s an attempt to assert dominance or superiority in a relationship. However, it only serves to make you come across as arrogant and disrespectful.
- Incredible (in a negative way): When you consistently miss meeting times or deadlines, your credibility takes a significant hit. If you can’t be relied upon to be punctual, how can you expect others to trust you with more demanding tasks?
- Unprofitable: Let’s consider a scenario where five people are scheduled for a meeting at 2 p.m. Your arrival ten minutes late means you’ve wasted a collective 40 minutes of other people’s time. If we assume the organization bills at $200/hour, someone has to bear the cost of $133. Are you willing to pay that bill?
- Disorganized: If you struggle to keep track of your commitments and adhere to your calendar, it raises questions about your overall organizational skills and reliability. It’s an indication that other aspects of your life may be teetering on the edge of chaos.
- Overly-Busy: While some may equate busyness with importance, truly successful individuals recognize that it’s a fallacy. Maintaining a perpetually hectic schedule only suggests an inability to prioritize or say “no,” neither of which are desirable traits.
- Flaky: Some individuals have a tendency to “flake out,” meaning they arbitrarily decide not to fulfill the commitments they previously made at the very last minute. This behavior displays a lack of responsibility and reliability.
- Megalomaniacal: While most people outgrow this mindset by the age of eight, there are those who genuinely believe they are the center of the universe. Needless to say, this self-centered attitude is far from attractive.
Now, I must acknowledge that even I have been late on occasion. However, when it happens, I make a conscious effort to provide a detailed explanation, offer sincere apologies, emphasize the seriousness with which I regard punctuality, and assure the other person that it won’t happen again.
Paying attention to punctuality is not about being judgmental or stressed. On the contrary, it creates space for caring, considerate, and thoughtful individuals in our lives, be they friends or colleagues. Just imagine how much more relaxed life would be if everyone followed through on their commitments and honored their word? Let’s start with ourselves and embrace the motto I learned as a child: