Be Prompt

Alarm Clock

If you want to be very productive, you must make sure you are on-time for all appointments.

Business

Woody Allen once remarked that “90% of life is just showing up”. I’d like to modify this truism to state to “…showing up on-time”.

Imagine that you are just five minutes late to an important meeting with 11 other people; however, this team decided to delay the beginning of the meeting until you arrived as they value your input. The meeting does start as soon as sit down at the conference table.

You were only five minutes late, so what is the big deal? First, everyone is busy, and people take notice when one is inconsiderate of their time. Second, this was not just a mere five minutes that disappeared. When one multiple this short span of time by the number of people in the room, it becomes clear that a full hour was utterly lost. In addition, this wasted time is translated into wasted payroll for your firm.

Questions: Do you think your customers want to buy products or services from anyone who makes them wait? Do you suppose that your own supplierscontractors will give the very best cost if you are late? Do you believe your manager or direct reports will respect someone who wastes their time?

Bottom Line: to be productive and successful, be prompt for all internal and external appointments.

Personal

Do you prefer to be ‘fashionably late’ to social engagements? Too bad…you are making a big mistake. Let me explain why:

  1. The first guests to any event get more face time with the host or hostess. Arriving early is a great way to let others know that you think they are important.
  2. The first guests are present when all the others arrive and are usually introduced to all the others who arrive later. This gives you an opportunity to get to know a larger number of people.

By arriving late, you truly miss out on many networking and friendship opportunities. More face time, not less, is a better plan. Instead of walking into a party several hours into it, consider being the first one there. The one contact that changes your life might be there too.