When is 'on time' for you?
Let's meet for lunch at 11:00. Simple. Clear. Concise.
What time do you get there? Fifteen minutes early, ten, or at 11:00 precisely?
Lateness: when do you feel you are late? 1 minute after, fifteen or when you get there?
Do other people: set their watch by you, or just know you'll be there when you can.
Has this cost you in the past?
What is your driving metaphor on timeliness? Insight to my head: "If I am late someone may die!" With that in your head wow do you freak when someone else wanders in whenever for a meeting!
Edward T. Hall addresses this in his book on time. Culture plays a role. My friend raised in Africa can not understand my 'Prussian' time. Show up have a drink play the drums 'Its all good' attitude. Whereas I want the train now!
Some seminar leaders have their own clocks and they just start late and run you in the ground. In the 'work' world the factory clock rules. Three lates in a year and you're fired! Low level jobs in cube farm.
So when are you late?
Comments
Great post Tim! This is a sensitive subject for me. Did you ever see my other e-mal adress "lmclateagain"? My husband and his whole family are late for everything. It's a big joke to them when at every wedding they are all sitting up at the back of the church laughing at eachother, and waiting to see which one of them will be the last one in. Someone coined the name The McLateagains instead of the McLellans. I thought it was funny, but now I realize it's a curse. I actually lied about the time of our wedding so my husband would be there on time. I felt bad for the 265 guests who were early but I didn't want to have to divorce my husband on our wedding day for being late.
He always leaves the house at the time he's supposed to be somewhere. My daughter is developing that trait, so I am trying to get it through her head now, that if softball practice is at 5:30 then we leave at 5:15 not 5:30.
I consider late for myself to be 1 minute, but if I'm waiting for others, I give them at least 5 minutes and up to 15 before I really consider them late.
When I am babysitting, I always try to be a few minutes early, but not too early or the parents get stressed that they are running late.
Great topic Tim!
You are right. Culture plays a major role. When I lived in France, being 5 to 10 minutes late for an appointment was practically normal for the majority of (French) people. But what was acceptable seemed to vary depending on the region and the occasion.
After I moved to the UK, having to lead by example for my job, I decided to adjust... only to realize that most of the young staff working for me had no notion of timekeeping. However, anyone over the age of 30 was always diligently early by 5 or 10 minutes. So there may well be a generation issue, too.
(Nowadays, I clearly set my expectations from the day they start regardless of their age, and everyone is always ready for work 5 minutes early.)
Like babysitting expert, Lisa McLellan, when I'm waiting for someone, I give them about 15 minutes to turn up, then I'm gone. I can't stand anyone messing with my time.
Yann
Success Coach & Personal Development
great question
people come 5-10 minutes late, i might not be there. that is always the case for teleconsults.
www.kevinhogan.com
Is soo very important to me. I am usually 10 minutes or more early for most everything I do.
Focus Your Energy
Matthew Shields
I grew up in a very regimented home ... my father was forever 'syncronizing watches' and announcing 'estimated eta'. I learned some serious practical lessons for being tardy so it is very instilled in me to be on time. I am very rarely late ... usually 10 minutes early -- this is so I can 'scope' the place, settle in and prepare for whatever is ahead as usually I had quite a drive to get to wherever. People who arrive late for meetings tell me that they have no respect for the effort put in by everyone else to be on time. I automatically assume they are lazy, slobbish and run there whole life in that manner. If a presenter starts their session late without explanation and then runs over time, I will walk out at the time it should have finished if I have another appointment. I always mention it on the 'assessment card'.
As a complementary care practitioner, it is imperative that my appointments are on schedule (although I allow 15 minutes between for leeway, cleanup and preparation for next client). If a client is tardy, I gently remind them that they are late and that I must end their session at the allotted time to be fair to my next client. I charge them full price. Usually, it doesn't happen again.
I have a relative that is exactly 3 hours late for everything. We figured that out and we simply lie to him about the time by 3 hours -- solves lots of hard feelings.
Now ... if I'm in Jamaica ... that's a different story...
Great post -- almost got me wired up on that one, Tim! It used to me one of my pet peeves.
Sue
Tim, Gitomer says you can be ahead of the competion with 3 simple rules:
Say please and thank you
Be on time
Do everything you say you will do.
But if you commit to just DO the above each and every day WITHOUT FAIL you will find they are not as simple as they seem. But you will also find he is right. They set you above the competition and people APRECIATE you for it.
Sonya Lenzo
www.sonyamlenzo.com
Aaron
This is is my biggest pet peeve! Being on time, for me, is a sign of respect. I try very hard not to keep people waiting because I don't want to waste their time. TIme that you spend waiting for someone is usually dead time...you can't really do anything in that time because you have no idea when the person will show.
Jenn
Wardrobe Planning Expert
0-5 minutes early!
john the mortgage dude!
Awww man, I hate when people are late and don't give you the courtesy of letting you know.
When I see my clients I usually arrive 10 mins. early and just hang out until about 2 mins. before our appointment.
I usually can be patient and wait for someone for 5 mins. or so but 15 minutes late and you have officially wasted my time, which is a CARDINAL sin.
Also, what is that on your head in the picture?
Sabrina
Online Fitness and Weight Loss Programs
That way you know up front I am batty!
<a ="http://www.drhelton.com/">Dr Helton, making your skin beautiful without surgery, nationally renowned Cosmetic Dermatologist</a>
Respect others time and learn their individual sense of time. Are they strict or loose.
Yes, TR would make us wait hours for a ten minute talk. Our convenience was his inconvenience.
Steve Chambers, Sales Trainer
more tomorrow Time.
ahhhhhhhhhh
All the best,
April BraswellRomance Coach, Online Dating Coach
being on time is very important to me. I feel that if you don't respect of persons time you don't respect person. Time is valuable and once it's gone you don't get it back. I am usually five minutes early and I'm all stressed out if I am one minute late.
Scott A. Bell
I Am the Road Warrior