The Passing of Punctuality
Personal Business Skills Articles
Submit Articles Back to Articles
One thing that really sets me off is when someone is late for an appointment
(you'll probably remember me ranting about "Doctor's Offices" not long ago). And
it really drives me bananas when the person is unapologetic for being late. To
me, being late is a sign of disrespect to the person or persons you are to meet.
I believe it was Mahatma Gandhi who said, "Being late is an act of violence,
an act of terrorism, because you unnerve people." Consequently I make an
effort to keep my appointments and try to arrive on time if not a bit earlier.
My friends kid me that I operate on "Tim Time" as I show up earlier than just
about everyone else.
Punctuality is a sign of discipline, something we try to ingrain in our youth
through school bells. If you're late for a class, you are given a "Tardy Slip"
which might carry a penalty of serving in "Detention" (the school's version of
jail). Nonetheless, schools are trying to operate on a routine basis and have an
agenda to follow in order to properly educate our youth. I cannot imagine a
public or private school that doesn't operate according to such structure.
I understand President Bush is a stickler for punctuality, going so far as to
lock the door to cabinet meetings when they start. I think it would be rather
amusing to see the door handle jiggle from the outside by a Cabinet Secretary
who arrived late for a meeting.
Back when I was managing a critical I.T. project, I would start the day with
a status meeting with my team of programmers at 8:30am. Inevitably someone would
show up a few minutes late thereby holding up the meeting. Being a baseball fan,
I would admonish the programmers, "Do baseball players show up at game time?
No, they arrive early to stretch, warm-up and practice a little." (In fact,
baseball players are fined if they show up late). To overcome my problem, I
changed the start of the meetings to 8:00am ("Tim Time") thereby forcing the
programmers to show up earlier so we could properly accomplish our work. It's
sad that we have to do such tricks to get people to show up on time.
We could also berate people for being late, fine them, or let them go, but
more than anything, it bothers me that people simply lack the discipline and
consideration for keeping an appointment. Maybe we need to institute some school
bells in the work place and pass out some "Tardy Slips." That would be a hoot.
About the Author
Tim Bryce is a writer and management consultant located in Palm Harbor,
Florida. You can find his work on the Internet at:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm
He can be contacted at:
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Copyright © 2007 Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
Follow us @Scopulus_News
Article Published/Sorted/Amended on Scopulus 2008-01-07 19:33:41 in Personal Articles
