How Much Money is that Extra Five Minutes Worth?
NB: I originally wrote this post when I was supposed to be facilitating a training session for a company. The attendees had not yet arrived.
I will not lie, it was frustrating. Severely frustrating. So I vented onto my laptop. The following article is a result of these airings.
With the way social media platforms have become so connected to business, I would be inclined to assert that the way we do things today is probably a little less formal than it used to be. People have their employers on Facebook, clients on Instagram and just about everyone in the industry on LinkedIn. Our personal lives are inherently connected to our professional lives, and the line between the two is becoming ever more blurred as time goes on.
Although there are many benefits to such a set up, it appears we have sacrificed some common professional courtesies in the process.
I cannot count the amount of times I have organized a meeting, interview or training session and had at least one attendee arrive late. Often, the latecomer is apologetic and quick to provide a reason (or twelve) as to why they weren’t on time. Sometimes they are less apologetic. Usually, though, there is a laid back approach to the matter that says ‘This is not a huge deal. What matters is that I’m here, right?’
My answer to this is no. I disagree. I understand that sometimes, on the rarest of occasions, things happen that we cannot anticipate or control. We have all had instances where we have slipped up. Sydney traffic sucks. I get it. What is not okay is normalizing this idea of ‘getting somewhere when you can’ and not when you are supposed to get there.
It’s important to think about the message being sent in that room where someone is waiting for you. In the professional world, being late says the following things:
1. I am unprepared, unreliable and unable to handle simple logistical issues.
If you cannot account for traffic on the way to an appointment, how can someone trust you to account for their business?
2. I don’t value my time / product / career.
If something is really important, we prioritize it. Most people wouldn’t dream of being late to their own wedding, their favourite singer’s concert, or a flight to their favourite holiday destination. If you don’t show the same dedication to your professional meetings, it makes sense that people will naturally question how seriously you take your product and your career.
3. I don’t value the other person’s time.
This one is the clincher for most. The word ‘busy’ is used more today than ever before, because everyone has a lot going on, all the time. To waste their time, then, even for five minutes, shows that you don’t care. So why should they?
4. This meeting is not getting off to a positive start.
Countless research shows us the impact of a positive first impression. Rushing into a room where everyone else is waiting is certainly starting you off on a back foot, and even at a subconscious level it’s difficult to recover from.
Call me old school, but I can safely say that if someone is late to an interview, it is very unlikely that I’m going to recommend their employment. I can recall one instance where the person gave a fantastic interview, but I simply couldn’t get past their unapologetic stroll in 15 minutes after their appointed time. If someone is late to pitch something to me, I’m probably not going to buy what they are selling.
It’s best to always allow extra time with the aim or arriving early. If you end up unavoidably running late, alert the other parties as soon as you know and give them an estimated time of arrival. Make sure you do so respectfully and apologetically. Even then, know that it is a show of unprofessionalism – and an extra five minutes could end up costing you a lot of money and opportunities.
Being early or on time says you care, you’re confident, you’re professional and you’re reliable. They say it’s never too late to achieve your goals. That’s true - but when you’re going through the process of achieving them, you’d better show up early.
Make Today the Day,
Sonia
This blog post was originally posted on my training website, Statusone.com.au, on Feb 28, 2017. I have since been moving some of my favourite blog posts from there over to here, as this is now my ‘content hub’ and I want you to have access to some of the cool stuff I’ve written about before. You can still check out the Status One site if you’re interested in corporate training if you want. Also, don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter below for updates and weekly exclusive content.