Recently I hired a contractor to do some minor plumbing repairs to my house. He was scheduled to arrive yesterday at 8am, and he did not show. Later in that day, I called his cell phone number and left him a message.
The next day, bright and early, I received a call from Bill. He said he was very, very sorry. He forgot. From his tone of voice, it was easy to tell he was sincere. I have known Bill for many years, and I have a high level of trust and respect for him. As a result of his error, Bill actually gained respect – not from making the mistake, but rather the way he handles. He gave no excuses. He said “I just screwed up”. I’ll bet he could have come up with some, but he didn’t. As far as he was concerned, there was no excuse for missing an appointment.
Punctuality is such an important virtue to have if we want to be respected. If we are not on time, we are not showing respect for the time of others. It is just that simple. I have some friends and people I interact with who are often not on time. Even though the relationship is good, it could better if they respected my time by being on time.
I remember a presentation on time management I was giving a few years ago. There were nearly 100 in the audience, and I asked, “How many of you have been on time to every appointment for the past year?” A handful of people raised their hand. I then asked, “How did you do it?” They all said the same thing. They left early! Whether it be remembering appointments or being on time, as leaders, we must respect the time of others, and value their time as much as we do ours. We will gain more respect.
