If it’s a billable meeting I’m getting paid to read :)

/johan/

I do understand that sometimes things happen that you have little control over. But that is a very rare occurrence.

Jim

Respect is a powerful thing. To be late, and not give notice, is disrespectful. Period. To show disrespect can cost you business, friends, and in some places, your life. As far as using delays as a negotiation tactic, one of the greatest freedoms the entrepreneurial lifestyle gives you, is the freedom to do business with whomever you choose. I have also walked away from business with people who did not show me respect. It inevitably leads to distrust. I may be poorer for it, but I am definitely happier.

And canceling/stalling is a known negotiating strategy of certain large corporations. It’s even taught in negotiation classes. Wait until you fly across the globe and have the potential client cancel that morning.

Leaving a note saying “You obviously have too many other, more pressing commitments to focus on our time today, so let’s reschedule when you are more available” can be a powerful negotiating strategy in business, even with potential customers, because it says “I want to talk with you but I don’t _need_ to talk with you”. This seems more productive than this current approach.

On the other hand, I also deal with people who don’t value my time by being late, forgetting their appointment etc. This is probably the most frustrating part of the job.

Something that we have noticed is that the younger patients – Gen Y, tend to be much more comfortable with attempting to cancel at late notice. We have a policy specifically for this demographic. If you cancel at short notice, your next appointment will be no less than six weeks wait. Usually, they miraculously clear their schedule and can attend at the agreed time.

Has anybody else noticed trends such as this?

Ya know, that was the part that annoyed me the most. I had gotten to relaxed about my rules as to how I’m to be treated. That is my responsibility for sure.

I’m with you.

I make a point to leave extremely early for commitments to save myself undo stress. There are always unexpected delays – traffic, or realizing you need gas, or whatever.

I once had an appointment to do work for a dentist. He kept me waiting for 20 minutes. His assistant came out and said, “He’ll be with you in 10 minutes.” and I replied, “Tell him I’ll be gone in two.” and he came right out.

You teach people how you want to be treated.

I think one of the things people fine refreshing in Jay and I is that we are very passionate about what we do and we stay in integrity with who we really are. If we suggest something, it’s cause we use it. If we suggest doing something it’s cause we do it. And, if we believe in something, it’s cause we passionately believe!

Now, I do stay relatively general in my personality on the show and in the blog, but from time to time I need to shake things up a bit. However, you are correct. I didn’t add our usual brand of tips or steps to take to overcome an issue, so I will do it now;

7 steps to take to stay in integrity with your word when it comes to keeping your commitments.

1. Understand that strong people see tardiness as disrespectful, so take the following steps:
2. Plan ahead.
3. Make sure you have everything you need to fulfill your commitment ahead of time, don’t wait till the last minute.
4. Leave 15 minutes earlier then you think you will need too. That way if anything comes up, you have extra time to handle it.
5. If an emergency happens, call the party you intend to meet with ASAP.
6. Know that non-emergency excuses are never really believed, but most people are too polite to make an issue out of them. Take responsibility for not planning correctly, apologize and commit to doing everything you can to not letting it happen again.
7. Don’t make commitments you don’t really intend to keep, this is the kiss of death when it comes to actually getting yourself to keep them on time.

I really hope this helps for anyone that has an issue with punctuality.

You and Jay are great at offering solid advice on how to change my mindset or improve my business. However, other than inciting an “amen” from the choir or making the guilty feel chastised, this post seems to be missing your usual M.O.

What would have been cool is a constructive suggestion about how to handle the problem.

I am a fan of the show and enjoy your advice. This one just caught me off guard so I had to speak up.

Where is the line though? When EVERYONE I was to meet up with was late or didn’t even show up in the last week, what then? Do I rack it up to they are just human? I guess I should have specified a couple things though. With exception of one person, no one called or let me know they would be late. I had no way of knowing. One person called when I had already arrived at our meeting place and said they would be 30 minutes late, at least I then knew, but come on!

I wonder at what point it’s an excuse that everyone is just human. Integrity is human, too… I hope… At what point is someone just being human or at what point are they dishonest? I got through any challenges and overcame a ‘human’ events to get there on time, why should I constantly give everyone else a pass. (rant continued and now paused, GRIN)

Okay, so maybe it isn’t about them being fundamentally dishonest, but it was clear they didn’t value my time in the least. That may not be totally dishonest, but that sure speaks volumes about how I should trust them when it comes to my time and attention, does it not?

I can’t help thinking that this view goes to an extreme with you. Time is important, but so are people. Saying that someone is fundamentally dishonest if they are late is just too much.

Agreed, there is no excuse for chronic lateness, but people are human. Hearing your rant makes me wonder if this hardline approach fails to recognize that. It makes me sad to think that you might apply this to your view of people in your life and let it affect valued relationships.

I’m not saying you have to be permissive, but there are much healthier ways to approach this without being such a hardass.

I feel better for 5 minutes until it happens again. I’ve always wondered how to have ambition and then just be relaxed when people disrespect me and my time? I’m not sure how tomorrow would make me feel better, especially if someone disrespects me today, then I wait till tomorrow and they do it again! I’m an ambition, capitalist American… now what?!~ hehe…

@Brian,

I too was in the military, that certainly fulfilled my need for punctuality and in that one specific area I loved being in the military!

It’s all about Mañana.

If it helps anyone, I’ve taken your structured scheduling tips mentioned a couple of episodes back and seen positive results almost immediately. It has created a sense of urgency that was sorely needed, and a sense of actual progression at the end of each day.

Keep it up guys, thanks, and I wish you all the best!!