Be On Time

Making a sale, getting the books closed out, making coffee, finishing work for that new client, emptying the trash and a myriad of other things tend to make up an entrepreneur’s typical day. All of the rush of just keeping the business moving ahead often leads to running a little bit behind. But this is a bad habit to get into, as it can create problems down the road with customers, bankers, partners and family members all of whom are counting on you, or even expecting you, to be on time.
Being late is bad business etiquette. Chronic lateness can say a lot about a person’s character. Any form of lateness can be viewed as a sign of disrespect.
Diana DeLonzor, author of Never Be Late Again: Seven Cures for the Punctually Challenged, says that there are seven types of tardy people. A review in the Denver Post offers this summary:

Rationalizers: They deny their problem and maintain they’re late only occasionally.
Indulgers: Run late because they give in to procrastination. They lack self-discipline and moral fiber. Should join the military.
Deadliners: Get their thrills from crisis-induced adrenaline, so they almost enjoy missing planes, trains, weddings, birthdays.
Perfectionists: Tend to be female, hence the Washington Post-style neologism “inerstrogen” to describe the state of trying on five outfits, four hairstyles and three types of lipstick while in a tearing hurry.
Rebels: Time is so bourgeois. And what better way to show your contempt for society than by freeing yourself from the shackles of the schedule. Should the revolution come, they would miss it.
Absent-minded professors: They get easily distracted en route. They’re the ones who actually stop and smell the flowers.
Producers: Feel unimportant and self-medicate by overscheduling.

I am not sure which of these types best fit my students who are chronically late, but I sure have a lot of tardiness in my classes these days. For right now it just makes their old professor irritable and cranky. However, some day this bad habit could cost them a lot of money.
Well I better get going now. The absent-minded professor doesn’t want to be late for class…..