Are you actually late?
There’s a stark contrast in how people view the 2–7 minute window when a meeting is scheduled to start.
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There’s a camp that insists on being precisely on time and will apologize for being late if they arrive 2 minutes past the scheduled start time.
“I’m SO sorry I am late, my last call ran over!”
This camp usually goes into explanation mode to justify why they did not arrive on the dot. It’s as if they are admitting that they did something wrong.
The other camp habitually arrives 3–7 minutes late, but usually does not apologize nor provide an explanation for the tardiness. They get right down to business nevertheless.
Here’s an argument for and against each side:
For on-the-dot timeliness; against casual tardiness
Respects others’ time; compromises others’ flow
Shows time management; suggests a lack of boundaries
Conveys discipline; hints at chaos
For casual tardiness; against on-the-dot timeliness
Sees things through; risks overextension
Gives attention when attention is needed; signals poor prioritization
Doesn’t sweat the minutia; distracts from the big picture
In a world where productivity is counted by the second…
Is the on-the-dot timeliness camp ultra-accountable and diligent, or is it too stuck in the weeds to focus on what really matters?
Is the casual tardiness camp high-performing and solely focused on getting things done, or is it chaotically disrupting the overall flow?
