Your Punctuality is Reflecting More Than You Know
By: Michael Lanasa
Tags: Business, Startup, Leadership, Life Lessons, Entrepreneurship

Life is anything but predictable. People will argue the validity of free will until the end of time. One thing remains to be true though. So much of life boils down to how you react to it.

I like to think that be proactive is always the best approach. Too many things at least. Yet, we don’t always have a choice in the matter if unpredictable circumstances arise. We are thrown into reactive mode. How you respond is everything, and it speaks volumes to the kind of person you are deep down.

One of the foundations of social and professional life is punctuality. Unfortunately, this is often at odds with the curveballs life throws at you. There can be a plethora of natural or human causes that will put a hard stop on your punctuality.

How you respond matters. How you communicate matters. Ask yourself: Do I value punctuality and understand how it reflects upon me?

Why does punctuality matter?

Trust & Dependability

So much of our world comes down to this one word. We place an underappreciated amount of trust in absolute strangers. While many say that we earn trust, for many it is pre-loaded when meeting people.

In the workplace, hiring is a vetting process in itself. There’s a baseline of trust that many have for new coworkers, managers or direct reports. It makes us comfortable to think we can safely hand off responsibility to someone.

If you are the person who is late to your interview, that IS your first impression. Follow that up with habitual tardiness to meetings or deadlines, and you’re now that person. While arguable better than lacking interpersonal skills, it still breeds distrust.

The act of being punctual will strengthen or confirm the trust others have in you. We all know who the most dependable people are in our lives. Also in our workplaces. When they say they will be somewhere to help you or make a meeting, you have no doubt it will happen. Be that person and make it habitual.

Respect

What is one of the first feelings you have when someone is late for a meeting? Or lunch? If they’re normally punctual and reliable, it’s surprising. Likely the assumption that something came up and it’s out of their control. But they’ll arrive.

Now, what if that person is always late? I’m willing to guess one of the thoughts that circulate is that they don’t respect your time. Or the plans. Or the meeting. While this may not be true, it can be hard to avoid this internal accusation.

The presumption that someone’s actions are indicative of who they are at the core. Less about uncontrollable circumstances. It comes down to one thing: repetition.

Being punctual shows you have respect for yourself, others and the subject at hand. People want to believe you have that respect and enjoy returning the favor. Give the sign that doing so is worth their time.

Integrity

We all know that phrase that ‘your word is your bond.’ Like it or not, this holds true throughout all aspects of life.

When you give your word, it immediately stands to reflect upon you as a person. As a coworker. A friend. And while other judgments are reversible, damage to your integrity isn’t the same. Losing the value of your word can be irreversible, depending on the circumstances.

It stands to reason that your stamp, your seal of your personal brand, gets its value from your word. Make it unwavering.