Being on time is late.

Being on time is late; what does that mean???

I joined the Army in 1987 and went to basic training in Aug of that year. My entire life was dictated by a schedule. The Drill Sergeants planned your day from 5 am to 10 pm every day for the next eight weeks. I'm sure everyone who has ever served in the armed forces knows what that's like. I remember the Drill Sergeants telling us recruits that if you are 5 minutes early, you are late. It was a reminder to get there early because the entire platoon would only do pushups if everyone weren't in formation on time. No one wanted to be the last guy in formation, so they caused everyone to do pushups. It didn't matter; we always did pushups even if everyone was there 5 min early because the Drill Sergeants were hiding somewhere nearby to see who was last in formation. If it was the same person, they got pulled aside during the day to do corrective action (extra PUSHUPS) to improve their behavior. Everyone tried to prepare for formation 10 minutes early, hoping we wouldn't have to do pushups that morning. We still did pushups; I would learn later in life that is just what Drill Sergeants did to help get you physically fit and instill discipline.?

After Basic Training, I went to Advanced Individual Training to become an Intelligence Analyst. I spent six incredible months in beautiful San Angelo, Texas, at Goodfellow Airforce Base. This was a much better and laid-back environment than I had just left at Basic Training. Drill Sergeants didn't make us do pushups all the time; we still had to do formations; most of us got there just in time, and things became more relaxed. I kept thinking, this is much better; the Army wasn't just about doing pushups all the time. I started fitting into a more comfortable and enjoyable Army Life. I would get to formations on time, but not as early as I used to. I showed up when all my fellow soldiers did. I joined the herd, just following along.??

In April 1988, I went to my first Duty station in Fort Hood, TX. I was a Private and excited to start doing the job for which I had just completed training. I lived off-post and had to drive about 15 min to get to formation for work. Most of the time, I showed up just in time for formation at 6 am for Physical Training (PT), the first formation of the day. After about a month, one day, I woke up late and sped my car to get to the formation on time. I pulled into the parking lot at about 5:59 am and sprinted across the parking lot and the field where the rest of the unit was getting ready for PT. I got into formation and breathed hard, struggling to stay at attention before beginning.

After PT, the First Sergeant said I needed to see him in his office at 8 am. I didn't have a clue why he wanted to see me. So, of course, I was extremely nervous and scared. I was 19 years old and was terrified; no one wanted to be called to see the First Sergeant. I reported to his office at about 7:55 and knocked on his door, informing him I was there. He looked down at his watch, looked back at me, and invited me in. He told me to sit while he looked at some papers on his desk. What I believe to be 5 minutes later, I was too scared to look at my watch while sitting there quietly, but he looked back at me and said, "Private Larson, I've been observing you this past month. Your Squad leader has told me you have been doing a good job and taking initiative. I'm glad to hear that!" I started to relax; this wasn't going to be so bad. I took a deep breath and smiled, proud that the First Sergeant was happy with my performance. The following few words were about to impact the rest of my life profoundly. The First Sergeant said, "I've noticed you show up just in time for formation; I know you live off post. Are you having trouble getting here?" I told him, "No, sometimes I hit a couple of red lights that slow me down some mornings." He said, "Private Larson, being on time is late!" I looked at him dumbfounded, not entirely understanding what he was saying. In the back of my mind, I remember the Drill Sergeants saying something similar in Basic Training. I didn't say a word; he then told me the importance of being early for formations. I won't bore you with everything he said, but I took it to heart.??

I started waking up 15 min earlier, showing up at 5:45; most of the morning, I was the first person there. I would kick the dirt, stretch, mulling around, waiting for someone to arrive. I remember people saying things like, "You're here early," "Didn't hit any traffic?"?and stuff like that. In those next 30 days, I always got there early, but I also discovered that the First Sergeant was also there, in his car, in his office, standing near the wall, having a smoke. Some mornings, he would tell me good morning or nod. On other mornings, he would come up and speak to me, ask me how I was enjoying the unit, how I liked the town, and what I did on the weekend. I was creating relationships and being more accepted.??

However, I also noticed who was there early, who showed up late, and who spoke to whom when they arrived. I was learning about people's interactions and relationships with one another. I also started making new friends because I was there early. I was getting invites to go to parties or get to repel off the side of a cliff on the weekends because of the new relationships I was building. I was relaxed and ready for the day. Another thing happened soon after I started coming in early.??

The First Sergeant approached me and said congratulations; I was promoted to Private First Class. I was so happy! Over the next few years, I continued my practice of being early for every formation, being at work 15 minutes early. I was more relaxed and prepared and was getting straight to the day's activities. I was promoted to Specialist early and ultimately made Sergeant in 2 years. I was given good work assignments and was selected to go to Germany for temporary duty for six months. Throughout my military career, I was given better job duties, sometimes above what was customarily given to my pay grade. My leaders took notice and knew they could give me more responsibility and that I would do it right. Everyone noticed in a positive way when you were early. Being 'just' on time or late made you stand out in a way you didn’t want.

Eight years after I enlisted, I decided to leave the military. I continued to show up early for work; when I was working as a Field Service Engineer, I would show up early and sit in a customer's lobby 15 minutes before I was scheduled. Sometimes, they came out early to see me; other times, they didn't. But that was okay; it was important to me that I valued their time and didn't ever want to be late. However, what I also got by getting there early was time to make connections and observe other people’s comings and goings. I could look at the sign-in sheet to see which companies they worked with. I was collecting information, as I was trained as an Intelligence Analyst. Collect information and provide it to my manager or the Sales teams for these companies. I've continued to collect, analyze, and use the information gathered in this way to my and my organization's advantage for the past 30 years.

Over the years, I have had excellent evaluations and customer reviews. No manager told me I was tardy or needed to arrive on time.??My behavior was being noticed. I would get promotions and higher pay raises than my peers and eventually move into leadership roles. While working as an IT Manager, I started meeting with vendors for hardware and software products. I would take notice of the sales teams that showed up early, those who respected my time. Of course, I primarily took notice of the sales teams that showed up later or missed the deadline to provide me with the information they agreed to send to me. Sometimes, I didn't meet with organizations who showed up late and wasted my and my team's time. Time is valuable; it is a commodity. Wasting someone’s time is wasting money!!

Fifteen years ago, I moved into Technical Pre-Sales roles; I continued to show up early and tried to set a good example for my peers. I observed that the Sales Account Executives who respected time and showed up early or followed up on tasks earlier than what was agreed were often more successful. When you arrive early, it allows you to mentally prepare for a meeting, gather your thoughts, and begin the meeting on time and with a purpose, whether in person or virtual. You get the time to interact with the people you are selling with and making personal relationships. They often share information with you between 2 or 3 people in a smaller setting before others join the larger meeting. I've always believed that people buy from people they like. When you value their time and show up early, you make them feel unique, valued, and essential!?

Over the years, I have been more successful by being early; I've been rewarded with working with great people and getting to know customers who remember me for respecting their time. I had a customer with whom I've had the pleasure of working at four different companies, and she kept my business card from each company. To this day, she reaches out to me asking questions about a problem she is trying to solve and what I think about the technology she is evaluating. She will always have a meeting with me to?get to know the newest product I'm representing. She knows I won't waste her time if I don't think it will fit into their organization.???

Being early has provided me with tremendous rewards. About ten months after I had arrived in Fort Hood, Texas, I woke up to a flat tire before trying to head out to morning formation for PT. I took 20 minutes to change the tire and rush to morning formation. I still made it there before 6 am. Later that day, my First Sergeant came and found me in the motor pool and asked me if everything was okay. He noticed that I wasn't at morning formation early. I told him about my flat tire and that I would have to try and get it fixed after work before a tire repair shop closed. He smiled, then told me, "Being early allows you to be on time when life causes a delay."?Boy, was he right; it wasn't the first time I would have something delay me, and it wouldn't be the last. My First Sergeant pulled out his wallet and took out a $20 bill. He handed it to me and provided me with the name and location of a local auto shop where I could get my tire repaired. He told me it should only cost about $5, but I could keep the change. He told me to take my wife out for a nice dinner. I was excited because, in the 80s, $15 would be an excellent dinner for two. We were going out for steak!??

My First Sergeant told me to leave a few hours early to get my car fixed. He had called and told the owner I would be there at 3 pm. I arrived at 2:45. They fixed my flat, put it on my car, and stored my spare tire in the trunk. He didn't charge me for the repair; he just asked that I consider them when I need new tires. That 20 dollars allowed my wife and I to have dessert with that steak. My First Sergeant appreciated my being early and acknowledged when I wasn't early, knowing I probably had an issue.??

I have personally and indirectly shared this wisdom with others these past 37 years. The valuable advice "Being on time is late"?has provided me with excellent personal and professional opportunities and relationships, including showing up early for that first date with my wife. She was early as well! A match made in heaven!

The only time I want to be late is at my funeral.?