The Latecomer Boo

“BOOOOOOOO!” we all hollered with disdain as our fellow student entered the classroom late for the tenth time in a row. Yes, we were counting. It was a typical Wednesday morning in this Philadelphia classroom where we were all attending an in-person licensing class. This woman (we'll call her Cristie) was getting under everyone's skin, and especially the instructor's. She was late every... single... day.

Bob, the instructor, had a great sense of humor, so he concocted a plan: when Cristie walked in late on this day, we would all boo her. We laughed and loved the idea. Granted, it would have been different if she had spoken with Bob ahead of time, sharing a justifiable reason for consistently being late. But no, she was just plain rude. We didn't feel one bit remorseful over giving her a strong message.

When she walked in and heard our bellowing boos, she looked at us as though we were the rude ones. Bob calmly grabbed the reins and asked, "Cristie, why have you been walking in late to my classroom? Everyone else is on time and some come from over an hour away, battling rush-hour traffic every day."

(Grab onto your armrests.)

She responded, “Do you know why I'm late every day? Because everybody is always late for me, so it's my turn to pay it back.”

The response was worse than anyone expected. She reminded me of someone I let go for poor performance many years ago. She did not get it. I can't begin to understand them, nor is it worth my time to try, but I do wish someone would help them both and anyone else blinded this badly.

The lesson I learned that day left me with something that pales in comparison to PTSD, but is likely somewhere way down on that spectrum. Anytime anyone shows up late to a meeting with no remorse, I now think of Cristie.

ps. Have you ever sat in on a webinar where the leader intentionally waits for the stragglers to join in before beginning? It reminds me of the countdown we give our kids when they're younger. "I'm going to count to 3.... ".

Linda Crane - Worldwide Real Estate Referral Associate NRS Referral Services, LLC +1 215-429-0419