#MiPDV – If You’re On Time, You’re Late

Last week’s #MiPDV (link) focused on how we need to respect our teammates’ time. Last-minute meeting cancellations and trying to double-book a teammate are great ways to frustrate your colleagues.?

There is another dimension to respecting their time: being on time and prepared.?

My high school band director often told us, “If you’re on time, you’re late.” He meant that when we were to start rehearsal at 7:30 AM, he expected us to be in our seat, warmed up and ready to play. He did not tolerate people showing up just at 7:30 because they inconvenienced the rest of the band – we had to wait for them to get to their seat, get their music set up on the stand, and get their instrument ready.?

He also expected us to be prepared. Rehearsal was a time to work on the finer points of the music, such as balance and intonation – it was not a time to practice the individual parts. He made it clear that it was our responsibility to practice our parts between rehearsals.?

The same is true in business.?

If we are respecting our teammates, we need to be on time and prepared. If a meeting starts at the top of the hour, say 8:00, that doesn’t mean “8-ish” – it means the meeting organizer expects everyone to be there at 8:00. ?

At the same time, the meeting organizer should end on time or early. If they ask for an hour of time, that does not give them license to run long – a meeting from 8:00 to 9:00 does not mean “8-ish” to “9-ish” because teammates likely scheduled other meetings or tasks immediately following the scheduled meeting end time and they will be late. ?

Thanks to the domino effect, one meeting that runs late can ruin someone’s schedule for the rest of the day.?

Yet it happens all the time – I was recently in a meeting where the organizer started late, ran the meeting long, then concluded with, “We ran 15 minutes long … that’s not bad” !! While it may not have been bad for the meeting organizer, but others in the meeting were late for other obligations.?

So what can we each do to show our teammates that we respect their time??

If you’re the meeting organizer, here are some ideas:?

• Schedule the right amount of time. It benefits no one to try to squeeze an hourlong topic into 30 minutes. Likewise, it wastes everyone’s time to schedule an hour for subjects that require less time.
• Be on time. It is frustrating for your colleagues and guests to be waiting for you when they are on time. Normally, I try to be in the meeting room (in-person or virtual) 3 to 5 minutes before the meeting start time just in case there is an issue.
• Start on time. Unless there is a compelling reason to wait, then start the meeting on time.
• End on time. Use an agenda and watch the clock to end on time or early. One way to help reduce the chances of running over is to not repeat part of the meeting for the benefit of those who come in late.
• Try to avoid back-to-back meetings without a break. Everyone is busy, and it’s helpful to have just 5 minutes between meetings. If you’re in an office setting, you need the time to move from one room to the next. You also may need to take a short break and refill your coffee. You can help your teammates by using your calendar program to schedule shorter meetings – for example, it will schedule 25 minutes instead of 30. ?

If you’re a meeting participant, here’s how you can help:?

• Be on time. The best thing you can do is to show up on time. I like to be a minute or so early, if possible so I have time to get settled.
• Be prepared. If there was any pre-reading or research to be done, you should have it ready before the meeting starts. If you’re going to be asked to share data or any program from your computer, have them ready to go.
• Don’t extend discussions unnecessarily. We’ve all been in meetings where one person dominates the discussion and often takes it off-track. Help the meeting organizer and your teammates – don’t be that person! If a topic requires more discussion, then ask for separate time to have it with the right parties.?

As we discovered last week, respecting your teammates’ time is not difficult. Even taking small steps will make you a much better teammate.?

Think about the meetings you attend – how can you help them be a better experience for everyone??

The closing line from last week bears repeating: as leaders, we need to model the behavior we want our team to follow. And that includes showing our teammates that we respect their time.?

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That’s mi punto de vista #MiPDV.