The Importance of Being Punctual for the Entrepreneur
Punctuality
A virtue adored by many entrepreneurs and ignored by many others.
The Oxford Dictionary, defines punctuality as:
Exact observance of appointment times; the fact of habit of being on time.
This concept has an individual dimension of attitude and habits, and a temporal dimension, which turns out to be a social agreement (appointed time, on time).
The “ought to be” of the time limit that is fulfilled by being punctual goes beyond our individual perception or comfort, as it implies an agreement between parties about what time must be met.
In this way, punctuality is a value that guides our behavior in relation to this agreement about the times that should govern the commitments we make.
The Importance of Being Punctual
When we have a meeting, for example, there is a social agreement with the other participants regarding the time. Punctuality implies that all those involved, individually, take care to respect the agreement and show up at the agreed time.
Punctuality does not necessarily only apply to being on time; it also involves meeting your commitments on time, even if they do not involve a meeting or require your physical presence.
When we have a project deadline, there is also an agreement regarding the date by which the interested party can expect to have it completed. Punctuality implies taking the necessary precautions to deliver on time.
Being punctual means having the ability to respect and value your own time and the time of others.
As a micro-entrepreneur, punctuality is a value that will always help you develop your business positively. Being punctual or unpunctual affects your image and that of your business, and consequently, it affects its growth potential and its ability to attract and retain satisfied customers. Hence the great importance of being punctual.
On the other hand, you must consider that the commitments you make impact other future commitments, both yours and those of your associates. A delay or lack of punctuality in one commitment may cause delays in other processes and affect other people, even against their will. If you are the source of the non-compliance, you will be affecting not only your image but also that of other people and companies.
The Values of Punctuality vs. the Values of Unpunctuality
Being a punctual or unpunctual person communicates a completely different message about you to the people and companies you interact with. As a micro-entrepreneur, the image they associate with you automatically transfers to the image of your business.
When your business is large, your personal unpunctuality might only affect you but not necessarily the image of your company, especially if the rest of the key personnel is punctual. However, if your business is micro or small, your own unpunctuality sets the image of the company.
What Values Does an Unpunctual Person Communicate?
When you are unpunctual and fail to meet your time commitments, what it says about you and your business is the following:
You are disorganized, as you have not been able to plan your other responsibilities and commitments in a way that allows you to be on time for this one.
You are indifferent. You show no interest in your client or whoever is affected by your lack of compliance. You convey that you do not value others’ time and, consequently, do not value the business relationship you have with them.
You waste time. Being unpunctual causes you to waste your time and that of others, as it can potentially become a chain of non-compliance.
You lose money. Time is money. If you waste time, you are losing money because you increase the cost of your products and services due to the time you must dedicate to them, and you might affect processes that could become more costly to resolve later.
What Values Does a Punctual Person Communicate?
On the contrary, when you are punctual and meet your time commitments, what it says about you and your business is the following:
You are respectful. You care about the time and commitments of others. You value them enough to make an effort not to affect them negatively.
You are disciplined. You demand compliance with your commitments from yourself. You are capable of exercising self-discipline and striving to meet your obligations.
You are committed. Being punctual shows that you are responsible and that when you accept a commitment, you care about fulfilling it.
You are organized. You have managed to organize your schedule and activities to adequately meet the timelines you have set for yourself.
Punctuality and Teamwork
The importance of being punctual also extends to your work team. Punctuality is a necessary value for teamwork. When we depend on others or others depend on us, times must be synchronized to be efficient.
If some team members fail in their punctuality, the overall effort falls apart. It does not matter if some try to comply; the unpunctuality of a few negatively affects the overall result.
As entrepreneurs, by being punctual, we also set an example. A good example to emulate is important with our staff and associates to establish an organizational culture framed in respect, discipline, and compliance.
What Causes Unpunctuality?
It is worth clarifying that when we talk about unpunctuality in this article, we are not referring to isolated occasions where, for reasons beyond our control, we have failed to be punctual. We refer especially to those people who are regularly unpunctual. Who never, or very rarely, meet their time commitments, who are always late, who are always kept waiting, and who tend to deliver work, products, and services late on a regular basis.
The amount of delay, in this case, can be large or small; it does not really matter. What matters is that it is a habit and is assumed as the “normal” behavior of that particular person.
When we encounter this type of unpunctuality, it generally stems from one or more of the following causes:
Disorganization. You are not able to adequately plan your tasks, which allows you to make commitments with realistic and achievable timelines. Or you improvise a lot and allow the disorder of daily life to affect good initial planning.
Indifference. You are not interested in being punctual. Punctuality is not a value for you, and therefore, you do not place it as a guiding axis of your decisions.
Laziness. You want to be punctual, but the additional effort required to prioritize the timely fulfillment of your commitments seems too great, and you are too lazy to assume it.
Whatever the cause, it is negative for you and your business. Therefore, I am finally sharing some recommendations to improve your punctuality:
How to Achieve Punctuality?
Plan in Advance
Be Realistic with Tasks and Meetings You Plan
Analyze the Causes of Your Unpunctuality
Set Reminders and Confirm Using Alert Systems
Reduce Distractions
And What if There's No Choice but to Be Late or Deliver Late, Despite My Efforts to Comply?
Unforeseen events and complicated situations can always arise and affect our execution, despite our best intentions to be punctual.
Everyone, no matter how punctual they try to be, has probably found themselves in a situation where they have arrived late or delayed a delivery.
What are the Two Basic Rules in Those Cases?
If You Arrive Late or Deliver Late, Apologize. Even if it is a delay of 5 minutes, acknowledge that you are at fault.
If You Must Cancel, Do So in Advance. If you will completely miss a commitment, cancel as early as possible. As soon as you know for sure that you cannot meet it, communicate with the parties involved and inform them of the change of plans. This will allow everyone to make the necessary adjustments in their tasks and expectations to adapt to the new scenario that the cancellation implies.
Simply following these two rules indicates two positive things about you:
You were concerned about fulfilling and being punctual, and
You value the time and planning of others.
In this way, you turn a potential negative value, like unpunctuality, into a positive value, like consideration and respect.
Of course, do not make these two rules a habit. I remind you: being unpunctual always or frequently affects your credibility and that of your business, even if you apologize and notify every time.