Lewis Caroll

In the Lewis Caroll classic "Alice in wonderland", white rabbit pulls a watch from his waiscoat and frantically squeals, I'm late for a very important date. I'm overdue, I'm in a rabbit stew, I'm late, I'm late.

Being late for anything -- a business meeting, a luncheon, an appointment with a client, -- suggests a gross lack of integrity. Being fashionably late is neither fashionable nor profitable. It's inconsiderate, discourteous and often, insulting.

According to a 2002 survey of 2,700 chief executives released by management consulting firm Proudfoot, CEOs are tardy 60 percent of the time.

If a company head has no regard for punctuality, it's a safe bet the organization's employees mirror the CEOs bad habit.

Time is money. Tardiness drains a company's funds. Do the math. Calculate the average salary, the average number of attendees, and the average number of meetings per week and then multiply by the average number of minutes spent rounding up the troops.

How many thousands of dollars are spent annually waiting for the meeting to start ? How many prospective clients took their business elsewhere after being angered by having to wait for you or one of your employees to show up at an important business meeting?

The bottom line for lateness is lost revenue, lost business, and demoralized employees.

Contagious leaders do not condone tardiness. If this is a problem in your organization, these strategies will save you time and money :

If you are the CEO or meeting leader, don't be late. Period. Set the example by being punctual.

Start the meeting without the late offender. Let them trek the gauntlet of silent stares as they enter.

Later, in private, reprimand them then get a promise that they will be on time in the future.

Charge tardy transgressors $1 for each minute they are late and donate the money to charity. It's a. Win-win the company contributes to a worthy cause and receives benefit from the wallet-draining encouragement to be on time.

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