This is obvious but I’ll mention it anyway because you’d be amazed at how many people think it’s acceptable to be late for meetings and calls. Whether you’re attending an internal meeting with colleagues or an external meeting with clients; it doesn’t matter.

Always, always, ALWAYS be punctual.

Here are a few reasons why punctuality is important, by business coach and consultant Dan Kennedy on time management:

1. Being punctual gives you the right—the positioning—to expect and demand that others treat your time with the utmost respect. You cannot reasonably hope to have others treat your time with respect if you show little or no respect for theirs.
2. If you’re not punctual, you have no leverage, no moral authority. But the punctual person gains that advantage over staff, associates, vendors, clients, everybody.
3. There is a link between respect for others’ time and respect for others’ opinions, property, rights, agreements and contracts.

You can read the full article here.

My approach to client meetings is: I’d rather be two hours early than two minutes late. If I’m early, there’s always work or reading I can get on with.

What did you think of the article? Do you agree that judging people by their punctuality is a good indicator as to whether you should do business with them? 

Comment and questions, below. Thanks!