Mr. Achievement - Stanley F. Bronstein - Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

Law #81

Position Yourself To Be Punctual

When a secretary of George Washington, excusing himself for being late, said that his watch was too slow, the reply of Washington was, You must get a new watch, or I must get a new secretary. (George Washington)

Some Definitions

Punctual - Strictly observant of an appointed or regular time; not late; prompt. Made, occurring, etc., at the scheduled or proper time.

Secretary - A person employed to handle correspondence and do routine work in a business office, usually involving taking dictation, typing, filing, and the like. An officer of state charged with the superintendence and management of a particular department of government, as a member of the president’s cabinet in the U.S..

George Washington - First president of the United States of America. Reknowned for being a major hero during the United States Revolutionary War in the late 1700’s.

Excusing - To offer an apology for; seek to remove the blame of. To serve as an apology or justification for; justify.

Late - Occurring, coming, or being after the usual or proper time. After the usual or proper time, or after delay.

Watch - A small, portable timepiece, as a wrist watch or pocket watch. A chronometer.

Slow - Running at less than the proper rate of speed or registering less than the proper time, as a clock. Moving or proceeding with little or less than usual speed or velocity. Sluggish in nature, disposition, or function.

Reply - To make answer in words or writing; answer; respond. A response made by some action, performance, etc..

Must - To be compelled to in order to fulfill some need or achieve an aim. To be under the necessity to; need to. To be or feel urged to; ought to.

Get - To go after, take hold of, and bring (something) for one’s own or for another’s purposes. To receive or come to have possession, use, or enjoyment of.

New - Of recent origin, production, purchase, etc.; having but lately come or been brought into being. Coming or occurring afresh; further; additional.

Source: Dictionary.com

President Washington Hit The Nail On The Head

Just think about it. George Washington, the first president of the United States was kept waiting by his subordinate.

By virtue of the job, the president of the United States is a very busy person. They have massive time constraints and they have to constantly keep moving if they are going to get their work done.

I love how George Washington threw it back on the secretary and basically told him he needs to improve his punctuality, or he can forget about his job.

The bottom line is this. You don’t keep the president of the United States waiting. You should never keep any of your superiors waiting. AND, if you really want to be courteous, you shouldn’t keep subordinates waiting either. The goal is to keep no one waiting !!!

REMEMBER, PUNCTUALITY IS A TWO WAY STREET. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU KEEP NO ONE WAITING.

Why Is Punctuality So Important?

Horace Mann said it in this quote: Unfaithfulness in the keeping of an appointment is an act of clear dishonesty. You may as well borrow a person’s money as his time.

If you are late and cause another to wait for you, you are stealing their time.  You are a thief.

Perhaps you didn’t intend that, nor did you realize it, but that’s exactly what you were doing. By being late and making them wait for you, you are stealing one of the most precious things they have; their time.

What Being Punctual Says About You

If you are punctual, it says that you have your act together.  It says that you are a well rounded person who is able to juggle the demands of life and of business.  It makes a statement, just as much as your appearance and attitude.

To Be On Time, You Really Need To Be Early

Shakespeare said:  Better three hours too soon than a minute too late. Be on time.  If you want to make sure that you’re on time, you really need to be a little bit early.

By being a little bit early, it gives you “lead time”, so that just in case you are running late, you can still get there on time.  Also, it relieves pressure from you.  You don’t have to rush so much.  If you allow yourself no “cushion”, then you will constantly be rushing and you will quite often be late.

Punctuality Is Really Nothing More Than Courtesy And Respect

Courtesy - Excellence of manners or social conduct; polite behavior.

Respect - Esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability.

Punctuality is nothing more than courtesy and respect.  But here’s the funny part, when you’re punctual, not only are you being courteous and respectful of another, you are also being courteous and respectful of yourself.