Perils of being a habitual latecomer

By Goretti Kimani

Kenya: Keeping time is a necessary virtue for success in every aspect of life, careers included. For some people, however, keeping time is the exception, rather than the rule.

 The reality is that habitual lateness is a disease. If left unchecked, it  has the potential to derail or even kill a career. Take the case of Liz, a flamboyant public relations specialist. Liz has battled habitual lateness for years.

Junior assignment

However, when her company lost out on a large contract due to her late arrival at the decisive meeting, her boss could not take it anymore. She has now been reassigned a junior role and her future in the company is uncertain.

Cases like Liz’s are a common occurrence in many companies. Habitual lateness is an ugly disease that is obvious to everyone else whose its effects can manifest in many ways. Some people will arrive late for interviews to the chagrin of the panelists. In many cases, such candidates do not stand much chance of getting hired.  Others will arrive late for meetings with clients and not blink an eye.

For others, it is the regular office meetings that suffer the consequences of their lateness. In so doing, they end up losing out on crucial information and decisions that eventually affects their overall performance. And yet for others, it is the inability to keep up with strict reporting deadlines. Almost always, such people end up missing out on promotions and other growth opportunities, and especially the critical roles and those requiring leadership and management skills.

 In extreme cases such as  Liz‘s, they may get reassigned, sacked or retired. Colleagues and the organisation in general are not spared. Habitual latecomers make very poor team players.

Emotional strain

They are also considered untrustworthy and unreliable, and are loathed by other team members who would rather do without the individual.  The emotional strain leveled on other team members can take a toll on the overall team performance.

For the organisation, it is the effects of lost time, delayed decisions, lost chances and the resultant multiplier effect that takes a major toll.

But contrary to popular belief, it is easy to keep time. Appreciate the extent of the problem and the need for change at a personal level. You must then work on building a culture of time consciousness.

Acquire and learn to use basic time management tools such as a watch and diary. Learn to use your diary well. By keeping a record of all important tasks, appointments and deadlines.  Keep track of the time taken on each task and avoid spending too much time on some tasks while disregarding others.

And avoid taking on unplanned tasks unless they are absolutely necessary. As a rule, never report to a diary unless you are wiring memoirs. In case you get late or miss a deadline, always apologise sincerely, as this helps entrench the culture of time keeping.

Also read relevant books and undertake time management courses for that extra touch.

—The writer is a human resource specialist with Peoplelink Consultants Ltd. Email: [email protected]