On a recent morning, National Public Radio (NPR) had a story about a job fair for wounded veterans sponsored by The Department of Defense (DOD). Employers were invited to attend and interview the veterans. The NPR reporter asked a DOD representative what employers liked best about hiring veterans.
Now pause in your reading for a moment. Imagine that you're an employer at this job fair. How might you answer that question?
Would you respond that you're proud to be helping those who had fought for our freedom? Would you most value the discipline and maturity that a veteran brings to a job? Perhaps you'd appreciate the veterans' leadership ability. Or you might answer that the veterans would be easy to train since they know the importance of following orders.
While all of these were important to employers, they most often responded that they liked hiring veterans because "they know how to be on time" (that's an exact quote from the Department of Defense representative).
While this, at first, may seem like a trivial response, it is actually quite insightful. Time management and punctuality are key. If people can't be counted on to do the simplest thing (be on time), can they really be trusted to achieve company goals? If people can't be counted on to be on time, can they really be relied on to do what's necessary to meet customer requests? If people can't be counted on to be on time day after day after day, can they really be trusted to complete their assignments day after day after day?
How much can you trust the integrity of someone who can't be trusted to do the simplest thing in time management?
Perhaps employers should stop interviewing prospective employees about their work history and simply find out if the candidate has a record of being on time in his/her previous employment. Or, if a recent graduate, perhaps employers should forget grade point average and simply find out if the person has a record of consistently attending his/her classes.
Here are some other measurements of time management, integrity and trust:
At work: Do meetings start on time? Are calls returned when promised? Do people show up when they say they will? Are deadlines met? Are reports completed when they're due? How much can you trust a person's integrity when he/she can't be trusted to do what they say they will do when they say they will do it?
When hiring service people: Does the cable installer, roofer, plumber, electrician, real estate agent and hair stylist show up on time? Can your doctor or dentist be trusted to be on time? How much can you trust the integrity of a person's professionalism if they can't be trusted to do what they say they will do when they say they will do it?
In your personal lives: Does the person you're in a relationship with leave work and arrive home at the promised time? Does he/she promise to spend time with the kids at a specific time and keep that promise? Can your spouse/significant other be counted on to do what he/she said would be done when he/she said it would be done? How much do you trust the people you're in relationships with if they can't be trusted to do what they say they will do when they say they will do it?
Finally, definitely don't trust the person who always bemoans, "I haven't got the time." This isn't just a sign of bad time management - it means that you and whatever you're asking him/her to do are not important enough and never will be.
Woody Allen said, "80% of success is showing up." Perhaps the other 20% is showing up on time.
