Sick of Being Late

My boss Lisa (great lady--find her on LinkedIn) sent me a great article published today in the Wall Street Journal about how cell phones (and CrackBerries and iPhones and . . . ) have somehow made it excusable for us to always be late. Specifically, with mobile phones, wireless internet, and emails, we can easily inform anyone (a friend, boss, potential friend or boss . . . ) that we are running late. And this seems to pardon the fault. And so what we're left with is a culture always behind schedule who is not paying attention to those human relationships that deserve the respect of an on-time rendez-vous. Those people you're always delaying? Well, they might start to get ticked that you can't even see them when you say you will.

This article spoke to me on a lot of levels. But I thought it was particularly interesting in that it relates to something my dad always says to me: in an age where we are all so connected, we've inadvertently distanced ourselves from everyone, especially those closest. So even if it's not that you're always emailing your girlfriend letting her know you will once again be late for your coffee date, maybe it's a LinkedIn message to a potential client asking to reschedule or a text to your boyfriend when you really can't talk on the phone because you're on the train. So my challenge to you: go retro and do communications the old-fashion way. Make a plan, write it down, and follow-thru. Don't back out at the last minute. Not for coffee, not for a first date, and not for that important meeting that could land your pitch a win.