Punctuality: the Politeness of Kings, and a Key to Positive Personal Impact


Here is one of the easiest ways to make a positive personal impact: show up on time.  Louis XVIII, King of France in the late 18th and early 19th century is reputed to have  said, “Punctuality is the politeness of kings.”  Nice turn of a phrase, Louis.

Seriously though, there is a lot in those six words.  Kings (especially before the revolution) didn’t need to be punctual.  They could show up when they wanted.  Afterall, people would wait for them.
But Louis suggests that one way a king can show respect for other people is to meet them at the appointed time.  If this is true for kings, it certainly is true for you and me. 

I often joke that I am cursed with being punctual.  Punctuality can seem like a curse because so many people are not punctual.  I often am the first one at a meeting – and I usually arrive about one minute before the scheduled time.  Other people routinely straggle in five, ten or even 15 minutes late.  Often, they say, “the meeting’s not going to start on time anyway, so why should I waste my time by showing up on time?"

There is some logic to that question.  However, it is bad logic.  If most people arrived promptly for meetings, they would start on time and the late comers would get the message and start coming on time.

However, beyond that, being punctual displays respect for the person you are visiting.  It shows that you value his or her time.  It shows that you are a person who keeps commitments.  If you say you’ll be there at 10:00, he or she knows that you will be there at 10, not at 10:10 or 10:15. 

This is simple common sense.  Honor you time commitments, and you present as a respectful, committed, organized person.  And those qualities define you as someone who makes a positive personal impact.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for reading.  Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense.  Check out my other blog: www.CommonSenseGuy.com for common sense advice on leading people and running a small business.




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