If you or one of your teammates are often late for meetings, think about this. Aside from the disrespect it shows to your team, the frustration everyone feels, and the potential momentum lost in the meeting, consider the following.
If you are five minutes late for your weekly meetings, that’s 52 meetings you are late for. Let’s pretend you are late for four other off-line meetings per month (although I know it’s more than that), and let’s say there are five people on your leadership team. Five minutes per meeting multiplied by 100 meetings per year multiplied by four other people equals 2000 minutes of wasted productivity and people sitting around waiting for you.
Please don’t say “just start without them” as you are kidding yourself. If you are a true team, you lose something more than the 2000 minutes above by not starting the meeting together as a team. Just be on time and be a great example.
