Over the years, I’ve had many bankers tell me some version of, “We’d like to develop a better work culture.” That can feel daunting. Even deciding where to start can be a touch overwhelming.
With that, I often referenced the joke about how to eat an elephant. You do it one bite at a time.
When I’ve asked leaders to loosely describe the cultures they seek to foster, one word tends to come up repeatedly. That word is respect. Leaders want cultures that foster the demonstration of respect for customers, peers, and partners.
But how do you begin to focus on and measure respect?
In these conversations, I often share how I’ve heard some version of the same request at hundreds of meetings over the years: “Is it okay if we give people just a few more minutes before we start? Some folks are running late, and we really don’t want to start without everyone here.”
Most often, I’ve been the guest speaker. Unless I’m in danger of missing a flight, I smile and tell them that I’m a guest and it’s entirely their call.
Almost without fail, someone then tells the folks who are on time that they’ll be waiting on those who aren’t. Some of these folks had to make quite a few arrangements to be where they were asked to be when they were asked to be there. They are then told they’ll have to wait on others who likely didn’t.
Then, it is amazing how many late arriving folks walk in with a coffee or food item in their hands. And the people who did whatever they had to do to be on time take mental notes.
Maybe others are more important than them? Maybe leaders’ directions are simply suggestions and not actual expectations?
Not wanting to create friction for my hosts, I never make jokes about those situations right then.
Sharing that common scenario in managers’ meetings, however, always brings chuckles as well as knowing smirks. After laughing along with them, I suggest that something as basic as a focus on punctuality can be critical to their culture.
As soon as I say that I know there are those who think that’s a bit of a stretch. Hey, folks get stuck in traffic. Unexpected things come up. Their internet was glitchy when they tried to log on. Sure, it’s possible.
The fact that it tends to be the same people who consistently have those issues, however, is a bit suspect. That these same people tend to have a similarly vague concept of timeliness in their daily schedules isn’t shocking.
I often ask if it would help if the times of meetings or even work schedules were moved to later. Without missing a beat, folks chuckle and say, “Oh, they’d still be late.” And they aren’t wrong.
That type of culture excuses, and in some ways, even rewards tardiness. And in business and life, you get more of what you reward.
Of greater concern, however, is the fact that cultures that don’t seem to respect everyone’s time tend not to respect customers’ time. Few things frustrate a customer or prospect more than being on time for an appointment and having to wait.
One reason I use the punctuality example with leaders is that time is not subjective. If a leader asks team members to have a pleasant demeanor and solid work ethic, those are hard to objectively measure. That’s not the case with time.
Years ago, folks might claim that their watches were off, or their alarm clocks malfunctioned, or they didn’t know about traffic problems. Now that most humans walk around with precision timepieces and real time traffic maps in their hands, those excuses are off the table.
If I spend more than a minute harping on the impact of punctuality, I know some begin wondering if it really warrants that much attention.
It does. Respecting employees’ time and expecting them to respect others’ sets a tone. It provides structure in hectic times and promotes effective time management.
I once worked for an executive who began a policy that meeting room doors were to be closed at the stated start times. Regardless of rank, if you weren’t in the room on time, you were to walk (or drive) back to your office and hope someone filled you in later.
After a few weeks, tardiness was no longer an issue. Did that policy feel petty? I suppose it depended on what side of the door you were on when meetings began.
Within two weeks, however, no one was ever on the wrong side of the door.
Within another few weeks, no one even complained about it. Respecting each other’s time and being punctual became part of the culture.
Punctuality is more than politeness. It’s professionalism. It shows a person’s respect for people and time and conveys reliability and trustworthiness.
And few professions rely on communicating trust more than banking.
