How to deal with scheduling conflicts – tip 2: You are not late if they know you are late
You are not late if they know you are late.
Think about that the next time you are going to be late at a meeting. Most of the times you are late you actually know you are going to be late way in advance. But you deny it, try to avoid it and then do it anyway.
But you will find out that if you call, even if it is only 10 minutes in advance, that you might not make it people will hugely appreciate that.
So, the next time you have a meeting and you think you might not make it in time pick up the phone and say this
‘Hi, we have a meeting in 15 minutes and I’m rushing your way now but I might be about 5 tot 10 minutes late. Is that a problem for you?’
I often do this, even if I know I’m actually going to be right on time. The reason is that people are usually happy with the extra 5 minutes they can spend answering their email or making one more phone-call. And if I’m on time they are even more impressed with me for making the extra effort.
So remember; You are not late if they know you are late.
