Management Dilemma 101 No.1.

If an individual from your team has a problem with time management. How do you solve it?

1) Talk (nicely)
2) Talk (sternly)
3) Install a time card puncher
4) Plead
5) Issue a warning letter
6) Blow your top
7) Counsel
8) Take him/her on a guilt trip
9) Black list him/her
10) __________

On a more positive note. Usually management trainers would recommend 'reward' to encourage constructive behavior instead of 'punishing' (a common kinder teacher's practice too). Which is also something I totally agree on. But. Being punctual, I think is something which everyone learns in school, no? (Hence the 'common kinder teacher's practice').

So that brings us to the moral question of why do we need to be punctual? I don't know what's your answer. But mine is because 1) It shows that you're on the ball, 2) It shows that you respect the person you're meeting and 3) It shows that you're eager about what you do. So being late on the job (unless of course, you're stuck in traffic because of these very understandable and excusable reasons: truck overturned on Federal Highway with thousands of onlookers enjoying their A/C in their car oblivious to others who are late for work AND/OR some politician/blogger somewhere got arrested) tells me that you're just not that into your job. Period.