151 Quick Ideas to Deal With Difficult People

60A Wake-Up Call for Stragglers

I belong to a meditation group with exemplary time-management skills. The sittings always start promptly at 8 a.m. Latecomers have to cool their heels in the hall until the group files out for a walking meditation. That’s Zen and the no-nonsense approach to meetings.

Employees who repeatedly show up late for meetings should always find a meeting in progress, not one awaiting their arrival. They shouldn’t be rewarded with a recap of what they missed. If they are scheduled to speak at the top of the meeting, proceed to the next item on the agenda. When the stragglers arrive make them cool their heels, if necessary, until you can fit in their presentation. The embarrassment of such awkwardness eventually may be just ...