Late With Coffee

A few years ago, I was running a training series for a network of schools in the Midwest. Once a month, at the end of a work day, all their leaders were to drive to a central location for a two hour session.

Some leaders were driving from the other side of the city, so, on occasion, they were a little late. They communicated this, and while I loathe lateness, it was understood.

But one leader was different. Yes, she too was coming from the other side of the city, but she’d also roll in late, without communicating anything. And instead of a few minutes late, she was about fifteen minutes late, and she always had a huge iced coffee in hand.

Talk about giving every person in that room a big ole’ middle finger, right?

Forget me. What about all the other leaders who raced there, who may have wanted to stop and get a coffee too, but who honored their commitment to being on time? What about the central office leaders who managed her and who were paying good money for her to be developed?

To some, it’s just someone stopping to get coffee. Not to me. To me it’s someone who thinks about themself more than the team. It’s someone who prioritizes what they want over what’s best for the group.

This person didn’t last long. I believe she quit before she was fired. That’s fine. She can drink coffee somewhere else. Likely, in a place where people care less about integrity and teamwork. A place where there is an “I” in team.