Vince Lombardi was the legendary football coach for the Green Bay Packers, he won the first two Super Bowls and the trophy is named in his honor.
Lombardi expected his players and coaches to be 15 minutes early to meetings and practices. Not on time, but 15 minutes early. If they weren’t, he considered them “late.” Thus, it came to be called Lombardi Time.
Lombardi Time meant that processes would run smoothly and no time would be lost waiting. It also showed respect and was a required discipline to be on his winning team. Disciplined people, disciplined thought and disciplined action. “A culture of discipline is not a principle of business; it is a principle of greatness.”
The Green Bay Packers installed a giant clock at the main entrance to the Packers’ Lambeau Field that’s deliberately set 15 minutes ahead of the correct time.
I have been running my business and my life on Lombardi Time long before I ever heard of the phrase. I have always been on time and can’t remember the last time that I was late. I feel that being on time or early is just a sign of always being prepared and ready for whatever life throws at you. As a former Boy Scout, their motto was “be prepared.” That ties right in with Lombardi Time.
I also expect that my customers abide by those same rules. If I have a customer schedule an appointment for 2 p.m., I expect him to arrive on time or early. The old saying “time is money” applies to my life in the watch shop. I also insist that if a customer is going to call me, that the phone call be on time. One of my “pet peeves” is waiting for the phone to ring or the door to open with a customer showing up. When waiting for someone, I don’t get much done and can’t start a complicated project like buffing a watch.
As my middle school history teacher, Ray D. Swanson always said, “better late than never, better never late.”
CHARLEY PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Charley had to go to the vet this week but recovered in time to write this post.
