It doesn’t matter if you are in a locker room, a boardroom, a courtroom, a fire station, a classroom, on an assembly line, at an opera/ballet rehearsal or concert, in the operating room of a hospital or other setting, being in control of your time is important!

Lesson One: Coach Wooden “Never Be Late”: Own Your Time

Coach John Wooden, the winningest coach in basketball, always started and finished his practices on time. The coach was always at practice early to make sure everything was set up correctly. Practice was 2 to 2 ½ hours and the coach planned every minute of practice. His practice plans were reduced to 3×5 cards and then his assistant coach copied each practice session plan into a notebook with all the other practice sessions for record keeping.

Coach Wooden wasted no time. He said: “I would privately review my notebook from the previous year’s practice for that exact day, looking for clues as to what had been effective and what hadn’t worked so well. In fact, I regularly reviewed notes from two or three years ago. sometimes more.” (“Wooden On Leadership” by John Wooden and Steve Jamison)

His meetings with his assistant coaches were also timed. He would also ask for his suggestions and try them out during practice. When his suggestions worked, they would be added for future practices!

Lesson Two: Toastmasters Meeting Keeping Time: Own Your Time

At Toastmasters they look at the time. Meetings start and end on time. Every minute of the meeting is timed. The speeches are also timed! The first time I visited a Toastmasters Club I was given an “Agenda” with the meeting start time, how many minutes each part of the meeting was to last, and what time the meeting would end. Toastmasters’ is an organization that helps “members improve their communication, public speaking, and leadership skills.” Toastmasters teaches you to “own your time.” Visit a Toastmaster club near you to see a timed Toastmasters meeting.

Lesson three: be on time, punctuality is the key: Businesses have to run on time to stay in business. Employees are paid to be good team members, dependable, and disciplined; experts in their field, and must be on time for work. They also have a positive attitude, respect for others, and appreciation for your time too! Companies and employees own their time.

Employees who are late lose money in a business: You’ve heard the saying “Time is money.” At a company I was asked to consult with, employees would come to work late and leave early. These employees were cheating the company out of money and time every day. The work was not being completed and other employees could not depend on these delinquent team members. Morale was not good, companies can go under due to this negligent behavior of employees. Company managers had conducted performance appraisals of these late-arriving employees separately and had asked questions to try to correct the situation. It was not working.

I read an article by Zig Ziglar, a motivation expert and mentor to Dr. John Maxwell, about how he had helped a company with similar problems rectify the situation by having them announce to their employees that they were installing “time clocks.” Zig Ziglar said that after a month, the new “time clocks” were running well and that productivity, teamwork and attitude had improved. After the time clocks were installed, managers produced appraisal reports on late-arriving employees on a weekly basis, to hold them accountable and charge for their behavior.

Zig Ziglar “Changed the Image”: Own Your Time

Zig Ziglar had changed the face at this company by helping them install time clocks for their employees to receive their paychecks. By doing this, employees became productive, had a better attitude, did a better job, completed tasks on time, and became responsible and accountable for their time at work.

After reading Zig Ziglar’s article, I suggested to the company I attended that they announce at a meeting that they were installing “time clocks” and that each employee was required to log in and out each day. After the time clocks were running and the company’s employees had been signing in and out for a month, the employees were more productive, had a positive attitude, and became more responsible and accountable for their work. Managers were also doing weekly appraisal reports on late-arriving employees as a reminder to them.

Concerts and rehearsals start and end on time:

As a musician who plays the violin and viola, I have performed in concert with Frank Sinatra, Natalie Cole, Lou Rawls in concert, and have performed in concert as a soloist, with orchestra, playing in opera or ballet orchestras, and in chamber groups all over the world. world. The time in each piece is important. Concerts and rehearsals must start and end on time. Each piece must be timed to the minute.

In fact as a musician I always arrive early to warm up and get ready before the rehearsal or concert starts. When running any business, it is imperative that employees arrive on time and leave on time every day. Time management is a must in every part of your life. Without managing your time there is no discipline. Own your time.

What is one thing you can do to “own your time” every day?

Just like Coach Wooden and Toastmasters, plan every minute of your workday and family time ahead of time and add it to your schedule. Stick to your schedule and own your time.

Rabbi Harold Kushner and Senator Paul Tsongas said, “No one on their deathbed has ever said, ‘I wish I had spent more time in the office.’ Let your legacy be that you spent quality focused time with your family and ensured that your business was successful too Buy your time!