Let’s look at an example. Say you are supposed to meet someone at 6pm to discuss a potential business partnership. Perhaps you’re the kind of person who leaves work promptly to get ready for the meeting, and to avoid the heavy traffic of that time of the day. The chances are that you arrive at the venue with five minutes to spare, and call the person you’re meeting to let them know you’ve already been seated, and they tell you that they’re on their way.
However, this person, most likely laughing apologetically, will arrive half an hour later because they couldn’t decide on a suitable outfit for the meeting. Maybe they got a lift in with a friend because they were running late, but got caught up talking and missed a crucial turn. Meanwhile, you could have used that time productively, but instead you’re now faced with the prospect of starting a business venture with someone who, in your opinion, wastes time – do you think that partnership is going ahead?
You might think that all business people have to be extremely organised to build and run a company, but that isn’t necessarily true. These days, there are several successful entrepreneurs who still manage to maintain the wellbeing of their business ventures, without keeping to a strict schedule. In fact, some people thrive on spontaneity in business, being more flexible and adaptable when problems arise, and more open to new opportunities. This is a valuable quality to have in this innovative, new-technology-obsessed world in which we live, but it can also mean missing deadlines and pushing back launch dates, which doesn’t help matters.
So can this new kind of business person work together with someone who is more organised, decisive and efficient? Not only is this possible, but these different business approaches may provide the ultimate balance. Let’s go back to our example, and see how you can understand and work with another person’s time management style. If you’re the kind of person who likes to be on time, you can check with the other person on the day of the meeting to see if they’re running late, and use that time to do productive things on your smartphone. However, if you’re more like the second person, you can resolve to call ahead if something new comes up, and take note of how much time you think you have, and how much you actually have. Really, it all comes down to communication.