Meeting Scheduling - the Bane of My Existence

Meeting Scheduling.  It used to be easy and quick, especially if there’s an automated system involved. But it has become the bane of my existence.  It seems that lately the people I’m scheduling meetings with have needed to reschedule. Sometimes more than once. And the back-and-forth emails to try and find a common date fill multiple pages of my inbox.

I’m not sure people understand this, but when someone asks to reschedule a meeting the message they I receive is that I am less important, less valuable, or less respected than some other opportunity that has just come up. I’m sure it’s unintentional, but it is an ethics issue for me.  It’s a lack of respect and integrity. And it’s frustrating as hell.

If I agree to put something on my schedule, I view it as a commitment.  It’s a commitment of my time, my energy.  I sacrifice other business and personal opportunities for that time. I make a conscious decision to block out the time on my schedule and respect the commitment.  I do everything humanly possible to honor that commitment. The only times I am ok with rescheduling is if we are physically unable get out of bed or someone has died. 

Maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m crazy for viewing meeting scheduling this way. But maybe, just maybe, I have less conflict, less stress, and more loyal clients, vendors and colleagues because they know exactly where I stand and they know I am reliable. When I agree to a meeting I will be there and I will be prepared. That’s a pretty powerful message, don’t you think?