More Than Work: Ignoring deadlines, limits a matter of individual arrogance

Tim McGuire is a past president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors and former editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He writes about workplace issues.

Years ago I attended a panel discussion of some of the most prominent theologians and ethicists in the country. The respected experts were asked by the moderator to make an opening statement of five minutes or less.

I watched in amazement as each of these highly moral and values-oriented people talked for up to 15 minutes before yielding the floor. Not a single one honored the five-minute limit!

That incident was not an isolated one. I frequently hear preachers and speakers completely ignore time limits. It is becoming commonplace for people to ignore rules about waiting in line, and I'm stunned at the number of people who park in no-parking zones.

In the workplace, it's always startling when deadlines mean nothing and start times for meetings become approximate. I'm pointing the finger at myself here as well. I too often found myself late for meetings and ignoring deadlines.

Necessary limits

The plain truth is that it is difficult to perform ethically in the workplace if we don't respect boundaries. Time limits, deadlines, personal space and individual privacy are ethical issues.

It doesn't matter if arrogance, power or insubordination is behind our recalcitrance; we are unethical if we can't abide by the rules of the road.

In fact, it was a rule of the road that forced me to come to terms with the ethics of following rules.

One night about five years ago, our youngest son and I were leaving a surface parking lot after a professional basketball game. The parking lot exit pattern was more chaotic than usual, and cars coming from several directions at once were all heading for a single exit. As is usually the case, cars started alternating one would move from the left and then one would move from the right.

For some reason that night, after a split-second bad decision, I went out of turn. It was cold, but one guy honked his horn, leaped out of his car and yelled at me with particularly salty language that "we all have to take our turn."

I was profoundly embarrassed. The man was absolutely right, and I am forever grateful he had the courage to call me on my foolish mistake. I had violated the sense of order that was required to get us all out of that parking lot in a reasonable amount of time.

I've never forgotten my major sin that night, and it's why I try my darnedest to end all my speeches either early or right at the time limit allotted. It's also why in recent years I tried to be the one who met deadlines even if others were flouting them. I didn't always succeed, but it suddenly mattered a lot more to me than it had ever mattered before.

Avoiding chaos

That sense of order, a basic commitment to the common good, is crucial to our society and to our workplaces. If we all surrender to our basest instincts to be first in line, or to ignore all expectations and time limits, we are inevitably creating chaos.

Such actions damage companies and damage our relationships with the people we work with and for. Respect crumbles and trust evaporates.

Too often we make workplace ethics complicated, academic and ethereal. We engage in important, complex discussions about harm, consequences, responsibility and stakeholders, but we often ignore the most basic ethical question: Are we doing the right thing?

Following the simple "rules of the road" by honoring time limits, being on time for meetings, respecting deadlines and appreciating everybody's boundaries is a great way to begin our journey toward ethical behavior.

Tip for your search

Are the rules of the road clear in your workplace and in your home? Think about which ones you violate and which ones you honor. Envision how life changes if everybody comes to dinner on time or if everyone meets the deadlines on reports in your office.