This paper with discuss the importance of doing the right thing, being in the right place, and most importantly, being there at the right time. Punctuality is one of the many ways to show professionalism. My goals in the army are high and in today’s army you have to be perceived as a high speed soldier in order to survive. Gone are the days of getting by with the bare minimum between deployments and field exercises. The past years of keeping branch numbers higher due to increased troop rotations are dwindling and the focus is on quality, not quantity. Perception is the key to success, and now that I have missed formation 2 times in as many months, I know that my reputation, especially among the Non-Commissioned Officers, has suffered.
Punctuality is a necessary habit in all public affairs of a civilized society. Without it, nothing could ever be brought to a conclusion; everything would be in a state of chaos. Only in a sparsely populated rural community could it ever be possible to disregard it and even in ordinary living, there might even be some tolerance in the act of arriving a small bit late, but not in the military. The fundamentals of a prescribed time of arrival, and in some cases departure, breaks down to the fact that it is a lawful military order, not a simple request or wish.
It is essential to the maintenance of proper military discipline and order to make sure that every order, no matter how futile and insignificant it may seem at the time, is followed through with, and executed with the utmost attention to detail and without hesitation. When this act is repeated day in and day out it builds the most important strength of any team…trust. When you can trust that everyone is going to be where they were told to be and when they were told to be there and doing what they were told to be doing then minimal supervision will be needed and that time can be used to do something much more important.
Trust is