Business Education

Punctuality vs. Performance: When Your Top Talent Routinely Shows Up Tardy

Very few things are as frustrating as a brilliant employee who consistently arrives late. They might be your team’s top performer, a “rock star” who delivers exceptional results and drives innovation. Yet, their chronic tardiness can erode team morale, breed resentment, and challenge the very core of your company culture. (Plus, it irritates you to no end and makes you question your authority.) What’s more, dealing with such an odd situation takes considerable forethought, though having a conversation must also be timely.

How to Handle a Chronically Late Rock Star Employee Without Killing Morale

When your star performer shows up late—again—and just as the phones are lighting up or a key delivery’s gone sideways, it’s more than frustrating. It’s a gut punch to consistency and team morale. But firing your most talented person might not be the smart play, and letting lateness slide sets a dangerous precedent. So what’s a small business owner to do?

Here’s how to keep your business running smoothly while managing this delicate dance.

Separate Performance From Behavior

First, acknowledge the truth: this employee delivers exceptional results. But chronic lateness isn’t a personality quirk—it’s a behavior that affects your bottom line. Be clear with yourself and the employee that performance and punctuality are two separate metrics.

Dig Into the Timing Pattern

Don’t just track that they’re late—track when and why. Are they consistently late on Monday mornings or during high-stress periods? Is something happening at home, or are they simply disorganized? A little pattern recognition can guide your response.

Consider asking: “I’ve noticed you’re often late right when things heat up—what’s happening around that time that’s throwing off your schedule?”

This invites honesty without confrontation.

Have a Candid (but Constructive) Conversation

Schedule a private sit-down. Skip the sarcasm and go for substance. Express appreciation for their contributions, but be firm about the impact of their lateness.

Start with something like this: “Your work is invaluable, but when you’re late—especially at crunch time—it disrupts the whole team. I want to find a solution that works for both of us.”

Keep the tone collaborative, not disciplinary—unless they’ve crossed into repeat-offender territory despite multiple warnings.

Offer Flexibility With Guardrails

Sometimes, flexibility works better than rigidity. If the employee’s best work happens midday, consider adjusting their hours—but make critical times non-negotiable.

For example: “You can start at 10 most days, but you must be here by 8:30 on delivery mornings. That’s a deal-breaker.”

This provides autonomy while emphasizing accountability.

Tie Punctuality to Advancement

If the employee has ambitions—more pay, leadership roles—link those directly to reliability.

Try explaining: “Being great at your job isn’t just about output. If you’re aiming to lead, people need to trust you’ll show up when it counts.”

It reframes punctuality as a leadership quality, not a chore.

Set Team-Wide Expectations

Even if this employee is your superstar, the rest of your crew is watching. Make sure your attendance policies are clear and consistently applied, while still allowing for individual nuances.

Otherwise, you risk resentment, whispers, and a gradual erosion of trust.

Final Thought

Dealing with a rock star who has a chronically late rhythm isn’t easy, but neither is finding someone with their spark. If they’re willing to grow, and you’re eager to guide, the payoff can be a win-win for everyone.

Want to Accomplish More?

Do you want your company to grow faster and earn more while spending more time with your family doing everything you started your business to do?

We can make that dream a reality. Give us 30 minutes, and we will show you how to get your life back. Skeptical? Good! Put us to the test.

You can call us for your free appointment at 480-636-1720, or, if you prefer, send us an email. You can also visit us at Waters Business Consulting Group to learn more about us and the services we offer.

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A Competitor Wants to Buy Your Small Business: Now What?

April 24, 2025 No Comments

When a competitor comes knocking with an offer to buy your small business, it’s a moment that can spark excitement, anxiety, and a flood of questions.

Former Employee becomes a Rival Without a Non-Compete Agreement — What Should I Do

September 30, 2020 No Comments

Here’s an unusual but not unheard of situation. A team member leaves your company only to go off and form a rival business. Making matters worse, there’s no non-compete agreement in place. Perhaps you never considered one, or thought it unnecessary. Whatever the case, your former employee is now a direct competitor — so, what should you do? Legal Action might Not be the Best Action The reflexive answer might be to sue. However, this will be very costly and challenging. Without an explicit non-compete agreement, you’ll have to prove with documented evidence that he or she used proprietary methods, and/or work product, and/or more, in order to start his or her business and poach customers. In other words, it will be a very expensive and uphill proposition that doesn’t have more than a 50/50 chance of succeeding. When the employer faces a worker that engages in certain activities, he or she may need to sue the person for the actions that lead to the individual becoming a competitor. Many of these circumstances involve the employee acting in direct violation of company policy or the state or federal laws by stealing information from the company or poaching clients. —HG.org That means you’ll have to find another way to deal with the situation. Since you’re probably not going to persuade him or her to give up their newfound success, or come back to work for you, what alternatives are there? Well, it really depends on your relationship as it stands now. How to Deal with an Ex-Employee Who is Now a Competitor When a former employee becomes a competitor, it can stir up a number of emotions. You might feel proud, if this was the plan all along. But, if it came out of the blue, chances are excellent that you will feel angry and even cheated. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with an ex-employee who becomes a business rival: Talk about establishing some mutual boundaries. Although there was no arrangement in-place prior to his or her departure, that doesn’t mean that you can’t come to some agreement now. Speak with him or her about establishing some ground rules. Perhaps, you both can offer different variations of what is essentially the same within the industry. For instance, you take on one type of client, why he or she takes on another. Or, you agree not to cross certain geographic boundaries. Form a strategic alliance. Here’s another idea — work together, yet separately. If the above suggestion isn’t feasible, then there’s no reason you can’t work together, behind-the-scenes. For example, you might be able to serve clients in one capacity, while he or she serves them in another. Yet another alternative is to work in tandem, where you pick up where he or she isn’t available, and vice-versa. Shift your focus. This just might give you the opportunity you’ve been waiting for, for some time. You can look at it as a blessing in disguise to transition from one business model to another. Perhaps you’ve wanted to take the company in a different direction, but have been unable to fill the void. Now, there’s someone to do just that, freeing you to pursue new things. What other suggestions do you have to deal with such a situation? Please take a moment to share your thoughts and experiences so others can benefit from your prospective! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

Edit Column To stand out in today’s crowded market, brands often need more than traditional advertising. Guerrilla marketing—a creative, surprise-driven approach—offers companies a unique edge by using imaginative tactics to make a lasting impression.

3 Ways Business Owners and Entrepreneurs can Find more Free Time

March 8, 2021 No Comments

A substantial percentage of established business owners and fledgling entrepreneurs have experienced significant change over the course of the past year. Some had to make very difficult decisions and enact hard changes in order to survive. Conversely, some have been in the fortuitous position to thrive. Regardless of their circumstances, too many entrepreneurs and business owners struggle to find free time. Fortunately, there are some effective strategies to find more free time and enjoy it. The Dreaded Free Time Paradox The most common problems business owners have when it comes to free time is either not recognizing it, or failing to indulge it. In other words, when there’s free time available, business owners and entrepreneurs most often either prefer to spend it working, simply defaulting to a workaholic mindset. So, it’s often the case that they don’t have any free time, as much as it is they won’t take time to actually enjoy it. Time freedom is about spending your time doing what you really love doing with the clients and people who mean the most to you. Having more freedom of time is about having the ability to live a full life and have the time to pursue other interests outside of work. But finding time freedom for entrepreneurs can be tough. — Thrive Global This creates a cyclical scenario where any ostensible free time is put either toward their work or, is spent on distractions. That’s often more advice given about business owners seeking free time. That is to say, to identify and eliminate distractions, because they divert away from the task or relaxation at hand. Because entrepreneurs are action-minded people, they mistake any type of work as being valuable. Of course, that’s just not true. 3 Ways Business Owners and Entrepreneurs can Find more Free Time The advice usually given to free up time is to rely on technology, innovative tools of the trade, and eliminate redundancies. Those are all great ways to help streamline your operation, but these mostly work around the margins, and don’t address the core problems. Here are three ways business owners and entrepreneurs can find more free time: Stick to a schedule. It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to find free time in an unstructured environment. The old Friedrich Nietzsche philosophy of “out of chaos comes order” simply doesn’t apply to this situation. So, get yourself on a schedule and follow a routine. It can be flexible and should not be rigid, but should provide you with structure. This will greatly cut down on distractions, and force you to focus on the highest priorities, and work your way down to the lowest. Put your business on a budget. Before you scoff, remember this — a budget doesn’t always mean spending less, it means always spending smartly. Too many business owners either spend their time worrying about their finances. Others know their general financial situation, but dwell on every possible contingency. In either case, they waste a great deal of time worrying, because they really don’t have a plan for their company finances. Money just comes in and goes out, but with very little accountability. Creating a realistic budget allows you to operate your business with a lot more certainty, and that in turn, will create more free time. Hire (back) help. You might have responded to the pandemic and ensuing chaos in a number of ways. Perhaps, it was necessary to reduce your payroll and take on more responsibilities yourself. Or, you’ve been taking on more work personally, because you haven’t found the time to hire people to help. The longer this unnecessary stress goes on, the more you risk burning out. It not only steals away valuable downtime, it is also counterproductive. So, get yourself on a schedule, lay out a budget, and hire on some help when and where needed. What other suggestions do you have for creating more free time? Please take a moment to share your thoughts and experiences so others can benefit from your unique perspective! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.