I’ve been spending a lot of time in doctors’ offices lately.  No, I’m not sick – just 36 weeks pregnant.  And having a doctor’s appointment at least once a week inevitably means that my productivity goes way down.  This is because one waits longer for a doctor than for any other professional, and even if you only see the doctor for ten minutes, your experience in the office is often a 2+ hour affair.

I’d like to say that this is a statement about the sad condition of modern medicine, but the truth is, doctors’ offices have been this way for as long as I can remember – including the 80s, when health insurance companies paid for everything without questioning it and every man and woman with an MD made a cushy living.

I’m not sure why it’s acceptable for physicians to keep patients waiting as long as they do.  If a client showed up to meet with me at a pre-scheduled time, and I showed her to a stack of magazines in the lobby and left her there for hours on end, I wouldn’t have a job.  I am expected to respect others’ time and keep to my calendar.

The culture of medicine is such that no one in a doctor’s office – from the receptionist to the PA to the doctor himself – cares that you have a life too and are unable to take care of your responsibilities as long as you’re there instead of wherever else you’re supposed to be.  And unfortunately, I’m starting to see this attitude spill into the business world.  Senior executives in particular will routinely cancel meetings with subordinates at the last minute, or keep them hanging around the office for a five minute paperwork signoff while they chit chat on the phone or complete every other minor task that comes to mind. 

Let’s please try to remember that everyone wants to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible.  Think about how your actions may be wasting others’ time, and don’t allow your lack of planning to become their emergency.