Cameron HeroldFounder of the COO Alliance & Invest In Your Leaders Training

What "Sorry I'm Late" Really Means in Business

3 Jul 2026 · 0 min

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0:20

Cameron Herold says when someone apologizes for being late, they're really saying your time matters less than theirs. A CEO who shows up late tells the whole company that its stated values are just words.

Who here has people showing up late for meetings? Almost all of you show up late for meetings and you tend to show up and you go, "Sorry, I'm late." When you hear, "Sorry, I'm late," what it really means is, "Eff you, I'm disrespectful, my time's more valuable than yours." The CEO of the company can never, ever, ever be late for a phone call or a meeting because if you are, what you're saying is your core values don't actually matter.

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