1 of 13 things that annoy your staff: Being late for the first patient of the day.

Granted, unexpected road closures, accidents and unforeseen events can happen. But chronic tardiness is dispiriting.

1. Your tardiness reflects poorly on your team. Everyone else can arrive on time. Your apparent disrespect sends a message of self-importance.

2. Your team feels obliged to entertain. Smoothing over the patient's disappointment and killing time before your arrival can be stressful and embarrassing.

3. You're not in a healing state for your first patient. With a Starbucks on your breath and whatever you were listening to in the car still reverberating in your head, you're not in a healing state, shortchanging the first patients of the day.

As the business owner you have the prerogative to behave anyway you wish. But it can be costly.

Creating trust, with your team or with patients, requires keeping promises.

Bill Esteb has been a chiropractic patient and advocate since 1981. He is the creative director of Patient Media and the co-founder of Perfect Patients. He’s been a regular speaker at chiropractic gatherings since 1985. His 12 books explore the doctor/patient relationship from a patient's point of view. His chiropractic blog, coaching program, patient focus groups and consulting calls have helped hundreds of chiropractors around the world. Since 1999 Monday Morning Motivation has been emailed to over 10,000 subscribers each week.