--- Saying in the military, quoted by Bear Grylls in ‘The Best Advice a Boss Ever Gave Me’, WSJ Sep 2023
From the article:
“When I first joined the military, a sergeant major told me: ‘If you’re less than five minutes early, you’re late.’ I’ve never forgotten those words and have always tried to make it a mantra when filming or working. I really notice it too in others, on expeditions for example. It speaks to diligence and dedication.”
Bear Grylls is the host of ‘Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge,’ on National Geographic
The saying reminds me of a "twenty before twenty" an ex-military person told me about: The colonel says that everyone should muster at 0800, the captain makes it 0740, the sergeant major makes it 0720, and the corporal makes it 0700.
There's a StackExchange thread on the origin. Variations include "Early is on time; on time is late" and "Five minutes early is on time."
