Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!

It takes a moment to say you're late and let everyone know where things are at. It takes forever to recover from a reputation of being undependable and a poor communicator.

Take the moment. Communicate. If late, say your sorry, give everyone a chance to adjust, and then deliver. Invest in your reputation and the leverage that communication can bring to what you, as part of a team, together, can deliver.