Always Late?

Many people are habitually late to meetings and appointments. It can be a sign of poor "executive function" skills. "Executive function" means having the ability to plan and implement (or "execute") actions. People with ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome or who have had right-sided strokes or head trauma (from accidents) may have poor skills in this. Other people can, as well.

Regardless of the cause of the problem, others may interpret habitual lateness as disrespect for their time. It's as if the person with habitual lateness does not care about anyone else's time but his own. "Only my own time is important" is what the person seems be saying. In fact, the person is often totally unaware of the impact he is having on others; he never considers the fact that his lateness has any impact on others.

Ways to address it include showing the person (often in writing) how the lateness affected others,
and helping the person plan his schedule appropriately.