I try to not be a flake. It doesn't mean that it never happens, it means that it happens sometimes.

I'm pretty flaky about being on time. There always seems to be one more thing I need to get done before i go; but that thing will make me late. It's poor time management, and i've been told it's an ADHD thing. Course, that doesn't mean shit to the boss so it's a problem I work hard at to overcome.




I more than overcome my flaky behavior (ie. coming in 1-5 minutes late sometimes) with a solid work ethic and a high standard for the quality of my work. I am in line for promotion, and my bosses have generally accepted my quirk, and appreciate that I am trying my best to get there on time.

My flakiness depends on external accountability. When I know that someone more anal than me is going to look down on me for my being late, then I am adamantly NOT flaky.

E.g. When I was on the rowing team in college for four years, practice began at 5am sharp and not a second later. Our coach was a major in the Marines. For every minute you were late, you had to do 50 push-ups; after five minutes, the punishment was jumping into the canal next to the shellhouse. This happened even in January, with corresponding water temperatures. I WAS NOT FLAKY; never had to jump in for being late.

However, if I feel that the person I am dealing with is just as flaky as me, I try to be pretty much on time, but I don't feel much grief if I am a bit late.

And if the person I am meeting is flakier than me by far, then I get pretty damn irritated with their behavior and lose trust in them. I deliberately choose to not work with them on important projects, and I put less and less stock in what they have to say as time goes on. And believe me, it takes a LOT of flakiness to get to that point, in my book! :D