The roads are gridlocked, there's nowhere to park and the trains are often delayed or don't run at all. So, everyone is late for meetings now and again. But it's not a good idea to make a habit of sloping into your seat half an hour after the agreed start time. You'll give the impression that you're disorganised or that you simply don't care. The true professional will do some contingency planning - starting off early and allowing for congested roads and poor public transport. If it's impossible to get there on time you could:

 
* Try to negotiate a later start
* Travel the day before
* Apologise in advance for your unavoidable unpunctuality.

 
But what do you do if, despite all your planning, something happens to delay you unavoidably? Enter red-faced, hair askew and mumbling apologies? No. First use your mobile phone to warn your colleagues that you've been unavoidably delayed. When you arrive, take a few minutes to visit the loo, apply some lippy and catch your breath. Then stand up straight, catch the chairperson's eye, apologise clearly and sit down.