There are a number of options for what to do when you’re running late. First, you can do nothing. Just arrive late. Second, e-mail or text that you are running late. You can communicate “start without me” or set expectations on when you will be able to join. Third, you can dial in while you are in transit. You are “on-the-go” and trying to participate as you work on getting where you expected to be (to either take the call or meet in-person). Which do you choose when you run late?

Each action has an implication and tone for the others with whom you are meeting. There are factors to consider in each case. Are you the only other participant (like a one-on-one)? Are you leading the meeting? Are you a key contributor? Are you just dialing in to listen, or do you have something important to say?

Consider saying nothing while arriving late when you are simply listening in and can catch up later. When the meeting can go on without you who no impact it probably does not matter if you arrive late. Also, it is fine to do nothing when you know the agenda and meeting management means the attendees will cover things outside your sphere during the time you will not be there.

If you choose to arrive late and you are not the most senior person in the room, you should understand people will judge. Those people in power will make some sort of judgment about why you are late. It may be that you are efficiently using your time elsewhere or it could be that you are not prioritizing the subject at hand. The strength of your relationship with those people will help you determine whether the judgment is positive or negative.

Consider sending a message letting people know you are running late in cases when others may think you are required and will question if they should start without you. I am a big fan of sending a message that I will be late in any circumstance. It helps other people plan. If I am going to be late to a one-on-one I definitely send a message. I am a key contributor. When I am considered a senior person with authority in a meeting, the meeting organizer appreciates being “empowered” to start without me.

Sending a message that you will be late to a meeting when others did not even realize you are attending could be bad. This action is a way of calling attention to yourself that you may not want. You can consider the importance of your role in the meeting in the eyes of other people when deciding whether to send a message about your lateness.

Dialing into a meeting while you are trying to "get there” is the option I find sends the most subtle and dangerous signals. Depending on the audience, when you dial in from the car it can imply that you are not taking the topic or attendees seriously. When you dial into a meeting on-the-go you will be preoccupied. It will come across in anything you say and do on that meeting. If you are a passive listener it may never be noticed. When you are meeting one-on-one with someone they will know you are distracted. If your counterpart has a serious topic to discuss and is sensitive to your attention he or she will feel devalued.

On the other hand, if someone needs to speak with you urgently and timeliness is critical, you can be perceived as honoring the meeting start time through adversity. Some people will look at you dialing in on-the-go as a positive, you are doing what you can when you can.

I have experienced situations where someone dialing into a meeting was the last straw. It sent the signal that they did not understand the seriousness of the topic at hand. After the meeting participants would say “can you believe he dialed in from the car?”

In a small group meeting or one-on-one where you are not just one of many, you can be more collaborative with your choice. I will state at the outset that I am unexpectedly stuck in-transit. I will give the organizer the choice of my participation in a less than focused way, or I can join later.

Overall, we tend to view our choice on what we do as we run late through our own lens. Take a moment and think about the other meeting attendees and what they perceive from your response to running late. It may be different than what you would in their position.