I'm a huge stickler when it comes to following up on your word. These aren't directed towards any specific person, but if you work with me, the following may give you a glimpse inside my personality.

• While conceptional I know that car trouble happens (as it's happened to me on a number of occasions), but if you're meeting with a client you find a way to get there, regardless. Rent a car, call a cab, whatever. On one level it's no problem, I'm a layed-back guy, on another level it's a matter of commitment. I'll think very seriously about committing to your company, because you didn't commit to me (especially with long term financial matters, which this was.). Maybe I'll discard it, but it'll be a black mark against you anyway
• If you base your business on quality, or on meeting deadlines, then you have to produce. If you said you'd get us something on Saturday, I'd damn well better see it on Saturday (or get an email Friday night or afternoon saying that it'll be another (day or week or whatever. But I'd better see it then.) Give me enough time to find a backup plan, anyway.) Pull an all-nighter to get me this thing if you have to. I do the same for my clients - if I really can't deliver I let them know, but that has to be an exceptional case. I've pulled all-nighters, I've worked 70 hours a week, I've worked weekends to get stuff to people. Because I promised, and I'm not in business to go back on delivering what I said I would deliver.
• If I'm concerned about something (especially something time sensitive), I'll speak up, through channels we've already defined (even if they are ad-hoc channels). This goes double for something concerning a set deadline (see above). Sometimes I'll get my point across vividly, sometimes (once or twice a year) I'll flame (or boarder flaming) people to get the point across. If it's informal, ad-hoc channels I'll be a little faster and looser if I'm not the one with the final say (or rather, especially if I'm not the one with the final say, because I know those with the final say should just ignore me, because my thoughts don't - or shouldn't - influence those channels. I'll probably add a little "but I don't have anything to do with official matters" type disclaimer as well, just to make it clear.) Formal channels, when I'm in charge of something, I'll approach things with a bit more caution and save all my scathing remarks for either this blog, my journal (or I'll light someone down the street who did something "wrong" on fire for it.)

  Does this mean I need anger management classes? I've been tossing the idea around in my head for a few weeks now. Comment.

  Oh, and if you don't want me involved in ad-hoc communication channels because of this, ok, fair enough. Just clue me in when I need to be clued in. (but take into account that an uninformed programmer might not be as productive as an informed one.)

It really all broils down to doing what you said you would do. If you're working with me, you might want to understand these things about it.

Afterward: I thought about not posting this, but it's useful (and Need To Know information if you're working with me on a project. So I'm posting it.)