From time to time, everyone misses a deadline, forgets an obligation, or fails to meet a commitment. We’re human, and it happens. For most of us, failure is followed by an immediate effort to right the situation.

Problem solved, right? Not so fast. “Most of us” excludes a special cohort: those who chronically disappoint and routinely fail to meet their obligations. They say one thing and do another, they agree to deadlines they have no intention of meeting, and they commit to deliverables that will never materialize.

—He didn’t get the shipments out... again! Makes me crazy. That guy never follows through.
—She said I’d get a promotion, so where is it? I’ve been waiting for three years.
—All talk and no action. That phrase describes that group in a nutshell. They pay lip service to teamwork, but they never pull their weight.

If we’re lucky, once we identify members of this tribe, we can put a healthy distance between ourselves and them. If not, there are some proven strategies we can use to retake control, push for greater accountability, and regain control of our sanity.

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