Rude Meeting Behavior

I am sure you've had this experience. You're at a meeting, and several people cannot resist checking their email because the meeting is boring. But what about the meeting where someone is not bored but still cannot remain present simply because he's disorganized?

I witnessed that this week. I attended an otherwise great meeting that was almost ruined because the most powerful person in the room couldn't focus on the conversation. He spent most of the meeting responding to email. Bad news for him: I checked with several people after the meeting and they were not impressed. Intended message: "I am too important to be bothered with this meeting, so just deal with it." Message received: "I am a frikkin' mess, so please indulge me." He got no takers.