Delayed, But Not Off Track
It’s been a while since I’ve gotten the opportunity to sit down and write a blog—
Strike that.
It’s been a while since I’ve buckled down and made the time to write one.
Right now, I’m parked in a corner of the Columbia, South Carolina airport, waiting on a short connection to Charlotte. I find myself in Columbia about 8 or 9 times a year, and despite the proximity, it rarely works out for me to fly in and out smoothly. The connections are tight. The delays are common. The convenience is… questionable.
Tonight’s flight is delayed two hours. Normally, that would spell disaster for catching my next leg home. But—plot twist—that flight is also delayed. So here I sit, somehow still on track despite the fact that everything around me is running behind.
The Tandem Delay Principle
It made me think about complex problems at work. About projects, operations, and plans that depend on multiple moving parts. Sometimes, despite delays or detours, the whole thing still works if everything is moving in tandem.
In other words: you’re not necessarily behind just because you’re not on your original timeline.
In fact, sometimes things slow down just enough for you to catch up. Or for everything to align in a way that wasn’t forecasted, but still works.
This Applies to More Than Travel
Whether it’s coordinating cross-functional teams, juggling timelines with multiple stakeholders, or trying to lead an organization through change—this is a reminder I need more often than I’d like to admit:
Progress doesn’t always look like forward motion.
Sometimes it looks like staying aligned—even if that alignment is happening in slow motion.
Final Thought
I’m not sure if I’ll make it home tonight. But I’ve got a window open right now to reflect, to write, and to reframe what “delay” really means.
Sometimes, the plan still works.
Even when nothing’s on time.
Especially when nothing’s on time.
Ben Sloot 
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