Mastodawn

Small teams love pretending risk is an enterprise problem.

It isn't. Less slack, fewer people, less room to absorb stupidity. Risk hits harder - not softer. More here: https://www.jonmunson.co.uk/posts/lets-talk-about-risk/

Let's talk about risk.

Let’s talk about risk. Risk isn’t something that only big enterprise teams need to consider. Everyone needs to be looking at it. In a digital agency you might feel that you’ve got too much going on to worry about risk. All your risks are calculated and your appetite for risk is pretty high. You don’t mind if something goes wrong, you’ll react to it if needed, but why waste any time on preparing for risks, listing them out in a raid log or similar - when most of the time they don’t happen anyway.

Jon Munson

Jon Munson 🎸3d ago

Constantly changing your delivery process doesn't make you agile.

It trains people to treat the whole thing as temporary. Then leaders wonder why adoption is poor.

Jon Munson 🎸4d ago

The workplace isn't the building. It's the conditions around your attention.

Fix those, and people don't need a wellbeing webinar. More here: https://www.jonmunson.co.uk/posts/being-intentional-with-your-time/

Being intentional with your time when everything is busy

Photo by Jon Munson (personal) I’ve noticed something recently that I don’t love. My hill walks with my dog Gibson have turned into “content time”. It used to be simple: I’m out with the dog, I’ll do a quick video. Now it’s starting to feel like I’m going up the hill to make a video… and Gibson happens to be with me. That’s the bit I want to catch.

Jon Munson

Jon Munson 🎸5d ago

Most delivery systems aren't operating models.

They're coping mechanisms built by people who confuse adding structure with achieving clarity.

More here: https://www.jonmunson.co.uk/posts/why-you-rebuild-the-same-delivery-processes-every-6-months/

Why you’re Rebuilding the Same Delivery Processes every 6 Months

If you’ve rebuilt your delivery process three or four times in the past two years - you’re not alone. I see it all the time with agencies and product teams. Things get messy, so someone steps in to “fix delivery.” They spin up new templates, clean up tooling, maybe even restructure roles a bit. It works - for a while. Then, slowly but surely, the friction creeps back in.

Jon Munson

Jon Munson 🎸6d ago

You can't template your way out of cowardice.

Most "process problems" are accountability problems nobody wants to name. More here: https://www.jonmunson.co.uk/posts/why-you-rebuild-the-same-delivery-processes-every-6-months/

Why you’re Rebuilding the Same Delivery Processes every 6 Months

If you’ve rebuilt your delivery process three or four times in the past two years - you’re not alone. I see it all the time with agencies and product teams. Things get messy, so someone steps in to “fix delivery.” They spin up new templates, clean up tooling, maybe even restructure roles a bit. It works - for a while. Then, slowly but surely, the friction creeps back in.

Jon Munson

Jon Munson 🎸Mar 27

"Safe hands" often means: trusted to absorb the mess that should have been prevented.

The business learns the wrong lesson. Not "fix the structure" - just "they'll handle it."

More here: https://www.jonmunson.co.uk/posts/cheltenham-festival-2026-invisible-work-good-operations/

Cheltenham Festival 2026 and the invisible work that holds big events together

Last week, I worked at Cheltenham Festival as part of the events team. My role was fairly simple: I drove the shuttle bus for stable staff between the stables and their accommodation, helped with check-ins, and made sure that small corner of the operation kept moving over seven days of 12-hour shifts. It wasn’t the glamorous end of the event. I wasn’t anywhere near the public-facing spectacle most people associate with Cheltenham.

Jon Munson

Jon Munson 🎸Mar 26

Around 12 to 15 people is where things quietly start to break. What ran on closeness and goodwill suddenly needs structure. Most founders don't see it coming.

More here: https://www.jonmunson.co.uk/posts/startup-growing-pains-13th-hire-broke-culture-playbook/

Startup Growing Pains: How the “13th Hire” broke the culture

A good Idea, the right intentions, and a bit of investment This is a story from a startup I worked in a while back. One of those early-stage companies where everything starts with a genuinely good idea and an even better reason for building it. The founder had a personal story that drove the business — he’d lived through a frustrating problem, found no good solution, and thought: “I’m going to fix this for everyone else.

Jon Munson

Jon Munson 🎸Mar 25

Most businesses aren't run on strategy. They're run on memory, goodwill, and crossed fingers. Works fine. Until scale shows up. More here: https://www.jonmunson.co.uk/posts/cheltenham-festival-2026-invisible-work-good-operations/

Cheltenham Festival 2026 and the invisible work that holds big events together

Last week, I worked at Cheltenham Festival as part of the events team. My role was fairly simple: I drove the shuttle bus for stable staff between the stables and their accommodation, helped with check-ins, and made sure that small corner of the operation kept moving over seven days of 12-hour shifts. It wasn’t the glamorous end of the event. I wasn’t anywhere near the public-facing spectacle most people associate with Cheltenham.

Jon Munson

Jon Munson 🎸Mar 24

Pressure is normal. Confusion is not.

The best-run teams aren't the ones with the most energy - they're the ones with the fewest avoidable questions.

Jon Munson 🎸Mar 23

Good operations is silent, repeatable, and boring in the best possible way.

Nobody notices it. Until it's gone.

More here: https://www.jonmunson.co.uk/posts/cheltenham-festival-2026-invisible-work-good-operations/

Cheltenham Festival 2026 and the invisible work that holds big events together

Last week, I worked at Cheltenham Festival as part of the events team. My role was fairly simple: I drove the shuttle bus for stable staff between the stables and their accommodation, helped with check-ins, and made sure that small corner of the operation kept moving over seven days of 12-hour shifts. It wasn’t the glamorous end of the event. I wasn’t anywhere near the public-facing spectacle most people associate with Cheltenham.

Jon Munson