Navigating Change: Lessons from a 20km Hike

Published on 06 November 2023

Cribyn at Brecon Beacons, Wales

This weekend I went for a 20 kilometre hike in the Brecon Beacons National Park 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿.

It’s something I’ve looked forward to doing for a while and I was quite lucky with the Welsh weather!

I will often look at planning trips and adventures away from the screen and technology to try and separate myself from my normal day to day, taking me out of my routine and hopefully giving me some new perspectives.

With hiking (and simlar activities), you have to build resilience.

You never know what the weather or terrain is going to throw at you, and you’ve got to try and weather that storm as such.

Resilience, adapting & handling unexpected challenges

In the context of digital agencies and managing projects and delivery, there are often things that change. One of the most important things I would suggest to anyone working in delivery is that they need to embrace change.

Change is inevitable.

Being able to adapt to that change, whether it’s planned or unexpected (and completely throws your plan out of the window) is essential.

It’s important to make sure:

➡️ (A) You are able to handle it

➡️ (B) You have a process in place to manage it

➡️ (C) You know how you’re going to communicate change across all of the relevant stakeholders and people involved

You may not realize it, but you might already have a pretty well tested process that you can use to make sure that you check all the boxes of things that you’ve needed to manage with that change.

Adapting to unknown change is also super important.

Whether that’s you’re halfway through delivering a project and the economy crashes or the competitor landscape changes, you might need to completely pivot into something new - being able to quickly assess the situation, look at the impact and act accordingly is absolutely critical.

“Being able to quickly assess the situation, look at the impact and act accordingly is absolutely critical.”

As with hiking, make sure that you prepare for as many conditions as you can, but also be aware and conscious that you may need to change your plan, maybe even a couple of times throughout your journey.

About the author: Jon Munson

As a Digital Delivery and Operations Consultant, I have honed my skills while working with some of the most dynamic and innovative digital agencies in the industry. I've had the opportunity to work with teams that are punching well above their weight, and I understand the unique challenges they need to overcome.

I’ve worked as a developer, project manager, producer, head of operations and delivery lead. Now it’s time for me to help teams like yours grow and win!



3 ways I can help you:

  • Consulting for your business: I'll work with your team to develop or improve processes around how you deliver work, operate your business, and give your customers a great experience.

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