One year on…

On this day in 2022, I entered the Equal Experts offices in Farringdon, London, for the very first time as an employee.

After nearly three years in my last role, I’d got to a point where I knew that I’d done enough to get RHP onto a different track, and it was time to do something new. A long series of conversations (including a mini-podcast series) got me to a new challenge working in what appeared to be a fascinating business.

To be blunt, at the end of 2021 if you had told me I would soon to be working for a software development business, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve spent much of the last 30 years in and around information technology, and have had the opportunity to witness the positive impact that it can have. I’ve also seen the other side.

But there was something about Equal Experts that appeared to meet my need for an employer that was driven by a real sense of purpose. But you never can really tell from the outset, and I’ve had a few career doozies in those three decades (4 calendar decades, but let’s not dwell on that, shall we?)…

So a year in, how’s it going?

Well, without tempting fate, I think it’s probably the best career decision that I’ve made since joining the BBC back in 1996.

Why?

Because the purpose is real.

Equal Experts exists to provide a haven where people can come together to do good work.

We are organised differently to allow that to happen. We don’t have managers. We don’t have individual performance targets or performance management processes. We don’t individually bonus people.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not by any means perfect. But there’s a humility to acknowledge that and to work to try to improve.

I’m getting to work with great people, both within the Equal Experts network and within our clients. I’m getting to look at interesting challenges that go beyond just building software. And I’m getting the chance to help improve how we operate in a place where, unlike many organisations, if you come up with an idea people are keen to build upon it rather than tear it apart.

I can’t quite believe I’m being quite so gushy about a job. But there you go.

Here’s to the years ahead. The first one has been a blast. Thank you to everyone who has made it so.