Our series with Version 1 Chief Technology Officer Brad Mallard continues. Taking on any new job is hard, so this time we’re asking about what it was like getting up to speed and if there is anything he would have done differently.

With the benefit of hindsight, would I have done anything differently? The answer is definitely yes!

Looking back at the last 12 months, it’s always worth thinking about any learning opportunities. Partly that’s because I’m generally very self-critical and sweat the small stuff, I ensure we operate to very high standards. I tend to look at everything I do and think – how could I have made that better?

And that sort of self-critique means that every single meeting, situation, decision is constantly being judged in my head. I’m also a strong believer that you can’t change the past, so you have to live in the moment and strategise for the future.  

More specifically, I would like to have built my team a little faster.

When I first came on board, I underestimated to some degree the change management required and how it would impact the team and the wider organisation. If I could go back, I would make more time to communicate and engage and take a step back from spinning so many plates.  

That’s an ingrained behaviour as I like to do a lot and move fast but sometimes less haste, more speed. That’s one of the things I’m constantly challenging myself on is – am I doing too much, and can I do it better? And hence the focus on building the team. If I had built the team earlier, I could have stepped back and empowered others to do more of what I’ve done personally. It’s important to create space to communicate across the organisation and also to customers and the market on a more frequent basis.  

Catch up with everything from the world of the CTO right here. and follow Brad on LinkedIn for all the latest updates.