Richard Maun

Author: moderncareers

  • Crow Does… Giving

    The smart birds know that 'giving to receive' is good business!
    The smart birds know that 'giving to receive' is good business!

    Caw it’s me! Crow! Richard has page proofs to read for his new book, called How To Keep Your Job, and has retreated to the study, leaving me in charge for two weeks. And me with my beak only just recovered from all the typing last time! But I’m a trouper so I will carry on and won’t mention my pain again. I mean when you have to put up with pigeons, a sore beak is nothing!

    Now, here’s a question for you: When did you last help a business colleague for free?

    I’m asking because I was recently invited to help a sparrow who was setting up a little boutique, called LBJ’s (Little Brown Jobs, to you and me, that’s bird slang for the hedgerow hoppers) and who just couldn’t afford my rates. Normally, I charge for my time, but remembering that Richard has had my time for free (I taught him all he knows) I thought that it would be public spirited to waive my fees for the greater good of society.

    Life has been tough in the tree and even harder for some of the hedgerow types, so it feels right to be magnanimous and offer support to a fellow of the feathered fraternity. And I know that when you put something into the world it tends to repay you.

    Ooh ow ow, need to rest for a minute…

    …Back now…where was I? Oh yes, giving to receive. Well, it turns out that the sparrow knows a robin, who knows a talented tit who has offered me some free tap dancing lessons! Caw! How cool is that!

    I could be the next big winner on Strictly Come Birding! Last year’s winner was a very smooth heron, who could tango like a genius. And when I win…I’m off! And Richard will have to find another bird to carry his bags for him.

    But I digress… the point is that sometimes it can pay handsomely to give your expertise as a gift.*

    Now…I’m off to LBJ’s to get measured up for some spangly trousers for my dancing! Riverdance here I come! Caw caw! See you next week!

     

    *But not to pigeons. They’re too silly to waste any time on. They still think cheese-cloth is cool. Caw!

  • The Apprentice – For Any Age

    Even Lord Sugar started out as a humble cube and worked his way up...
    Even Lord Sugar started out as a humble cube and worked his way up…

    For lovers of schadenfreude we’re getting deep into The Apprentice (BBC1 on Wednesdays and with m’Lord Sugar on Twitter) when feisty young blades and gimlet eyed damsels lock horns in the quest to win a hatfull of money.

    Success comes from being able to go from bed to business suit in under 5 minutes, once the phone has summoned them to the day’s task, and packing your pockets with edgy buzzwords can be useful too. It helps if you can add up and if you know that a cloche is a food cover and not a garden implement (sadly these particular business basics have eluded half the squad).

    To suggest these perky poseurs are the cream of the business establishment is to mislead on two counts because:

    1) They’re not – the programme is cast to show a range of skills and talents that veer from the mildly stupid all the way over to the really stupid.

    2) They’re all so young – to be The Apprentice it seems you have to be under 30 years old which is a bit hard on us ‘middle agers’. Even more so given that this series isn’t actually about being a proper apprentice, as the prize is to become Lord S’s business partner in a startup.

    So here’s my Big Idea for this week: I think we should have a new version of The Apprentice for people over 40 years old, because you can start a business and be successful at any age. However it would need a few tweaks to the rules, namely:

    1) No day to start until candidates have had some toast and a chance to glance at the day’s newspaper.

    2) Tasks should not require people to work under naff team names such as Thrust and Synergy. Instead, teams will be more relaxed and can be called ‘That’ll Do’ and ‘We’ll Have it Finished Sometime Tomorrow’.

    3) The Boardroom carve up at the end of the task should be scheduled so as not to clash with The Archers. Biscuits would be nice too and a pot of tea would make things more convivial.

    With these changes The Apprentice could attract a whole new cadre of determined, professional and less irritating candidates.

    And of course, my point is this: You can be great at business at any age and can make a start whenever you feel it’s right to do so. Success comes from building relationships and by having enough humility to recognise when you don’t know something and then getting help.

    Let’s cheer on the current candidates in The Apprentice because they’re good sports and they are very entertaining. And let’s hope that next year we have a version for more mature people too…maybe one day we might even get one for birds! I know a Crow who fancies his chances…