Richard Maun

Tag: tip

  • Take The Ten Minute Challenge

    Flickr Creative Commons: credited to The U.S. Army
    If dogs can do it, you can do it

    When was the last time you took ten minutes out of your day to reflect on progress made?

    We often talk about the need to ‘reflect’ and the truth is that we often fail to do any. I will be the first to hold my hand up and agree to that statement. Luckily for me though, I was reminded of the power of being reflective a few days ago, when meeting with a writing colleague. We talked about my writing progress and although I was pleased to report that I was typing out my next book at great speed, the wrinkle of her brow and the kindly, but thoughtful, smile made me realise that I needed to stop. Stop writing, take a step back and look at the work so far. Like a sculptor gazing thoughtfully at a half hacked marble bust, with his chisel held aloft, paused.

    The key here is that I know how to stop and think. I know how to pause and check a manuscript and hold it up to the light to see how it flows and whirls. I know all this and in my headlong haste I had forgotten to do it. Silly me.

    And that’s the point. It’s no good knowing what to do it if you don’t do it. I needed to spend time with my friend to help remind me of the need to stop.

    So, here is a friendly challenge. When you arrive at work tomorrow, set your mobile phone alarm to bleep later on that day to remind you to go to a new meeting. The only person in the meeting will be you and the agenda has one item on it: Quiet thinking and reflection. It’ll be a great meeting and perhaps the best ten minutes of your day. I’ll be interested to hear how well you get on …and I might have a go myself…sounds like a fun challenge!

  • A Quote About Problems

    A wise old tractor
    A wise old tractor

    “You will only be remembered in life by the problems you solve and the ones you create.”

    This quote did not come from a business person, a life coach, a celebrity, or a modern ‘guru’ (a word with real meaning and substance now casually applied to any management huckster with a toothy grin and a TV show). Instead it came from the Grandfather of a friend of mine. I like this fact because it reminds me that learning can come from any direction and that we can (if not careful) rely on ‘gurus’ when useful people can sometimes be sitting next to us at home.

    This quote also struck a chord with me because I wonder that we can fall into a trap of turning problems into objects. By doing this we can strip them of their human element and divorce ourselves from the influence we have on their inception or conclusion.

    People cause problems. People solve problems. That includes me and this quote did make me stop and think about which problems I’ve created and which ones I’ve solved recently. It’s an interesting question to ponder over…

    The next time somebody presents me with a problem and shirks their responsibility for it, I will share this quote with them and give them the oportunity to be remembered for something positive. That seems a fair way to motivate someone.

    And if you’re interested in the detail, the quote comes from Nemesio Maun (my friend is Maywell). He was the Chief Mechanic for John Deere tractors in the Philippines.