Bottleneck Blog

Stay Cool, Be Flexible

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 06:34:00 +0000

Things are changing around us in such a rapid pace that the ability to adjust and "ad lib" nowadays is becoming a key competitive advantage. "Don't lose your head when those about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you", Kippling once wrote. Keep your calm particularly in times of turbulence. I had a boss who gave me this piece of great advice: "Stay cool, be flexible".

Think On Paper

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 07:54:00 +0000

I had a creative and productive boss many years ago. He taught me the art of "thinking on paper". Always, regardless of subject, he would take a clean sheet of paper and start to write and draw as we discussed the topic. I've used this technique ever since. Next time you are facing an issue take out a paper and start to write down you thoughts in a list or using a mind-mapping technique.

Spend Less Than You Earn

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:03:00 +0000

The first rule of money management says; spend less than you earn and save the difference. If you have not already, create a budget for yourself and for your business and stick to it. Be sure to put aside part of your income every month. This is the beginning of accumulation of wealth. The sooner you start the sooner you will have your first million.

No Such Thing As Failure, Only Feedback

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:40:00 +0000

There are no failures, only opportunities to learn and improve by the feedback generated by our mistakes. Thomas Edison, the inventor with more than 1,000 patents to his name, did over four thousand experiments with the light bulb before he could make it work. He said: "Now I know another way in which it can't be done." Remember, there is no such thing as failure, only feedback!

Prepare, Be There, Do Your Best

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:46:00 +0000

Since so much in life is outside your control, I mean external events and other people with their whims and wishes, all you can really do to move ahead is to prepare, be there and do your best! If you want to advance your career, win the loved one of your heart, raise happy children or assist in bringing about world peace, it is that simple: prepare yourself well, show up and do your best.

Feared Things First

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:30:00 +0000

Do your "FTF" - Feared things first! Make the dentist appointment, call that angry customer or deal with the ugly mess you have been putting off for a long time. Once you cleared the feared thing out of your mind you will have more energy to focus on the important stuff, like relationships and results.

Promptly And Profitably

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:22:00 +0000

Become a person known for dependability and speed. Do things swiftly when assigned a task. Develop a reputation for getting things done quickly and with quality. You generate value through action. The faster you act the more value you create. When you do things promptly, both you and the world will profit.

Not Always At My Desk

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 00:30:00 +0000

Do people have an expectation that you are sitting at your desk patiently waiting to respond immediately to every e-mail they send? Why not add a sentence to your signature in Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes. It could say something like: “I am not always at my desk and only check my email 2-3 times per day. If your matter requires my urgent attention, please contact me or send me a SMS.”

Think Happy Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 00:30:00 +0000

I heard such a beautiful quote on the radio the other day. A girl mentioned about Peter Pan, that when he was thinking happy thoughts he could fly. It is so true! We are responsible for our own thinking. No-one else can do it for us. We decide the direction of our life by the thoughts we choose to dwell on. When we think happy thoughts the flying will take care of itself.

Face Your Fears

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:29:00 +0000

Most people would rather be dead than speak in public or being interviewed on TV or starting their own company. Your best strategy is simply to face your fears. If you don't do it you will never accomplish greatness. It is time to get out of your "comfort zone"! When you start doing what you don't know how to do, you will start to grow, so face your fears today!

First Things First

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:00:00 +0000

One of the secrets to success is to be able to figure out what is the most important thing to do right now. Success is first and foremost a question not of doing things right, but doing the right things. Make a decision to always work on the top priorities in your life and stick to them. Make a habit to put First Things First!

Drive, Develop, Decide, Deliver

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:46:00 +0000

The current CEO of Fiat, Mr. Machionne says he had to fire all the managers that did not exhibit business acumen when he came on board. All the managers at Fiat need to live up to the motto of Mr. Machionne's four D's: drive, develop, decide, deliver. He clearly cannot leave engineers, without a business mindset, in charge of his business.

Doing Something Good For Someone Else

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 12:22:00 +0000

Value creation comes from meeting customer needs. You could say that the purpose of business is doing something good for someone else, either for profit or nonprofit depending on organizational objectives. This is reflected in our company's motto: "We create value together with our partners and a better, everyday life for our customers." I am even thinking about the purpose of life in a similar way; creating value equals doing something good for someone else.

Make Good Use Of Your Time

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 07:02:00 +0000

Focus in on the relatively few things that are really important. The secret is to do things in the order of their importance. The “80/20-rule” determines that the relationship between cause and effect is non-linear. There are a few vital efforts that generate most parts of a result. Start applying the 80/20-rule actively in your life. Remember that 20% of your efforts generate 80% of all your results. Focus on income generating activities and delegate everything else as much as possible.

Unlock Your Ideas Through Creative Thinking

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 07:05:00 +0000

Take time to think! Book a meeting with yourself each week. There are many ways to develop your creativity. This skill is not something we are born with but rather something that can be developed over time. Work with metaphors and use them to describe your ideas. Put your subconscious mind to work. Seek out new perspectives. Learn to think outside of the box. Turn the business logic upside down by trying the logic from another industry.

Relationships Make Things Happen

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 07:01:00 +0000

Yesterday we talked about the bottleneck equation of limited resources. Relationships is the multiplier in this equation. Relationships have to do with influence. Celebrities attract publicity and draw big audiences. That's why actors, athletes and TV personalities can make a fortune. You too can develop your brand! Network within your industry. Join an association. Establish new relationships every week. In essence, you are the sum of all your relationships, and relationships make things happen!

Money, Time, Ideas And Relationships

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:16:00 +0000

We say that time is money. The reverse is also true; money is time. Imagine that you can convert time, money, ideas and relationships with each other. Imagine there is a fixed exchange rate between these different entities. Can time equal ideas or relationships? Can ideas be equal to money or time? Of course they can! I call this the bottleneck equation of limited resources: money = time x ideas x relationships². Invest time, put the right relationships and ideas together and you have a recipe for success.

The Magic Of Attraction

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:00:00 +0000

When you buy a new car, all of a sudden you start to see similar vehicles everywhere. They were most likely there all the time! You just started to notice them when your brain considered them important. When we concentrate on something, our mind is more open to impulses that lead us in that direction. There seem to be an almost "magnetic" power at play when our imagination focuses on something we want to accomplish. Our imagination is a phenomenal asset. If you can conceive it, you can achieve it; that is the magic of attraction.

Bigger Deals Have Higher Emotional Content

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 06:47:00 +0000

When we buy something, we first buy it emotionally then we try to rationalise it to our own mind afterwards. When we buy a house or a new car this is particularly obvious. The lesson here from a sales perspective is clear; sell the emotion, the experience first then rationalise the benefits.

Sir Richard’s Rules

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 23:05:00 +0000

In Fortune Magazine (October 6, 2003), Richard Branson is quoted to outline his rules:
#1, Follow your passion

#2, Keep it simple

#3, Get the best people to help you

#4, Re-create yourself

#5, Play

I think I agree with him. Need I say more?

Balancing Your Time

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:33:00 +0000

Most people feel an imbalance between how they actually spend their time and how they would want to spend it. It can be an enlightening experience to write down all your activities for a week on a piece of paper. Then evaluate where you can, and feel you should relocate some of that time into activities that take you closer to your wants and goals.

Everyone Enjoys A Good Story

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:34:00 +0000

Story telling has been an art down through the centuries from the early oral tribal traditions, over ancient Greek rhetoric down to the Hollywood of today. Stories are compelling because they touch not only the intellect but the heart through emotional impact. What about the stories you are telling? Try to put them in context, use descriptive language, make use of vivid examples and explain your position in the drama.

The Trick Of A Good Listener

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:07:00 +0000

The trick of being a good listener is not to sit silent, hold eye contact, nod and grunt the odd "yes" etc. The trick of being a good listener is to remember what was being said next time you meet that person again. Ask questions that show you remember the topics you discussed. The key to attentive listening then is to actively engage the memory functions of your brain.

Think And Plan Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 23:20:00 +0000

When I was working in the United States I was asked by my management where I wanted to be two jobs from now. I found that to be an intriguing question. Ask yourself today: where do I want to go, who do I want to be, relate to and work with three to five years from now? Once you've described your future it is easier to start planning and prepare for it.

The Power Of Compound Interest

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Gavelin) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:01:00 +0000

Albert Einstein is reported to have said: “Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe.” Regardless of whether he did or not, there is an interesting element of truth to it. You can become a millionaire in your lifetime through compounding. If you can only save one dollar a day and invest it at 12% interest you will have $ 1M in fifty years. The keys are: start saving, convert the savings into investments, start early in your life and/or plan on getting really old and you can become financially independent in your lifetime.