Feedback

2.  … she goes to a different office so that she can meditate.

3.  … turn it off so I'm not / I don't get interrupted.
4.  … it's in order to be / stay more focused. 
5.  … it's for emergencies. It's a fire door. 
6.  … gets an earlier train so as to get / find a seat. 
7.  … went via Italy so that I could visit a client. 
8.  … he needs the computer in order to work at home tomorrow.

New worlds and new markets

Walter, you've worked for Deutsche Post DHL for over forty years. Can you tell us about
the company first, in a nutshell?
'Well, it was originally government owned and split into different divisions in 1990
for banking, postal services and telecommunications. It went public in 2000 and has
grown to a global company operating in 220 countries and employing 480,000
people. Its headquarters are in Bonn and it's the biggest courier service in the
world.'
1.  If you look back, can you identify a point where you took up an opportunity?
'There are a couple but the most memorable was autumn 1989 in Germany, where
many changes were taking place. The Berlin Wall had just come down and the
country was reuniting. I was working in Hamburg as a controller, a number cruncher,
if you like. One evening my boss asked for help with a huge backlog of Quelle's
mail-order catalogues. Those were the days before the Internet, you understand.
The problem was that there was a strike on so 500,000 catalogues weren't reaching
their customers who were eager to shop. I puzzled over it and in the morning, I had
a detailed plan to deliver by taxi. My boss promptly executed it. Over the next three
days, all of the catalogues were delivered. Problem solved. A success!'
2.   Did your idea lead to a promotion, or some recognition?
'Better than that, it led to a new mindset. My boss became the boss in Dresden and
he asked me to join him. I didn't hesitate! With the opening of the markets in the
eastern part, there was a huge demand for western products. Working there, we
developed an entrepreneurial spirit and way of thinking that I wouldn't have had
otherwise. I learned you have to take some risks sometimes, which isn't always easy
for a German. Everything we’d done so far wouldn't work, the rules had changed
and sometimes there weren't any rules. There was no real infrastructure, there were
no buildings and there was no equipment or workers – or not enough of them.
Nothing really worked but business was booming. We had to start completely from
scratch, without a rulebook.'
3.  It’s hard to imagine. Can you give us some examples of this entrepreneurial spirit?
'I'll give you three. The first problem was manpower to sort all the parcels. After the
Wall came down there were 10,000 Russian soldiers stationed in Dresden, with
nothing to do. We offered them sorting jobs cash-in-hand. They worked gladly and
hard. Problem number two was equipment. We asked all the West German post
offices for anything that they didn't need: conveyor belts, sorting bins, cages, and
anything else useful. It was all sent over – a kind of recycling. There was no one who
could help with solutions – you had to think for yourself. We found new premises
and delivery vehicles – 500 in total – we rented from the west. The third problem
was delivery staff; we looked for and employed local people to deliver; they had
three days' training and then they worked.'
4.  What was it like working there?
'It was like being a pioneer in the Wild West in a way; after the Wall came down
everyone looked for opportunities to make money. It was pure capitalism really, but
very exciting building up the infrastructure. For me personally, it was one of the
best times in my career – rolling up my sleeves and having to think outside of every
box every single day.'

1.  What was the problem with the catalogues?

2.  What solution was offered? Did it work?
3.  What was the reward?
4.  What kind of thinking was required?
5.  What did managers like Walter have to do?

1. There was a strike so catalogues weren’t being delivered to the customers.

2.  To deliver by taxi – yes, it was successful.
3.  A new job in Dresden in the new world and a new mindset.
4.  Entrepreneurial thinking, new ideas because the old ones didn’t work.
Thinking outside the box.
5.  They had to start from scratch with everything.
In order to manage time you have to be master of it

use tricks so as to obtain a small time advantage

that prevent you from reaching the goals that you've set

frees your mind so that it can focus on the job in hand

so that you can cross off the items is a waste of time

so you can remember what personal goals you have

so that you're spending it doing something that brings you closer to your life goals