Do you have a one-on-one accountability partner in your personal and professional life? If not, it’s likely due to one of five reasons: You didn’t realize the importance of having an accountability partner; You don’t want to be held accountable; You don’t know who to ask to be your accountability partner; You don’t know what...

“If I had six days to chop down a tree, I would spend five days sharpening my ax.” President Lincoln’s advice is sound for any manager considering a cost cutting iniative. With the economy softening, it is prudent for managers to prepare a contingency cost reduction plan. Cutting cost, however, with a “dull ax” makes...

I have been called many names during my life. I was called “Beancounter” at Johnson & Johnson because of my pursuit of accounting preciseness. Later in my career, a Motorola VP of Manufacturing nicknamed me “Herbie”, one of the characters in the popular book THE GOAL. The VP was accusing me and the cost system as...

Are you getting married? Married to an ABM consultant, coach, trainer or software vendor. If so, don’t tie the knot based solely on their sales pitch or advertisement. Barry Cameron, my pastor, recommends five pre-marital common sense tests before the marriage contract is consummated: Drive with your fiancee in heavy traffic.How do they react? Cool...

Why should I improve my cost system? “Why did it take eight consultants to help the old man across the street? Answer: Because he did not want to go across the street.” You cannot successfully force a new cost system on your organization. Your management and employees must “want and need” improved cost information. You...

Too many ABM Pilot Projects are like the old TV series The Love Boat. Everyone is excited with anticipation before the Pilot Project launch. During the 90-day Pilot “cruise”, everyone seems to have a valuable and enjoyable experience. But, after the Pilot Project Final Report, people return to their same old attitudes, practices and pre-ABM...

“I don’t have enough time!”…
Have you ever said this to yourself? This statement is an example of a self-defeating belief. Self-defeating beliefs such as “I’m not good enough” or “I’ll never lose weight” get in the way of your success and happiness. Negative thoughts lead to negative actions. For example, telling yourself, “I don’t have...

Five frogs are sitting on a log. Four decide to jump off. 
 Question:  How many are left?
Answer:  Five.  (Because there is a difference between deciding and doing.) There are a lot more people “deciding” to implement Activity Based Management (ABM) than there are people actually “doing” ABM. A January 1999 survey of people who attended 1998 American Management...

My wife, daughter and mother-in-law love to put together jigsaw puzzles.  Working together, they can assemble a 1,000-piece puzzle on the kitchen table in just a few hours. When I asked them how they do it so quickly, they responded “It’s easy. We just put together the pieces to match the picture on the box.”  In...

“Poor Pass Costs Frogs Relay Title” This newspaper headline recently caught my interest. Texas Christian University’s Horned Frogs 4×100-meter relay team was on its way to a national championship and possible collegiate record. But while leading the final race, the last two members of the team failed to cleanly make the third and final handoff....