Recent ABM Articles...
by Tom Pryor, President of ICMS, Inc.

MISSING THE POINT 12-12-2006
"The Three Wise Men went to Bethlehem with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh..."

FORD'S KILLER MAY BE KILLING YOU
"Based on my calculations, it would take Ford Motor Company 132 million years to make one of each..."

LEAN MONEY INDEX (LMI)
"It's fashionable for models and manufacturers to be lean, but not too lean..."

GO-TO GUY
"I've added a person to my list of heroes. His name is Joseph of Arimathea, a real Go-To Guy..."

RED FLAGS
"How old were you when you got your first paying job? ..."

BUSINESS CAT SCAN
"Inconveniences offer opportunities to improve. The pharmacy would not refill my asthma medication..."

HOW TO THINK
"Mr. Walther, the test you just handed out isn't fair!" "Why do you say that?" replied ..."

RESILIENCE
"Capt. Miles Standish had spent much time at his wife Rose's bedside. As much time, that is, as..."

FALL BACK TO SPRING FORWARD
"I don't mind going back to daylight savings time. With inflation, the hour will be the..."

UPSIDE-DOWN CUSTOMERS
"The number of new-vehicle buyers who owe more on their trade than it is worth --- the classic..."

HYBRID MAD LIBS
"Every time my family took cross-country car trips, Mom would pack snacks, a pencil and a ..."

HOPE AGAIN
Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, eyes filled with tears, said on September 2nd, "..."

RISKING FREEDOM
The voice on the phone said, "As of June 13, 2005, the balance due on your mortgage is zero dollars ..."

SUNSETS
“While sunrise is my favorite time of the day, one of my favorite places to watch sunset ...”

SLY MOVES
“If you stop eating just one slice of bread a day, one, you’ll lose 8 to 10 pounds a year doing nothing else...”

IN HOT PURSUIT
"Martin England was a life insurance salesman. He asked Martin Luther King to purchase a policy, but..."

GETHSEMANE MINDSET
"When I hear someone say, 'I'm going to start after Christmas' or 'next month' or 'on Tuesday,' I think..."

RAY'S CHARLES' KPI
"If you've seen Jamie Foxx's Oscar-winning performance in Ray, did you Notice the key indicator"...

ANGELS & DEVILS: THE REST OF THE STORY
"Brad calls himself a "failed seminarian". Brad attended Northwestern Seminary but dropped out ?"...

UNSTUCK
"Will the flight attendants for AirTran Airways flight 110 please go to gate 16 for immediate departure?"...

Three Discerning Men
"Question: Why did wise men bring three gifts to the baby Jesus?..."

Passion of the Pilgrims
"Question: What caused 101 men, women and children to risk their lives aboard a small ship in 1620..."

The Bigotry of Low Expectations
"Bring me only bad news. Good news weakens me. Those thought-provoking words hung prominently..."

Bring Me Bad News
"Bring me only bad news. Good news weakens me. Those thought-provoking words hung prominently..."

Convicted Customers
"If the jury’s vote is unanimous, the accused cannot be put to death..."
Turning Points
"No captain can do wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy..."

The Shortest Distance is a Straight Line
"No captain can do wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy..."

Turn Off The TV
"Televisions are a predictor of wealth. The job of newspaper columnist Steve Blow takes him..."

THE PRINCIPLES: Chapter One
"As Ray Miller cradled the phone on his shoulder and typed a few keys on the computer, as..."

Extreme Makeover
"Americans are captivated with makeovers. Millions watch weekly episodes of ABC television's..."

Three Steps to Transition
" 'We're all going to Krispy Kreme,' said Barry Cameron, co-author of The Principles. ..."

Auctions - Who Really Wins?
"A few months ago, Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger held two Power Breakfasts..."

Recession or Transition?
"What do you make of the recent so-called recession?" asked the Fortune...

Don't Fumble the Handoff
"Dad died December 9th, sixty-two short days after Mom. Noel Pryor left like he ... "

Spiritual Capital
"According to the October 31st Wall Street Journal, a new, interdesciplinary field is..."

Comebacks
"Will activity-based costing make a comeback? This question was posed to readers of ..."

Risky Business
"I was pulled over by a policeman while driving to a client's site in Cleveland, ..."

Flying Blind
"The month my brother got his pilot's license, I politely declined his invitation..."

Grow to be Great
"No company ever shrank to greatness." That quote caught my eye as I ..."

Consequences of Uncontrolled Weaknesses
"There is a Texaco convenience store near my house that has not changed it's..."

The New Normal
"When flying to Europe I experience jet lag... fatigue, insomnia, ..."

Ageless Wisdom
"Alan Vercio, leader of Bank of America's Activity Based Cost Management..."

Great to Good
"When our sole focus is greatness, good things can get lost in the process. 'We have..."

Popular vs. Profitable Thinking
"It's popular to eat fat free foods. But when I thought to read the label on my Fat Free..."

COURAGE
"I've watched television with shock and awe this week as courageous men and women..."

You Can't Make Me!
" 'Do I have to do this assignment?' asked a strong-willed student with a reputation for ..."

Happy Anniversary... don't divorce ABM
"Almost 80% of couples who were 'very unhappy' in their marriages and agreed not to..."

Indifference
"Indifference. We are all indifferent about one thing or another. I enjoy going to Barnes..."

Gross Margin Profiling
"Have you ever played 'Three Truths & a Lie'? It's a great icebreaker for groups..."

9/11 Stress Test
"Have you ever had a stress test? The doctor puts you on a treadmill going nowhere..."

Think Straight
"Mom told me, 'Sit up straight'. If I came home late, Dad would say, 'Tell me where ..."

Good to Great
I recently asked eighty electronics' distributors at a Las Vegas convention to answer..."

Broken Windows Theory
"If a window is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one..."

Lean does not mean Little
"The proper way to get lean is not instinctive. Most people try starving themselves..."

What Do ABC and Enron have in common?
"'Not long ago, accounting was boring,' said the front page of the February 6, 2002,..."

Criticism... Gain that's Worth the Pain ...POSITIVE STEPS
"Blessed is the man who can take bricks thrown at him and build a strong foundation..."

Conventional Wisdom or Myth?...INCREASE SALES WITH ABC
"I just finished watching the World Series. Baseball is a game loaded with convention..."

Worry ...TEN SOLUTIONS
"The staff of ICMS, Inc. has joined with you and millions of other people around the..."

Abandoned ...BASIC IDEAS TO REMEMBER
"'Dusty BMW abandoned at the airport'. This headline caught my eye on a..."

Fraternal Twins - Six Sigma & ABM ...QUALITY
"My twin grandsons celebrated their first birthday on July 1, 2001. And while..."

Slumps ...TEN CAUSES AND CURES
"Our local baseball team, the Texas Rangers, is mired in a losing slump. Even though..."

The Rest of the Story - Part 3 ...BAIN RATING OF ABM
"10,000 business books have been published in the past three years..."

Karnack the Magnificent ... ABM QUESTIONS
"When teachers want students to grow, they don't give them answers..."

The Jewelry Store Caper ...PRODUCTS VS. SERVICES
"One night, a group of thieves broke into a jewelry store. Instead of stealing..."

Perfect Processes ...CASE STUDIES
"Your processes are perfectly designed to produce the results you're..."

Can One Person Make a Difference? ...CASE STUDY
"Can one person make a difference to the productivity of an organization?..."

Looks Can be Deceiving ...CASE STUDY
"Assume for the moment that you walk into a beauty or barber shop that has..."

Friends ...FOUR FACTS
"Friends don't let friends drive drunk," was the most successful advertising..."

Loser's Limp ...ABM EXCUSES
"If you had my wife as your boss, you would have improved your cost..."

Burn Out ...TEN QUESTIONS
"Define the activities you enjoy..."

It's Greek or Geek to Me ...SIMPLIFY ABM
"Church attendance of American men is steadily declining..."