One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Buy New

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime Free Trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn More
Buy Used
Used - Very Good See details
$7.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Sell Back Your Copy
For a $1.04 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way
 
 
Start reading One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way [Hardcover]

Robert Maurer (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)

List Price: $18.95
Price: $12.14 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $6.81 (36%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it delivered Tuesday, May 22? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $9.32  
Hardcover $12.14  

Book Description

June 1, 2004
Introducing the practical and inspirational guide to incorporating Kaizen and its powerful principles into one's daily life. Rooted in the two thousand-year-old wisdom of the Tao Te Ching--"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"--Kaizen is the art of making great and lasting change through small, steady increments. Kaizen is the tortoise versus the hare. Kaizen is the eleven Fortune 500 companies that significantly outperformed the market through moderate, step-by-step actions. Kaizen is losing weight not by a crash diet (which more often than not crashes) but by eating one bite less at each meal--then, a month later, eating two bites less. Kaizen is starting a life-changing exercise program by standing--just standing--on a treadmill for one minute a day.

Written by an expert on Kaizen--Dr. Robert Maurer, a psychologist on the staff at the UCLA medical school who speaks and consults nationally--One Small Step is the gentle but potent way to effect change. Beginning by outlining the all-important role that fear plays in all types of change--and Kaizen's ability to circumvent it--Dr. Maurer then explains the 7 Small Steps: how to Think Small Thoughts, Take Small Actions, Solve Small Problems, and more. He shows how to perform mind sculpture--visualizing virtual change so that real change comes more naturally. Why small rewards motivate better than big rewards. How great discoveries are made by paying attention to the little details most of us overlook. Hundreds of examples of Kaizen at work grace the book, as well as quotes from W. Edwards Deming (who brought Kaizen to Japanese industry), Peter Drucker, coach John Wooden, and others.

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard) Third Edition $22.49

One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way + The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard) Third Edition
Price For Both: $34.63

One of these items ships sooner than the other. Show details

  • This item: One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard) Third Edition

    Usually ships within 1 to 4 weeks.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details



Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Unleash the potent force of kaizen, the Japanese technique of achieving great and lasting success through small, steady steps. Whether the goal is as specific as getting more sleep or as broad as meeting the love of your life, kaizen works because it melts away resistance—in particular, the "fight-or-flight" brain chemistry behind people’s underlying fear of change.

An expert on the art of success, Dr. Robert Maurer has helped countless people and businesses use kaizen to reach their objectives and maintain excellence. Distilling its secrets, Dr. Maurer shows not only how and why kaizen works, but how to make it work for you—how to position yourself for change and make your life more effective, whether at home or in the office; how to address personal changes and career changes; how to realize ambitions by sidestepping any impediments.

As one client succinctly put it, "the steps [are] so small I couldn’t fail." And as far as being too busy to solve a problem, learn a new skill, overcome a fear, or curb a bad habit, forget it—who doesn't have the 30 seconds it takes to get started?

The road to a life of continuous improvement begins with a single step. 


About the Author

Robert Maurer is the director of behavioral sciences for the Family Practice Residency Program at Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center and a faculty member of the UCLA School of Medicine. He travels extensively presenting seiminars and consulting on Kaizen to diverse organizations, including corporations, hospital staffs, universities, theater companies, spas--even the British government.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 182 pages
  • Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (June 1, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0761129235
  • ISBN-13: 978-0761129233
  • Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Maurer is the director of behavioral sciences for the Family Practice Residency Program at Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center and a faculty member of the UCLA School of Medicine. He travels extensively presenting seiminars and consulting on Kaizen to diverse organizations, including corporations, hospital staffs, universities, theater companies, spas--even the British government.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
139 of 140 people found the following review helpful
EXTRAORDINARY GEM! November 25, 2004
Format:Hardcover
I am not a fan of self-help books, but this parcel of wisdom is an exception. Dr. Maurer gently guides you through a whole new way of perceiving your life, and towards the path to making those improvements you've been putting off indefinitely. The key? Baby steps. Sounds so simple, and it is. But you'll want to read Dr. Maurer's explanation for WHY this works, and HOW you can make it work for you. Forget about doing 20 pushups -- get down on the floor and do ONE. Floss ONE tooth. I'm oversimplifying, but that's the point -- Dr. Maurer encourages you to take monumental tasks and break them down into small manageable digestable morsels. Big problems? He teaches you how to ask small questions that will get them solved. I can't do justice to the genius of his presentation. This is well organized material, based on a series of lectures he has delivered around the globe to big companies and small organizations -- as well as his experiences as a psychotherapist in private practice. It gets proven results. The writing is engaging, the quotes and anecdotes are entertaining, and instead of the usual vague advice one typically gleans from this genre, you'll learn from an abundance of scientific and historical evidence (entertainingly presented), as well as receive hardcore action steps that YOU can undertake today. You'll be looking at life through a whole new set of lenses -- and with less stress and more productivity. Most powerfully, it demonstrates how each one of us can dramatically affect not only our own lives, but also exert positive influence over those around us. Buy a copy for yourself, and another batch as gifts for your friends, family, and colleagues. It's that good! Enjoy!
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
96 of 96 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The philosophy of small can produce big results. The topic of this book is how the big things in your life, your business, your relationships are really no more than a series of very small things. The key to change is the ability to make the minute course corrections over time, not big changes all at once.

The book starts with some great examples of how our mindset typically works when faced with major change or obstacles. We freeze. We are unable to grasp the enormity of what is required and therefore have less likelihood of success. The strategy is then in breaking the situation down to smaller segments and executing them. For example, anyone can exercise three minutes a day. Now by itself this won't change your life, but what if three turns into ten, ten into twenty, twenty into thirty? Now major change is underway.

The other essential element to this approach is the ability to understand root causes. This is a critical step in any Quality effort in business, but is also just as relevant and perhaps more important in life. Start by asking small questions. These will eventually lead to the root or core issues to be addressed.

The other sections lead from these basic premises. Take small actions, for example. Once the problem or change desired is broken down into smaller segments, don't try to change all at once. Take small steps and watch them grow. I think a big reason this is so difficult to do, is that many of us hard charging type-A types lack the patience to allow change to happen through the one step at a time mindset, and want to rush it all at once. We do so often with faster results that over time achieve less, and therefore in the end are in fact slower than if we were patient to begin with.

I found this book to be very enlightening. It presents wisdom that is common sense, yet rarely acted upon. I have tried several of the techniques and found them to be very helpful. I recommend this book highly. A small investment that could pay off in a big way.
Was this review helpful to you?
108 of 118 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Because I have several criticisms of this book, I should say at the outset that I found it helpful and worth purchasing. Stripped to its essence, Dr. Maurer's program consists of taking a series of very small incremental steps towards self-improvement instead of taking on the entire project with one gulp. Good advice, and it works. While he engages in the typical doctor/author approach of telling little stories about his patients (Do doctors all go to the same "Famous Authors School?"), his stories are shorter and more to the point than those of others. Overall, I found the book to be helpful.

Now for the criticisms:

1. This is not a book about Kaizen, which is a collection of Japanese manufacturing techniques involving the elimination of waste, Just In Time delivery, production load leveling, standardized work, paced moving lines, and right-sized equipment. There is some small overlap with the program described by Dr. Maurer, but his is aimed at personal improvement and is much simpler.

2. Like many doctor/authors, Dr. Maurer suugests that he has found the solution to all of the reader's problems, the key to the universe, rather than a simple, useful tool.

3. The book is way too long. Fortunately, there are chapter summaries at the end of each chapter for those who prefer a quick read. An executive summary at the beginning of the book would be a welcome addition.

Readers who would like to see how the same approach can be applied to business should consider The Mind Of The Strategist: The Art of Japanese Business by Konichi Ohmae, one of the few great business books.
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Overcoming fear
Overcoming fear. That pretty much sums up what I got from this book. Fear gets in the way of creativity. Using Kaizen can help overcome fear and get creative. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Raver
Gem of a book - Inspiring!
What a timeless, little gem of a book! No `filler' here --- to expand it to a standard length "how to" book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by P. J. Ryan
Fascinating application of management ideas to your own life
While doing research for my upcoming book "Healthcare Kaizen: Engaging Front-Line Staff in Sustainable Improvements," I found two books that touched on kaizen-style continuous... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mark Graban
Best Book Read So Far
Out of the various personal development and business books filling the shelves of todays bookstores, this book in my opinion is a must read for anyone wanting to either make a... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Alex Gadd
Mediocre book, not five stars
This is not a book written with careful consideration and research but much more like an author's essay. Read more
Published 5 months ago by 6k7c226
Taking small steps to achieve your goals - absolutely.
Read it once, read it again. An easy to read book on how to take the steps that are small enough and yet powerful enough to assist you on the road to attaining your goals. Read more
Published 6 months ago by rimfire15
Thought provoking
This book had some interesting concepts regarding tackling difficult decisions. By asking yourself positive questions, and making small steps at a time, you can reach your goals. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Patricia Thomas
One of the best books
This book is one of the best books I have read this year. Kaizen technique is simple and brilliant. Highly recommend!
Published 7 months ago by Olena Caire
Excellent, simple and it works!
I have purchased the kindle edition of this book. I was pleasantly surprised. The book gives several effective strategies that evolve around the basic philosophy of the book; a... Read more
Published 7 months ago by AHMED Sheikh
Do the bare minimum...
The ideas in this book have stuck with me, long after reading it.
The biggest insight I learned was, "Do the bare minimum to get things started. Read more
Published 7 months ago by CCL
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Change is frightening. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
ask small questions, solve small problems, kaizen technique
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Take Small Actions, Think Small Thoughts, Bestow Small Rewards, Identify Small Moments, Mind Sculpture, One Small Step
New!
Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:

Citations (learn more)
This book cites 3 books:
 
2 books cite this book:


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(18)
(13)
(11)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums





Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject