One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The journey that led to this book involved the wisdom, kindness, and support of many people: Gary Frost
and Dan Baker, Ph.D., who gave me the honor of being a speaker at Canyon Ranch every month for the
last four years; Roslyn Siegel, who heard me speak about kaizen at Canyon Ranch and nurtured and
guided the proposal; Wendy Lipkind, who collaborated with Roslyn and brought this book to Workman
Publishing; and my editors, Jennifer Griffin, Richard Rosen, and Erin Klabunde, who guided the evolution
of the manuscript.
The ideas in this book took root in a classroom with Dr. W. Edward Deming, who first shone a light on
the concept of kaizen for me. The words in this book are the gift of Leigh Ann Hirschman, my co-writer,
whose humor and talent are an inspiration to me, and who helped me bring the power of kaizen to the
written page.
Along the way, the love of friends and family was invaluable. My spiritual teacher, Joe Zazzu, helped
guide me each step of the way. Others who are the “wind in my sails” include Ben and John and Lori and
Joe Sikorra, Steve Deitelbaum, and Marc Levitt.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert Maurer, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist on the faculty of the UCLA School of Medicine and the
University of Washington School of Medicine. He is the founder of the Science of Excellence, a
consulting firm, and travels extensively presenting seminars and consulting on kaizen to diverse
organizations, including corporations, hospital staffs, universities—even the U.S. Navy. He lives in
Spokane, Washington. For additional information on kaizen, please visit Dr. Maurer’s website,
scienceofexcellence.com
, or you can email him at 
[e-mail]
.

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Copyright © 2004, 2014 by Robert Maurer
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced—mechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying—
without written permission of the publisher. Published simultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen & Son, Limited.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-0-7611-8134-7
Cover design by Janet Vicario
Workman books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for premiums and sales promotions as well as for fund-raising or
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address below, or send an email to 
[e-mail]
.
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Workman is a registered trademark of Workman Publishing Co., Inc.

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Document Outline

• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter One: Why Kaizen Works
• Chapter Two: Ask Small Questions
• Chapter Three: Think Small Thoughts
• Chapter Four: Take Small Actions
• Chapter Five: Solve Small Problems
• Chapter Six: Bestow Small Rewards
• Chapter Seven: Identify Small Moments
• Chapter Eight: Kaizen for Life
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author