Book Review - One Small Step Can Create Big Results
"Kaizen and innovation are the two major strategies people use to create change.
Where innovation demands shocking and radical reform, all Kaizen asks is that you take small, comfortable steps toward improvement.
" --Robert Maurer Lao Tzu said "A Journey of a thousand miles must begin with the first step.
" In One Small Step Can Change Your Life, author, business consultant and behavioral health instructor, Robert Maurer writes that small steps lead to big results.
His simple tenet is that we can bring about behavioral change, pursue personal growth, and accomplish large projects simply by starting with small, doable, steps, and by making steady progress and continuous improvement.
Maurer draws from the work of Dr.
W.
Edwards Deming, an American statistician who was instrumental in helping rebuild Japan's business/manufacturing infrastructure following World War II.
Deming's philosophy was that Japanese businesses could regain a foothold in the world economy through small, ongoing improvements in quality and efficiency, in a work environment where all employees could offer suggestions and point out defects, and where teamwork and cooperation were encouraged.
The Japanese named the concept "Kaizen.
" Maurer believes that businesses, groups, and individuals can benefit from the Kaizen way.
His theory is that when humans attempt large-scale, revolutionary change, a fear response is triggered in the brain.
As part of our innate survival mechanism, the brain registers an alarm whenever we deviate significantly from our usual safe routines.
This fear response shuts down creativity and concentration.
Small changes, on the other hand, sidestep the fear response, allowing the brain to accommodate the new response, laying down new neural pathways while we build new habits.
Even when it comes to eliminating our bad habits, like addictions, overeating, or compulsive spending, Maurer recommends that instead of going "cold turkey", we should taper off gradually, thereby avoiding feelings of deprivation that often lead to relapse.
He give strategies for bringing Kaizan into your life: oAsk small questions to dispel fear and inspire creativity.
oThink small thoughts to develop new skills and habits.
oTake small actions that guarantee success.
oSolve small problems, even when you are faced with overwhelming crisis.
oBestow small rewards on yourself and others to produce best results.
oRecognize the small but crucial moments that everyone else ignores.
I felt particularly intrigued by Maurer's story of a supervisor named Patrick who called staff meetings, asking his subordinates "What is each of you going to do to make our company the best in the industry?" Although Patrick thought he was empowering the employees with a sense of creativity and responsibility, they froze up, and, later, complained among themselves that he was asking too much when they were already working so hard.
Patrick was advised to change his question to "Can you think of one small step...
to improve our process or product?" Upon hearing this question, the employees participated, giving many small ideas for improvement-ideas that, when implemented, led to increased morale and efficiency.
Therapists, coaches, teachers, trainers, and managers will like this book because it is loaded with tips for teaching others the concepts.
Small steps are easier to accommodate, they are less overwhelming than giant leaps, and they allow us to experience small, initial successes that whet the appetite for additional progress.
Small steps keep us from making huge mistakes or over-committing.
They might also provide feedback for determining the next decision or action.
Small steps are doable.
This is a book I recommend to colleagues and clients.
Maurer packages common sense in way that holds attention, with practical examples, quotes by well-known people that reflect the Kaizen approach, and stories of success achieved when people chunk a big task down into small steps.
One Small Step Can Change Your Life provides a counterpoint to our society's tendency to super-size everything we do, with exhortations to "go all the way" and "be all you can be.
" How many people fail to act because they are immobilized by the enormity of a challenge? How many people decline to help a good cause, because they think that a small gesture is too insignificant to make a difference? Perhaps what we really need is the humility to realize that to make even a small contribution or a small advancement is better than doing nothing at all.
Where innovation demands shocking and radical reform, all Kaizen asks is that you take small, comfortable steps toward improvement.
" --Robert Maurer Lao Tzu said "A Journey of a thousand miles must begin with the first step.
" In One Small Step Can Change Your Life, author, business consultant and behavioral health instructor, Robert Maurer writes that small steps lead to big results.
His simple tenet is that we can bring about behavioral change, pursue personal growth, and accomplish large projects simply by starting with small, doable, steps, and by making steady progress and continuous improvement.
Maurer draws from the work of Dr.
W.
Edwards Deming, an American statistician who was instrumental in helping rebuild Japan's business/manufacturing infrastructure following World War II.
Deming's philosophy was that Japanese businesses could regain a foothold in the world economy through small, ongoing improvements in quality and efficiency, in a work environment where all employees could offer suggestions and point out defects, and where teamwork and cooperation were encouraged.
The Japanese named the concept "Kaizen.
" Maurer believes that businesses, groups, and individuals can benefit from the Kaizen way.
His theory is that when humans attempt large-scale, revolutionary change, a fear response is triggered in the brain.
As part of our innate survival mechanism, the brain registers an alarm whenever we deviate significantly from our usual safe routines.
This fear response shuts down creativity and concentration.
Small changes, on the other hand, sidestep the fear response, allowing the brain to accommodate the new response, laying down new neural pathways while we build new habits.
Even when it comes to eliminating our bad habits, like addictions, overeating, or compulsive spending, Maurer recommends that instead of going "cold turkey", we should taper off gradually, thereby avoiding feelings of deprivation that often lead to relapse.
He give strategies for bringing Kaizan into your life: oAsk small questions to dispel fear and inspire creativity.
oThink small thoughts to develop new skills and habits.
oTake small actions that guarantee success.
oSolve small problems, even when you are faced with overwhelming crisis.
oBestow small rewards on yourself and others to produce best results.
oRecognize the small but crucial moments that everyone else ignores.
I felt particularly intrigued by Maurer's story of a supervisor named Patrick who called staff meetings, asking his subordinates "What is each of you going to do to make our company the best in the industry?" Although Patrick thought he was empowering the employees with a sense of creativity and responsibility, they froze up, and, later, complained among themselves that he was asking too much when they were already working so hard.
Patrick was advised to change his question to "Can you think of one small step...
to improve our process or product?" Upon hearing this question, the employees participated, giving many small ideas for improvement-ideas that, when implemented, led to increased morale and efficiency.
Therapists, coaches, teachers, trainers, and managers will like this book because it is loaded with tips for teaching others the concepts.
Small steps are easier to accommodate, they are less overwhelming than giant leaps, and they allow us to experience small, initial successes that whet the appetite for additional progress.
Small steps keep us from making huge mistakes or over-committing.
They might also provide feedback for determining the next decision or action.
Small steps are doable.
This is a book I recommend to colleagues and clients.
Maurer packages common sense in way that holds attention, with practical examples, quotes by well-known people that reflect the Kaizen approach, and stories of success achieved when people chunk a big task down into small steps.
One Small Step Can Change Your Life provides a counterpoint to our society's tendency to super-size everything we do, with exhortations to "go all the way" and "be all you can be.
" How many people fail to act because they are immobilized by the enormity of a challenge? How many people decline to help a good cause, because they think that a small gesture is too insignificant to make a difference? Perhaps what we really need is the humility to realize that to make even a small contribution or a small advancement is better than doing nothing at all.
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