OneSmallStepCanChangeYourLife

THEKAIZENWAY

ROBERTMAURER,PH.D.

WORKMANPUBLISHING•NEWYORK

forMortMaurer,myfather,whohelpedmetoseethepowerofkaizenintheworkplace,andmymother,Miriam,whodemonstratedthestrengthofkaizeninrelationships

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

ChapterOne:WhyKaizenWorks

ChapterTwo:AskSmallQuestions

ChapterThree:ThinkSmallThoughts

ChapterFour:TakeSmallActions

ChapterFive:SolveSmallProblems

ChapterSix:BestowSmallRewards

ChapterSeven:IdentifySmallMoments

ChapterEight:KaizenforLife

Acknowledgments

AbouttheAuthor

PREFACE

“Smallthingswithgreatlove....Itisnothowmuchwedo,buthowmuchloveweputintothedoing.Anditisnothowmuchwegive,buthowmuchloveweputintothegiving.ToGodthereis

nothingsmall.”

—MotherTeresa

“Changeishard!”It’sasentimentsowidelyacceptedasfactthatwedon’tquestionwhetherornotit’sactuallytrue.And

there are good reasons why many of us see change as a mountain to climb. Consider New Year’sresolutions,whichalmostalways fail.TheaverageAmericanmakes thesameresolution tenyears inarow without success. Within four months, 25 percent of resolutions are abandoned. And those whosucceedinkeepingtheirresolutionsusuallydosoonlyafterfiveorsixannualbrokenpromises.Organizationalchangeinbusinessisalsoperceivedasdifficult.Popularbusinessbookspreachquick-

fixsolutionstomanagerslookingforfastwaystomotivateresistantstaff.Oftenthesebookstaketheformofbusinessfables,employingsimplestorylinesandcuteanimalstoconveytheirmessage.Somebecomebestsellers,likeJohnKotter’sOurIcebergIsMelting,whichneatlyencapsulatestheprevailingwisdomof this genre: Employees must be convinced of an imminent emergency—a threat—in order to bemotivatedtomakesomechange.But contrary to popular opinion, change—whether personal or in business—doesn’t have to be

agonizinglypainful.Normustithappenonlyastheresultofscaretacticsemployedtoshockourselves—or our colleagues—intomeaningful action. The pages you are about to readwill shatter themyth thatchangeishard,effectivelyremovingtheroadblocksthatkeepindividualsandworkgroupsfromachievingtheresultstheyseek.You’lllearnthatchangedoesn’thavetohappenonlyasaradicalresponsetoadiresituation.Thisbookwillshowyouhowtoharness thepowerofkaizen:usingsmallstepstoaccomplishlarge

goals.KaizenisanancientphilosophycapturedinthispowerfulstatementfromtheTaoTeChing:“Thejourneyofathousandmilesbeginswithasinglestep.”Thoughitisrootedinancientphilosophy,itisjustaspracticalandeffectivewhenappliedtoourhecticmodernlives.Kaizenhastwodefinitions:

usingverysmallstepstoimproveahabit,aprocess,orproductusingverysmallmomentstoinspirenewproductsandinventions

I’ll show you how easy change can be when the brain’s preference for change is honored. You’lldiscovermany examples of how small steps can achieve your biggest dreams. Using kaizen, you canchange bad habits, like smoking or overeating, and form good ones, like exercising or unlockingcreativity. Inbusiness,you’ll learnhow tomotivateandempoweremployees inways thatwill inspirethem. But first, let’s examine some common beliefs about change, and how kaizen dismantles all theobstacleswemayhavespentyearsputtinginourway.

Myth#1:ChangeIsHardLet’slookatjustoneexampleofhowchangecanbeeasy,requiringlittletime,self-control,ordiscipline.A series of recent studies have found that peoplewho spend a large part of the day sitting are at anincreased risk of heart attack and even early death. Somewhat paradoxically, a Mayo Clinic studyrevealedthatgoingtothegymforanhouradaydidnotreducetherisksassociatedwithsittingforsixormorehoursaday.Butthisseemscounterintuitivetoeverythingwethinkweknowaboutexercise.Yettheissuehereisnot

exercise,butprolongedsedentaryperiods.Whenwe’resitting,ourmusclesgointoaformofhibernation,causingourbodiestoshutdowntheenzyme(calledKK1)thatbreaksdownsomeofthefatintheblood.In addition, our metabolic rate and the rate of good cholesterol manufacture both slow down. Theexplanationforthesedramaticfindingsisthatthebodyrequiresthedownwardflowofgravity.Withoutit,the heart is compromised, blood volume is reduced, muscles begin to atrophy—even bone mass isadverselyaffected.The solution to this scary picture is kaizen. Simply standing from a sitting position doubles your

metabolicrate.Goforevenashortwalkandyouhavemorethandoubledtherateagain.Themoralofthestory:Thesolutiontothehealthrisksposedbyexcessivesittingisnothugeandunmanageable—i.e.,afullhouratthegymeachday—butrathersmallanddoable.Gettingupfromthedeskeveryhourorso,pacing,evenfidgetingallhelpthebodytofunctioneffectively.Inour“biggerisbetter”cultureofIMAXmovies,supersizemeals,andextrememakeovers,it’shardto

believethatsmallstepscanleadtobigchanges.Butthewonderfulrealityisthattheycan.

Myth#2:TheSizeoftheStepDeterminestheSizeoftheResult,SoTakeBigStepsforBigResultsManybusinessarticlespreachthewidelyacceptedwisdomthatonecanbetsmall(incrementalchanges,likethoseencouragedbykaizen)orbetbig(akainnovation)andthat innovationis thepathtosurvival,growth,andcreativity.Inourpersonallives,too,weoftenbetbig,puttingallourmoneyoninnovation—suchasacrashdietorintenseworkoutprogram—inthehopeofachievingabigresult.Butextremedietsandworkoutprogramsoftenfailsincetheyrequirehugequantitiesofwillpower,andoften,thewillpowerdoesn’tlast.Considerthat,formanyyears,theAmericanHeartAssociationrecommended30minutesofexerciseatleastfivedaysaweek.NooneIknowhasthetime(orverygenerousemployers)thatwouldpermitthisrecommendationtobefulfilled.Whohasthetimeduringabusyworkdaytodrivetothegym,changeintoworkoutclothes,exercise,shower,getdressed,anddrivebacktowork?Enter research from the Mayo Clinic that demonstrates that moving throughout the day can bring

dramaticresults.Bytrackingthesubjects’activitylevelsthroughthepedometerstheywore,researchersfoundthatpeoplewhowereleanbutneversetfootinthegymsimplymovedmoreduringtheday.Theypacedwhile on the phone, parked further from the store entrance, and stoodmore during the day thansubjectswhowereoverweight.Thisresultedin,onaverage,a300-calorie-a-daydifferencewhich,overthecourseofayear,couldresultinadifferenceof30pounds.The kaizen takeaway?Whilemore exercise is better than less, small amountsmake a difference.A

Taiwanese studyof 416,000 adults found that thosewho exercised15minutes a day lived threeyears

longerthanthosewhoexercisedless.Andthose15minutesdonothavetobedoneallatonce!Exercisingfor3minutesatatime,addingupto15minutesormore,canhaveclearanddramatichealthbenefits.Andthesestrategiesdon’trequirehugeexpendituresoftime,energy,willpower,anddiscipline.Seepage17tofindouthowoneofmyclients,Julie—asinglemomwithoverwhelmingresponsibilities—managedtofitexerciseintoherschedule.HerentrytoworkingoutwassoeasyandpainlessthatJulieknewshecouldnotfail.That’skaizeninaction.

Myth#3:KaizenIsSlow;InnovationIsQuickerPerhapsthemostdramaticexampleofwhatcanhappenwheninnovationisusedandabusedisToyota,acompanythatcallskaizenitssoul.FormostofitshistoryafterWorldWarII,Toyotaexemplifiedqualityautomobile manufacturing. Consumers bought Toyotas not for the styling or prestige but for theirunparalleledreliability.Butby2002,Toyotamanagementdecideditwasnotenoughtobuildthehighest-qualityandmost-profitablecars—itwantedtobethebiggestcarcompanyintheworld.Andthecompanysucceeded. It built factories rapidly and added enough capacity to produce three million additionalautomobilesinjustsixyears.Butproductivitycameatahighprice:SupplierscouldnotsustainthequalityforwhichToyotawasknown,andthenewfactoriesdidnothavethetimetobuildakaizenculture.Theresultwas over ninemillion recalls and somewell-deserved bad publicity.Here is an internalmemowrittenbeforethecrisisbecamepublic:

“Wemakesomanycarsinsomanydifferentplaceswithsomanypeople.Ourgreatestfearisthataswekeepgrowing,ourabilitytomaintainthedisciplineofkaizenwillbelost.”

—TeruoSuzukiGeneralManager,HumanResources

Intime,Toyotarecognizedthatabandoningkaizendrovethecompanyawayfromacommitmenttoitscoreprinciples.Sincethecrisis,Toyotahassloweddownproduction,givenlocalmanagersintheU.S.moreresponsibilityforqualitycontrol,andtrainednewworkersinthekaizenculture.Toyotahasreturnedtofocusingonquality,notquantity,asitsmission,withanemphasisoncorrectingdefectsinproductionwhile they are small and easily fixed. And Toyota’s reputation for quality has been restored. Thecompany’s story is an excellent illustration of the ways in which kaizen builds habits that can last alifetimeandhelpsavoidthepainfulconsequencesofstepsthatmay,inretrospect,havebeentoobigfortheindividualortheworkgrouptoswallow.

Kaizen:TheSpiritualSideBefore inviting you to begin your journey through this book and to experience the power andpossibilities of kaizen, I would like to cover one more topic: spirituality. By this I do not meannecessarily a faith in God, but a sense of purpose and a feeling of fulfillment. Kaizen is as much aphilosophyorbeliefsystemasitisastrategyforsuccessinchangingorenhancingsomebehavior.Therearetwoelementsofthespirit,orpurpose,inwhichkaizenplaysanessentialrole:serviceandgratitude.As JohnWooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach, expressed it, “You can’t live a perfect daywithout doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” Other luminaries havespokenoftheessentialelementofservice:

“Life’smostpersistentandurgentquestionis:Whatareyoudoingforothers?”

—MartinLutherKingJr.

“Letnooneevercometoyouwithoutleavingbetterandhappier.”

—MotherTeresa

Serviceisevenanessentialaspectofthebusinessapplicationsofkaizen.Eachemployeeinakaizencultureisaskedtolookeachdayforwaystoimprovetheprocessorproduct:loweringcost,increasingquality,andalways—Irepeat,always—intheserviceofthecustomer.Veryoften,successfulcorporationssuchasAmazon,Starbucks,andSouthwestAirlinesdefine themselvesasprimarilydevoted toservice.AsColleenBarrett,aformerSouthwestCEO,says,“We’reinthecustomer-servicebusiness;wehappentoofferairtransportation.Weconsiderouremployeestobeournumberonecustomer,ourpassengersoursecond,andourshareholdersourthird.”Kaizendemandsthateverysmallchangebetothebenefitofthecustomer.WhatJohnWooden,MotherTeresa,andMartinLutherKingJr.werespeakingtowasthedailypractice

oflookingforsmallwaystotouchpeople’slives.Recallthelastdayortwoofyourlife—allthepeopleyouinteractedwith,thoseunderyourroof,thoseinothercarsonthehighway,peoplewhocaredforyouinrestaurantsorgrocerystores,peopleinthehallwaysofbuildingsyouwalkedthrough,andpeopleonthephone.Ifyouwere100percentsurethatyouwouldhavechangedtheirday—maybeimprovedtheirlives—would you have done one or two things differently? Almost all of us would say yes. Can Ipersuade you that if you let a driver into your lane, or thank a sales clerk, or smile at someone in ahallway, you can change his or her life?Of course not—but if you don’t go through the daywith theassumptionthatsmallmomentsandsmallgesturescantouchpeople’slives,whatisthealternativebelief?Weallhaverelationshipsweplaceintheinnovativecategory:Peoplewholoomlargeenoughinour

livesthatonourbestdays,theygetthekindnessandconsiderationtheydeserve.Howcanyouextendthatkindnessinwaysthatwouldenrichourheartsandourcommunities?Gratitudeisoftenconsideredanelementofspiritorpurpose.Butwhatareweexpectedtobegrateful

for?Innovationcallsforfinancialgains,promotions,andpossessionstostokethefiresofgratitude.But

kaizeninvitesustobegratefulforhealth,forournextbreath,forthemomentswithafriendorcolleague.WhenfamoussongwriterWarrenZevonwassufferingfromterminalcancer,DavidLettermanaskedhimwhatwisdomhegleanedfromhisillness.Zevon’sanswerwaspurekaizen:“Enjoyeverysandwich.”Somequotesonserviceandgratitudetobeginyourexplorationofkaizen:

“Ilongtoaccomplishagreatandnobletaskbutitismychiefdutytoaccomplishsmalltasksasiftheyweregreatandnoble.”

—HelenKeller

“Wehavetolearntolivehappilyinthepresentmoment,totouchthepeaceandjoythatareavailablenow.”

—ThichNhatHanh,BuddhistZenmaster

“Strivenottobeasuccess,butrathertobeofvalue.”

—AlbertEinstein

“Iwouldratherhaveitsaid,‘Helivedusefully’than‘Hediedrich.’”

—BenjaminFranklin

INTRODUCTION

OneSmallStepJapanesecorporationshavelongusedthegentletechniqueofkaizentoachievetheirbusinessgoals

andmaintainexcellence.Nowthiselegantstrategycanhelpyourealizeyourpersonaldreams.

Mostofpsychologyandmedicine isdevoted tostudyingwhypeoplegetsickordon’t functionwell inlife.But throughoutmycareerasapsychologist, I’vealwaysbeen intriguedby theopposite of failure.Whenadieterlosestenpoundsandkeepsitoff,Iwanttoknowwhy.Ifapersonfindsloveafteryearsofunsatisfying relationships, I’m curious about the strategies that made this happiness possible.When acorporationstaysontopofitsgameforfiftyyears,Iwanttounderstandthehumandecisionsbehindthesuccess.Andsotherehavebeentwoquestionsthathaveoccupiedmyprofessionallife:

Howdopeoplesucceed?Howdosuccessfulpeoplestaysuccessful?

Of course, there are asmanyways to achieve success as there are successful people.But over thecourse of thirty-two years in practice, I’ve had the satisfaction of watching countless clients use anunusualmethod to create lasting change.They’ve applied the same simple principles to improve theirlivesinjustabouteveryway.They’velostweight(andkeptitoff);begunanexerciseprogram(andstuckwithit);kickedaddictions(forgood);createdstrongrelationships(thekindthatlast);becomeorganized(withoutslidingwhenthingsgethectic);andimprovedtheircareers(andcontinuedtodoso, longaftertheirperformancereportsarefiled).Ifyou’dliketomakeachange—onethatsticks—Ihopeyou’llreadon.Thismethodissomethingofan

opensecret,onethathascirculatedamongJapanesebusinessesfordecadesandisuseddailybyprivatecitizens across the globe. It is a natural, graceful technique for achieving goals and maintainingexcellence.Itcanslip intoeventhe tightestofschedules.Andin thisbook,I’llshare thisstrategywithyou.Butfirst,IwantyoutomeetJulie.

JULIESAT INTHEEXAMININGROOM,hereyescastdownward.ShehadcometoUCLA’smedicalcenterforhelpwithhighbloodpressureandfatigue,butthefamily-practiceresidentandIcouldseethatmuchmorewasgoingon.Juliewasadivorcedmotheroftwo,byherownadmissionalittledepressedandmorethanalittleoverwhelmed.Hersupportsystemwasshakyatbest,andshewasjustbarelyholdingontoherjob.TheyoungdoctorandIwereconcernedaboutJulie’slong-termhealth.Herweight(shewascarrying

morethanthirtyextrapounds)andsoaringstresslevelputheratincreasedriskfordiabetes,hypertension,heart disease, and deeper depression. It was clear that if Julie did not make some changes, she washeadeddownaspiralofdiseaseanddespair.Weknewacheap,provenwaytohelpJulie,anditwasn’tabottleofpillsoryearsinpsychotherapy.If

youreadthepapersorwatchthenews,youcanprobablyguesswhatI’mtalkingabout:exercise.Regular

physicalactivitycouldimprovenearlyallofJulie’shealthproblems,givehermorestaminatosustainherthroughhergruelingdays,andboostherspirits.Once, Imight have offered this free and effective treatmentwith all the zeal of a new convert.Go

jogging!Rideabike!Rentanaerobicsvideo!Imighthavesaid.Giveupyourlunchbreak,wakeupanhourearlierifyouhaveto,butjustgetupandmakethatcommitmenttoyourhealthfivetimesaweek!ButwhenIlookedatthedarkcirclesunderJulie’seyes,myheartsank.We’dprobablytoldhundredsofpatientstoexercise,butveryfewofthemmadeitaregularhabit.Theyfoundittootime-consuming,toosweaty,toomucheffort.Ibelievethatmostofthemwerealsoafraidofbreakingoutoftheircomfortableruts, although not all of the patientswere aware of this fear. And here sat Julie, whoworked almostconstantlyjusttokeepherkidshousedandcleanandfed.Heronlysolacewasrelaxingforahalfhourorsoonthecouchmostevenings.Icouldpredictwhatwouldhappen:Thedoctorwouldtellhertoexercise,Juliewouldfeelbothmisunderstood(“HowamIgoingtofindtimetoworkout?Youdon’tunderstandmeatall!”)andguilty.Theresidentphysicianwouldfeelfrustratedtoseeheradviceignoredonemoretime—andpossiblystarttobecomecynical,assomanyhopefulyoungdoctorseventuallydo.WhatcouldIdotobreakthissadcycle?

ChargingUphill:InnovationWhen people want to change, they usually turn first to the strategy of innovation. Although you mayusuallythinkofinnovationasatypeofcreativebreakthrough,I’musingthetermhereasit’sdefinedbybusiness schools, where the vocabulary of success and change is highly specific. According to thisdefinition, innovation is a drastic process of change. Ideally, it occurs in a very short period of time,yieldingadramaticturnaround.Innovationisfastandbigandflashy;itreachesforthelargestresultinthesmallestamountoftime.Although the termmaybenew toyou, the ideabehind it isprobablyquite familiar. In thecorporate

world, examples of innovation include highly painful strategies such asmass layoffs to strengthen thebottom line as well as more positive approaches such as major investments in expensive newtechnologies.Theradicalchangesofinnovationarealsoafavoritestrategyforpersonalchange.IfJuliehadwantedtoapplyinnovationtoherweightproblem,shemighthaveembarkedonthekindofrigorousexerciseprogramImentioned.Thisprogramwouldrequireseriouslifechanges.Shewouldneedtogetherheartrateupforatleasthalfanhour,fivedaysaweek.She’dhavetofindthedisciplinetorearrangeherschedule,copewithsomeserious initialmusclesoreness,perhapsbudget for somenewclothesorshoes,and—mostofall—she’dhave tocommit tohernewprogramthrough those toughfirstweeksormonths.Otherexamplesofinnovationforpersonalchangeinclude:

dietsthataskyoutocutoutallyourfavoritefoodsatoncequittinganaddiction“coldturkey”austerityplansforgettingoutofpersonaldebtjumpingintoriskysocialsituationstoconquershyness

Sometimes innovation produces amazing results.Most of us can recall making a successful changethroughthekindofdramaticmeanslistedabove,withimmediateeffects.Withmuch-deservedpride,youmaybeabletodescribeexamplesofinnovationinyourpersonallife,suchasgivingupsmokingonedayandnever,everreturningtoit.Iapplaudinnovationasawaytomakechanges...whenitworks.Turningourlivesaroundonadime

canbeasourceofconfidenceandself-respect.ButIhaveobservedthatmanypeoplearecrippledbythebeliefthatinnovationistheonlywaytochange.Weignoreaproblemorchallengeforaslongaspossible,and then, when we are forced by circumstances or duress, we attempt to make a large leap towardimprovement.Ifthebigleaplandsusongreenerterritory,wecongratulateourselves,andrightlyso.Butifweslipandfall,theresultingpainandembarrassmentcanbedevastating.Evenifyouareahighlydisciplinedandsuccessfulperson,I’llbetyoucanremembermanytimesthat

youhavetriedinnovationandfailed,whetheritwasacrashdietthatcrashedoranexpensiverelationship“cure” (perhaps a spontaneous trip to Paris) that left your romance in the same ill health. That’s theproblemwithinnovation.Toooften,youmeetwithsuccessintheshortterm,onlytofindyourselffallingbackintoyouroldwayswhenyourinitialburstofenthusiasmfadesaway.Radicalchangeislikecharging

upasteephill—youmayrunoutofwindbeforeyoureachthecrest,orthethoughtofalltheworkaheadmakesyougiveupnosoonerthanyou’vebegun.Thereisanalternativetoinnovation.Itisanotherpathaltogether,onethatwindssogentlyupthehill

thatyouhardlynoticetheclimb.Itispleasanttonegotiateandsofttotread.Andallitrequiresisthatyouplaceonefootinfrontoftheother.

WelcometoKaizenThis alternative strategy for change is called kaizen. Kaizen is captured in this familiar but powerfulsaying:

“Ajourneyofathousandmilesmustbeginwiththefirststep.”

—LaoTzu

Despite the foreign name, kaizen—small steps for continual improvement—was first appliedsystematicallyinDepression-eraAmerica.WhenFrancefelltoNaziGermanyin1940,AmericanleadersrealizedhowurgentlytheAlliesneededshipmentsofourmilitaryequipment.Theyalsowereforcedtoacknowledge that American soldiers might soon be sent abroad as well, requiring their own tanks,weapons,andsupplies.Americanmanufacturerswouldneedtostepupthequalityandquantityof theirequipmentproduction,andquickly.ThischallengewasintensifiedbythelossofmanyqualifiedfactorysupervisorstotheAmericanarmedforces,whichwerebusymakingtheirpreparationsforwar.To overcome these tight time and personnel constraints, the U.S. government created management

courses calledTrainingWithin Industries (TWI) andoffered them to corporations throughoutAmerica.Oneofthesecoursesheldtheseedsofwhatwould,inanothertimeandplace,becomeknownaskaizen.Insteadofencouragingradical,moreinnovativechangetoproducethedemandedresults,theTWIcourseexhorted managers toward what it called “continuous improvement.” The course manual urgedsupervisors to “look for hundreds of small things you can improve. Don’t try to plan a whole newdepartmentlayout—orgoafterabiginstallationofnewequipment.Thereisn’ttimeforthesemajoritems.Lookforimprovementsonexistingjobswithyourpresentequipment.”OneofthemostvocaladvocatesofcontinuousimprovementatthistimewasDr.W.EdwardsDeming,

astatisticianwhoworkedonaqualitycontrol teamthataidedAmericanmanufacturersas they tried tofind their wartime footing. Dr. Deming instructed managers to involve every single employee in theimprovementprocess.Theintensetimepressurehadtransformedelitismandsnobberyintounaffordableluxuries.Everyone,fromthoseonthelowestrungstothemeninthecatbirdseats,wasencouragedtofindlittlewaystoincreasethequalityoftheirproductandtheefficiencyofcreatingit.Suggestionboxeswerepositioned on factory floors so that line workers could suggest ways to improve productivity, andexecutiveswereobligedtotreateachofthesecommentswithgreatrespect.At first, this philosophy must have seemed shockingly inadequate under the circumstances—but,

somehow,theselittlestepsaddeduptoabrilliantaccelerationofAmerica’smanufacturingcapacity.ThequalityofAmericanequipmentandthespeedofitsproductionweretwoofthemajorfactorsintheAlliedvictory.

“Whenyouimprovealittleeachday,eventuallybigthingsoccur.Whenyouimproveconditioningalittleeachday,eventuallyyouhaveabigimprovementinconditioning.Nottomorrow,notthenextday,buteventuallyabiggainismade.Don’tlookforthebig,quickimprovement.Seekthesmallimprovementonedayatatime.That’stheonlywayithappens—

andwhenithappens,itlasts.”

—JohnWooden,oneofthemostsuccessfulcoachesinthehistoryofcollegebasketball

This philosophy of small steps toward improvement was introduced to Japan after the war, whenGeneral Douglas MacArthur’s occupation forces began to rebuild that devastated country. If you arefamiliarwithJapan’scorporatedominanceinthelatetwentiethcentury,youmaybesurprisedtohearthatmany of its postwar businesseswere run poorly,with slackmanagement practices and low employeemorale.GeneralMacArthursawtheneedtoimproveJapaneseefficiencyandraisebusinessstandards.AthrivingJapaneseeconomywas inMacArthur’sbest interest,becausea strongsocietycouldprovideabulwarkagainstapossiblethreatfromNorthKoreaandkeephistroopsinsteadysupplies.HebroughtintheU.S.government’sTWIspecialists, including thosewhoemphasized the importanceof small,dailystepstowardchange.AndatthesametimethatMacArthurwasholdingforthonsmallsteps,theU.S.AirForcedevelopedaclassinmanagementandsupervisionfortheJapanesebusinessesnearoneofitslocalbases. The class was called the Management Training Program (MTP), and its tenets were almostidenticaltothosedevelopedbyDr.Demingandhiscolleaguesatthebeginningofthewar.ThousandsofJapanesebusinessmanagerswereenrolled.The Japanesewereunusually receptive to this idea.Their industrialbasedestroyed, they lacked the

resourcesforsweepingreorganization.Anditwasn’tlostonJapanesebusinessleadersthattheircountryhadbeendefeatedinpartbyAmerica’ssuperiorequipmentandtechnology—sotheylistenedcloselytothe Americans’ lessons on manufacturing. Viewing employees as a resource for creativity andimprovementandlearningtobereceptivetosubordinates’ideaswasanunfamiliarnotion(asithadbeenforAmericans),butthegraduatesoftheseprogramsgaveitatry.Theseentrepreneursandmanagersandexecutiveswentontoworkincivilianindustries,wheretheyexcitedlyspreadthegospelofsmallsteps.In theU.S.,Dr.Deming’s series of strategies for enhancing themanufacturing processwere largely

ignoredoncethetroopswerehomeandproductionwasbacktonormal.InJapan,however,hisconceptswere alreadypart of the emerging Japanese business culture. In the late 1950s, the JapaneseUnionofScientistsandEngineers(JUSE)invitedDr.Deming,thewartimeproponentofqualitycontrol,toconsultfurtherontheircountry’seconomicefficiencyandoutput.Asyouprobablyknow,Japanesebusinesses—which rebuilt themselves on the bedrock of small steps—soon rocketed to unheard-of levels ofproductivity.SmallstepsweresosuccessfulthattheJapanesegavethemanameoftheirown:kaizen.In the 1980s, kaizen began to cross back over to the U.S., mainly in highly technical business

applications.Ifirstencounteredtheindustrialexerciseofkaizenasacorporateconsultant;asastudentofsuccess,Ibecameintriguedwiththisphilosophyandbegantostudyitmoredeeply.Fordecadesnow,I’veexploredtheapplicationofkaizen’ssmallstepstopersonalsuccess.InmyclinicalworkwithindividualclientsandasafacultymemberoftheUniversityofCaliforniaatLosAngelesSchoolofMedicine,I’vehadplentyofopportunity towitnesspeoplewhoneed to change their lives—tokickabadhabit, easetheir loneliness, or break out of an unsatisfying career. When I assist corporations, helping businessexecutives grapple with tough situations is practically my job description. Over and over, I’ve seenpeoplebravelyattempttoimplementrevolutionaryschemesforimprovement.Somesucceeded,butmostdidnot.Often,thesefrustratedsoulsgaveup,acceptinglife’sconsolationprizesratherthanpursuingtheirreal ambitions.Having encountered the industrial exercise of kaizen inmy corporatework, I began to

wonder whether kaizen had a place inside the psychologist’s office, as a strategy not just for simpleprofit,butfortheexpansionofbehavioral,cognitive,andevenspiritualpotentialofpeoplelikeJulie.

KAIZENVERSUSINNOVATIONKaizenandinnovationarethetwomajorstrategiespeopleusetocreatechange.Whereinnovationdemandsshockingandradicalreform,allkaizenasksisthatyoutakesmall,comfortablestepstowardimprovement.

SmallSteps,GiantLeapsJuliestruckmeastheperfectcandidateforchangeinitssmallest,leastthreateningform.IlookedonasJuliewaited tohearwhat the residenthad to say.As Ipredicted, the resident talked to Julieabout theimportanceoftakingtimeforherselfandofgettingsomeexercise.JustasshewasabouttotellJulietospend at least thirtyminutesofmost dayson aerobically challenging exercise—a recommendation thatwouldhavelikelybeenmetwithdisbeliefandanger—Ifoundmyselfjumpingin.“Howaboutifyoujustmarchinplaceinfrontofthetelevision,eachday,foroneminute?”Theresidentshotmeanincredulouslook.ButJuliebrightenedalittle.Shesaid,“Icouldgivethatatry.”WhenJuliereturnedforafollow-upvisit,shereportedthatshe’dindeedmarchedinfrontoftheTVset

foroneminuteeachnight.Granted,shewasn’tgoingtogetmuchhealthierwithjustsixtysecondsoflow-intensity exercise. But during this second visit, I noticed that Julie’s attitude had changed. Instead ofcomingbackdiscouraged,assomanyfailedexercisersdo,Juliewasmoreanimated,withlessresistanceinherspeechanddemeanor.“WhatelsecanIdoinoneminuteaday?”shewantedtoknow.Iwas thrilled.A small success,yes,butmuchbetter than theall-arounddiscouragement I’d seen so

manytimes.WebegantoguideJulieslowlytowardahealthierlife,buildinguptheexercisehabitminutebyminute.Withinafewmonths,Juliefoundthatherresistancetoamorecompletefitnessprogramhaddissolved. Shewas now eager to take on full aerobicsworkouts—which she performed regularly andenthusiastically!Atthesametime,Iintroducedlittlekaizenstepstootherpatientsatthemedicalcenter,toclientsinmypsychologypractice,andtothecorporationsthathiredmeasaconsultant.AndI’mtalkingabout really small steps here, ones that seemed almost embarrassingly trivial at first. Instead ofencouraging clients to leave unsatisfying careers, I might have them spend a few seconds each dayimaginingthedetailsofadreamjob.Ifapatientwantedtocutoutcaffeine,we’dstartbytakingonelesssipeachday.Afrustratedmanagermightactuallytrygivingsmaller,notlarger,rewardstoemployeestoincreasetheirmotivation.Thispersonalapplicationofkaizen transformeditsnature.Businessesandfactories tend to letsmall

steps for improvement accumulate into a larger change.But thepsychologyof the individual is a littledifferent. In fact, a surprising number of my clients intuitively perceive what it took me years ofobservationtosee:thatlow-keychangehelpsthehumanmindcircumnavigatethefearthatblockssuccessandcreativity.Justasastudentdriverpractices inanemptyparking lot, first justsitting in thecarandtrying out its equipment and then driving for a fewminutes at a time, my clients learn to master thesmalleststepsofchangeinasafe,nonthreateningenvironment.Often, people find that their minds develop a desire for this new behavior, whether it is regular

exercise(asinJulie’scase),adiet,cleaningofftheirdesks,orspendingtimewithaloving,supportivecompanion instead of a destructive one. Eventually,my clients are startled to discover that they havereachedtheirgoalswithnoadditionalconsciouseffortontheirpart.Howdoesthishappen?Ibelievethatthekaizenapproachisahighlyeffectivemethodofbuildingnewneuralconnectionsinthebrain,anidea

I’lladdressinmoredetailinthecomingchapter.Asoneclientoftensaidtome,“ThestepsweresosmallIcouldn’tfail!”Becausethevastmajorityofpeoplewanttoimprovetheirhealth,relationships,orcareers,thisbook

devotesmuchof itsspaceto thesetopics.But theprinciplesIoutlineherecanapplytoanyprojectforchange,whetherthegoalisendinganail-bitinghabitorlearningtosaynototheemptydemandsthatsuckupallyourtime.Asyouconsideryourplansforchange,Ihopeyou’llwanttokeepinmindtheoriginalintentofthesmall-stepsphilosophy.Kaizenisaneffective,enjoyablewaytoachieveaspecificgoal,butit also extends amore profound challenge: tomeet life’s constant demands for change by seeking outcontinual—butalwayssmall—improvement.Through decades of working with people of all stripes, with unique strengths and needs, I’ve

developedatheoryaboutwhykaizenworkswhenallelsefails.Ioutlinethistheoryinthefirstchapter.Thesucceedingchaptersaredevoted to thepersonalapplicationofkaizenandencompasssixdifferentstrategies.Thesestrategiesinclude:

askingsmallquestionstodispelfearandinspirecreativitythinkingsmallthoughtstodevelopnewskillsandhabits—withoutmovingamuscletakingsmallactionsthatguaranteesuccesssolvingsmallproblems,evenwhenyou’refacedwithanoverwhelmingcrisisbestowingsmallrewardstoyourselforotherstoproducethebestresultsrecognizingthesmallbutcrucialmomentsthateveryoneelseignores

Nomatterwhetheryourinterestinkaizenisphilosophicalorpractical,whetheryouwanttochangetheworldordropafewpounds,thisbookisnowyourstobeusedinwhatevermanneryouseefit.Certainly,you don’t need to tryall of the six strategies listed above if that doesn’t appeal to you. I am alwaysdelightedwhenclientstakeuponeortwoorthreeofthesetechniques,cookingupahighlyindividualizedmenu for change. In the chapters to come, I’ll demonstrate howpeople combine kaizen techniques forpersonalizedresults,andIinviteyoutothinkofthesestrategiesinthesamespirit,usingthosethatspeakmostclearlytoyou.Ineachchapter,you’llfindhighlightedinstructionsforaspecifickaizentechnique,alongwithsuggestionsforadaptingthattechniquetoyourownneeds.Iencourageyoutoreadthesepagesandtryasmallstepor two,evenif thatmeanschangingnothing

morethanthewayyouthinkaboutyourcolleaguesforafewsecondsadayordoingsomethingassmallandseeminglyridiculousasflossingonetootheachnight.Justremember:Whilethestepsmaybesmall,whatwe’rereachingforisnot.Tocommityourlifetohonoringandmaintainingyourphysicalhealth;tothepassion,therisk,andtheexcellenceofademandingcareer;tothepursuitofarewardingrelationshipwithanotherhumanbeing;or thecontinualupwardrevisionofyourpersonalstandards, is tostriveforpowerfulgoals,oftenelusiveandattimesfrightening.Butfornow,allyouneedtodoistakeonesmallstep.

CHAPTERONE

WhyKaizenWorksAllchanges,evenpositiveones,arescary.Attemptstoreachgoalsthroughradicalorrevolutionarymeansoftenfailbecausetheyheightenfear.Butthesmallstepsofkaizendisarmthebrain’sfear

response,stimulatingrationalthoughtandcreativeplay.

Change is frightening. This human fact is unavoidable whether the change is seemingly insignificant(visiting anewnightclub)or life-altering (havingababy).This fearof change is rooted in thebrain’sphysiology,andwhenfeartakeshold,itcanpreventcreativity,change,andsuccess.Fromanevolutionarystandpoint, thebrain isoneof themostunusualorgans in thehumanbody.Our

other organs—the heart, liver, intestines, and so on—developed so well that they have remainedconsistentthrougheonsofhumanevolution.Butforthelastfourorfivehundredmillionyears,thebrainhascontinuedtodevelopandchange.Today,weactuallyhave three separatebrains thatcamealongatintervals of about one or two hundredmillion years. One of our challenges as humans is to developharmonyamongthesedifferentbrainssoastoavoidphysicalandemotionalillness.Atthebottomofthebrainisthebrainstem.It’saboutfivehundredmillionyearsoldandiscalledthe

reptilianbrain(andinfactitdoeslooklikeanalligator’swholebrain).Thereptilianbrainwakesyouupinthemorning,sendsyouofftosleepatnight,andremindsyourhearttobeat.Sittingon topof thebrain stem is themidbrain, alsoknownas themammalianbrain.Roughly three

hundred million years old, this is the brain possessed in one form or another by all mammals. Themidbrain regulates thebody’s internal temperature,housesouremotions,andgoverns the fight-or-flightresponsethatkeepsusaliveinthefaceofdanger.Thethirdpartofthebrainisthecortex,whichbegantodevelopaboutonehundredmillionyearsago.

The cortex, whichwraps around the rest of the brain, is responsible for themiracle of being human.Civilization, art, science, and music all reside there. It’s where our rational thoughts and creativeimpulsestakeplace.Whenwewanttomakeachange,orjump-startthecreativeprocess,weneedaccesstothecortex.This three-brainarrangementdoesn’t always function smoothly.Our rationalbrainsdirectus to lose

weight—butthenweeatabagofchipsatonesitting.Orwetrytocomeupwithacreativepitchforanewproject—andourmindsgoblankasfreshconcrete.Whenyouwanttochangebutexperienceablock,youcanoftenblamethemidbrainforgummingupthe

works.Themidbrainiswhereyou’llfindastructurecalledtheamygdala(a-MIG-duh-luh).Theamygdalaisabsolutelycrucialtooursurvival.Itcontrolsthefight-or-flightresponse,analarmmechanismthatweshare with all other mammals. It was designed to alert parts of the body for action in the face ofimmediatedanger.Onewayitaccomplishesthisistoslowdownorstopotherfunctionssuchasrationalandcreativethinkingthatcouldinterferewiththephysicalabilitytorunorfight.Thefight-or-flightresponsemakesalotofsense.Ifalionischargingatyou,thebraindoesnotwant

you to waste time carefully thinking through the problem. Instead, the brain simply shuts down

nonessential functions, such as digestion, sexual desire, and thought processes, and sends the bodydirectlyintoaction.Thousandsofyearsago,whenweroamedthejunglesandforestsandsavannaswithothermammals,thismechanismcameinhandyeverytimehumansputthemselvesinjeopardybystrayingfromthesafeandfamiliar.Sincewepossessedbodiesthatdidnotrunveryfast,thatlackedthestrengthoftheanimalsthatwantedtopreyuponit,andthatdidnotseeorsmellwell,thistimiditywascrucial.Thefight-or-flightresponseisstillvitaltoday,forinstance,ifacaronthehighwayheadsthewrongwaydownyourlane,orifyouneedtoescapeaburningbuilding.Therealproblemwiththeamygdalaanditsfight-or-flightresponsetodayisthatitsetsoffalarmbells

wheneverwewanttomakeadeparturefromourusual,saferoutines.Thebrainisdesignedsothatanynewchallengeoropportunityordesiretriggerssomedegreeoffear.Whetherthechallengeisanewjoborjustmeetinganewperson,theamygdalaalertspartsofthebodytoprepareforaction—andouraccesstothecortex,thethinkingpartofthebrain,isrestricted,andsometimesshutdown.Remembermy client Julie, the onewhomarched in front of the television set for oneminute every

night?ClearlyJuliewasafraidforherhealth—that’swhyshecametothedoctorinthefirstplace—buther enormous responsibilities led toother, lessobvious fears that competed forher attention.Shewasafraidof losingher job,afraid forherchildren’s safety,afraid shewasn’tagoodmother,and—asshelaterconfessed—afraidofdisappointingherphysicianifshedidn’tfollowdoctor’sorders.Infact,whenapreviousdoctorhadurgedhertoexercisestrenuouslyseveraltimesaweek,herfearoflettinghimdownshared a crowded stage with all her other worries—leaving her so overwhelmed that she failed toexercise at all.Evenworse, ashamed tohavedisobeyed thedoctor’s instructions, she stopped seekingmedicalcarealtogether.Instead,shereliedontelevisionandjunkfoodforcomfort.Youmayhaveexperiencedthisphenomenonintheformoftestanxiety.Themoreimportantyoubelieve

the test to be, themore you have riding on the outcome, themore fear you feel.And then you find itdifficult to concentrate. An answer you might have had down cold the night before seems to havewithdrawnitselffromyourmemorybank.

largegoal➞fear➞accesstocortexrestricted➞failure

smallgoal➞fearbypassed➞cortexengaged➞success

Some lucky people are able to get around this problem by turning their fear into another emotion:excitement. The bigger the challenge, themore excited and productive and thrilled they become. Youprobablyknowafewpeoplelikethis.Theycometolifewhentheysenseachallenge.Butfortherestofus,biggoalstriggerbigfear.Justasithappenedwithourancestorsonthesavanna,thebrainrestrictsthecortexinordertogetusmovingawayfromthelion—butnowthelionisapieceofpapercalledatestoragoalof losingweight, findingamate,orcreatinga sales result.Creativityandpurposefulactionaresuppressedexactlywhenweneedthemthemost!Thelittlestepsofkaizenareakindofstealthsolutiontothisqualityofthebrain.Insteadofspending

yearsincounselingtounderstandwhyyou’reafraidoflookinggreatorachievingyourprofessionalgoals,youcanusekaizentogoaroundorunderthesefears.Small,easilyachievablegoals—suchaspickingupand storing just one paper clip on a chronically messy desk—let you tiptoe right past the amygdala,keeping itasleepandunable tosetoffalarmbells.Asyoursmallstepscontinueandyourcortexstarts

working,thebrainbeginstocreate“software”foryourdesiredchange,actuallylayingdownnewnervepathwaysandbuildingnewhabits.Soon,your resistance tochangebegins toweaken.Whereonceyoumighthavebeendauntedbychange,yournewmentalsoftwarewillhaveyoumovingtowardyourultimategoalatapacethatmaywellexceedyourexpectations.That’sexactlywhathappenedtoJulie.Afterafewweeksofverylimitedexercise,shewasshockedtofindherselfexercisingevenwhenshedidn’thaveto.Thosefirstsmallstepslaiddowntheneuralnetworkforenjoyingthechange.Kaizen helps you defeat the fear of change in another way. When you are afraid, the brain is

programmedeithertorunorattack—notalwaysthemostpracticaloptions.Ifyou’vealwayswantedtobeasongwriter, forexample,youwillnotachieveyourgoal ifyougetupfromthepianokeyboardoutoffearorcreativeblockageandspendthenightwatchingtelevisioninstead.Smallactions(say,writingjustthreenotes)satisfyyourbrain’sneedtodosomethingandsoothe itsdistress.As thealarmsdiedown,you’llrenewaccesstothecortexandgetsomeofyourcreativejuicesflowingagain.

HOWSMALLSTEPSBECOMEGIANTLEAPSYourbrain isprogrammed to resistchange.But,by takingsmallsteps,youeffectively rewireyournervoussystemso that itdoes thefollowing:

“unsticks”youfromacreativeblockbypassesthefight-or-flightresponsecreatesnewconnectionsbetweenneuronsso that thebrainenthusiastically takesover theprocessofchangeandyouprogressrapidlytowardyourgoal

Stress...orFear?Whilethemodernmedicalnameforthefeelingproducedbyanewchallengeorlargegoalisstress, forcountless generations it went by the old, familiar name of fear. Even now, I’ve found that the mostsuccessful people are theoneswhogaze at fear unblinkingly. Insteadof relyingon terms likeanxiety,stress, ornervousness, they speak openly of being frightened by their responsibilities and challenges.Here’sJackWelch,thepastCEOofGeneralElectric:“Everyonewhoisrunningsomethinggoeshomeatnightandwrestleswiththesamefear:AmIgoingtobetheonewhoblowsthisplaceup?”ChuckJones,the creator of Pepé Le Pew andWile E. Coyote, emphasized that “fear is an important factor in anycreative work.” And Sally Ride, the astronaut, is unafraid to talk plainly of fear: “All adventures,especiallyintonewterritory,arescary.”I was puzzled why so many remarkable people preferred the word fear to stress or anxiety. The

answercametomeonedaywhileIwasworkingattheUCLASchoolofMedicine,observingphysiciansin the course of their training. I was again following one of our family-practice resident physiciansthrough the course of her day in the health center, seeing children and adults for the wide variety ofmaladiesthatbringpeopletoaprimary-carephysician.Inoticedthatwhenadultscametoseeaphysicianandtalkedabouttheiremotionalpain,theychosewordssuchasstress,anxiety,depression,nervous,andtense.ButwhenIobservedchildrentalkingabouttheirfeelings,theytalkedaboutbeingscared,sad,orafraid.It’smyconclusionthatthereasonforthedifferenceinwordchoicehadlesstodowiththesymptoms

andmoretodowithexpectations.Thechildrenassumedtheirfeelingswerenormal.Childrenknowtheyliveinaworldtheycannotcontrol.Theyhavenosayinwhethertheirparentsareinagoodmoodorbad,orwhethertheirteachersareniceormean.Theyunderstandthatfearispartoftheirlives.Adults,Ibelieve,assumethatiftheyarelivingcorrectly,theycancontroltheeventsaroundthem.When

feardoesappear,itseemsallwrong—soadultsprefertocallitbythenamesforpsychiatricdisease.Fearbecomesadisorder,somethingtoputinaboxwithatidylabelof“stress”or“anxiety.”This approach to fear is unproductive. If your expectation is that a well-run life should always be

orderly,youaresettingyourselfupforpanicanddefeat.Ifyouassumethatanewjoborrelationshiporhealthgoal is supposed tobe easy, youwill feel angry and confusedwhen fear arises—andyou’ll doanythingtomakeitdisappear.Wemaynotevenbeawareoftheexaggerated,desperatemeasureswetaketogetridoffear.Thiscommonbutcounterproductivephenomenoniscapturedinafamiliarjoke:Adrunkisonhishandsandkneeslookingforhiskeysunderastreetlight.Apolicemanapproacheshimandasks,“Whatareyoudoing?”Thedrunkrepliesinaslurredvoice,“I’mlookingformykeys.”Thepolicemanfurtherinquires,“Wheredidyoudropthem?”Thedrunksays,“Overthere,”pointingtotheendofthecityblock. The policeman scratches his head and says, “If you dropped the keys over there,why are youlookingforthemoverhere?”Andthedrunkreplies,“Becausethelightisbetteroverhere.”Whenlifegetsscaryanddifficult,wetendtolookforsolutionsinplaceswhereitiseasyoratleast

familiartodoso,andnotinthedark,uncomfortableplaceswhererealsolutionsmightlie.Sothesinglepersonwhofearsintimacymightchangejobsorcities,workingtoimproveanalready-goodcareerrather

thanventureintothedeependofthepoolclosetohome,whereintimacymightbeexperienced.Peoplewhoarenottakingcareoftheirhealthorwhoareignoringanunsatisfyingmarriagemightpurchaseanewhomeorasecondhomeandfocusonthatventure instead.Peoplewith lowself-esteemmight leapintocosmeticsurgeryoracrashdietandexerciseregimen,focusingoncaloricintakeandfoodgroupsratherthanfacingthemselvesandtheirself-criticalnatures.

“Courageisresistancetofear,masteryoffear,notabsenceoffear.”

—MarkTwain

Butifyouexpectfear,youcanapproachitinacompassionatemanner.Ithelpstorememberthatwhenwewanttochange,rationalthoughtsdon’talwaysguideactions,andfearcanwellupinthemostordinaryofplaces.Let’ssaythatyou’vebeenlatetoworkduringthelastcoupleofweeks.Onemorning,youwakeupandmakeaveryrationalresolution:Todaywillbethedayyoufinallyarriveattheofficeontime.Butit’spossiblethatfearsyou’renotevenawareof—perhapsofconfrontingadominatingco-worker—willstall yourbrain in its tracks, leadingyou tomake an extraphone call or doonemore loadof laundrybeforeleavingthehouse.Ineffect,fearcancauseyouunconsciouslytosabotageyourbestintentions.Don’tletthesecommonroadblockstochangemakeyoufeelsoguiltyorfrustratedthatyougiveupyour

attemptstoimprove.Conflictisaconditionofbeinghuman;ifpeoplecouldcontroltheiractionseasily,we’dbeamuchgentlerspecies,andthefrontpageofthemorningnewspaperwouldlookalotdifferent.Instead, use timesofdifficulty to remember that fear is thebody’sgift, alertingus to a challenge.Themorewecareaboutsomething,themorewedream,themorefearshowsup.Thinkingaboutfearinthiswaycanhelpusfeel lessdistraught.During theroughpatches,understanding that fear isnormal,andanaturalsignofambition,makesusmorelikelytoholdontohopeandoptimism—qualitiesthatincreaseourwillingnesstotakethekindsofsmallstepsthatsliprightpastthefear.Insteadofragingatourselvesforbeinglateyetagain,orsadlyconcludingthatwearesimplyincapableofarrivingatworkontime,wecangentlyacknowledgethefearanditseffectsonus.Thenwecanquietlyandgingerlytakeasmallstepsuchassimply imagining a pleasant conversationwith thedifficult co-worker.Eventually, small stepslikethesewillbuildfreshhabitsinourbrains.Inthecomingchapters,I’llshowyouthesmallstepsofkaizenindetail.Withthese,fearmaybefaced,andeventransformed.

CHAPTERTWO

AskSmallQuestionsSmallquestionscreateamentalenvironmentthatwelcomesunabashedcreativityandplayfulness.Whenyouasksmallquestionsofothers,youchannelthatcreativeforcetowardteamgoals.By

askingsmallquestionsofyourself,youlaythegroundworkforapersonalizedprogramforchange.

Oneofthemostpowerfulwaysto“program”yourbrainisthekaizentechniqueofaskingsmallquestions.IfirstputthisideaintopracticewhenIwashiredbyamanufacturingfirmtohelpitsmanagersimprovesomegroupsthatwereperformingpoorly.Iwatchedasthesupervisorofoneofthesegroups—let’scallhimPatrick—ranameeting.Patrickpacedfreneticallybackandforthinfrontofhisemployees,askinginaloud,rapid-firevoice,“Whatiseachofyougoingtodotomakeourcompanythebestintheindustry?”This questioning had become a frequent ritual for Patrick at both formal meetings and more casualgatherings.Patrickhopedtoinstillasenseofresponsibilityandprideinhisstaff.Hethoughthewasempowering

themtocreateboldnewproductsandservicesaswellasmajorcostsavings.Instead,theemployeesfrozeup.Theywerevisiblyuncomfortable,gazingdownatthefloorandfidgetingintheirchairs.Inoticedthatoneman’shandsactuallybegan to tremble;whetheroutof frightoranger Ididn’tknow.Later, Iheardemployeescomplainingplaintivelyamongthemselves:WhatdoesPatrickexpectofus?Whydowehavetocomeupwithnewideas?That’shisjob!Wehaveenoughtodoasitis!ThefewsuggestionsPatrickdid receive—hire more employees to help us get our jobs done, buy new equipment to replace ouroutdatedmachines—calledforexpensive,impracticalactionsandwereactuallycomplaintsindisguise.InthethreemonthsfollowingPatrick’sfirsturgentcallforimprovement,thenumberofsickdaystakenbyemployeesincreasedby23percent.ItoldPatrickthatIagreedwithhisbasicstrategyofgoingtohisemployeesasasourceoffreshideas.

InJapanesebusinesscircles,abasictenetforusingkaizenistoencourageeachemployeetostayvigilantonbehalfofthecorporation,anapproachthatyieldsprofitablecost-cuttingideasandahighlyengaged,productiveworkforce.However,thekaizenmethodworksnotbymanicexhortationtorevolutionizethecompany, but by requests that aremuch simpler and restricted in scope. I suggested to Patrick that hesoftenhis toneandalterhisphrasing. Inhisnextmeeting,Patrickusedacalmervoiceandaskedeachemployee:“Canyouthinkofaverysmallstepyoumighttaketoimproveourprocessorproduct?”Tohissurprise, faces around the room tilted toward him; as his employees began to mull over this slightlydifferentquestion,theybegantositupstraighterandcontributetothediscussion.Boththequalityandquantityofresponsesimproveddramatically.Oneemployeespokeuprightaway.

He’dnoticedthatscrapmetalleftoverfromjobsinthemachineshopwasdiscardedattheendofthedayandwonderedifthecompanymightfindabuyerforitinstead.(Thecompanydidindeedstarttosellthescrapmetal.)Anothermanrealizedthatmostofthemistakesinvolvingmachinetoolsweremadebynewemployeeswithin sixmonths of their hire date.He volunteered to spend two hours training each newemployeeinanattempttosavetimeandmoney.(Thetrainingaccomplishedboth.)Athirdsuggestionwas

tohaveemployeesspendthefirstfiveminutesofthemonthlystaffmeetingpubliclythankingthosewho’dbeenextremelyhelpfultothem.Thisideawasexecutedimmediatelyandwassopopularthatitspreadtotheshopfloor,whereemployeesbegan tocomplimenteachotheron thespot insteadofwaitingfor themeeting.Soonenough,bothmoraleandefficiencyincreased.Employeesnotonlyhadthesatisfactionofimplementing their own suggestions and improving their daily routines, but they also felt the universalpleasureofbeingengagedandactiveatwork.Andthenumberofsickdayswentbackdowntoitsnormallevel.Whathadhappened?

“Whatshapesourlivesarethequestionsweask,refusetoask,orneverthinktoask.”

—SamKeen

YourBrainLovesQuestionsTry this experiment.Tomorrowatworkorwherever you spendyour time, askoneof your friends thecolorofthecarparkednexttohers.Yourfriendislikelytogiveyouafunnylookandthenadmitshehasnoidea.Repeatthequestionthenextdayandthedayafterthat.Bythefourthorfifthday,yourfriendwillhavenochoice:Asshepullsintotheparkinglotthenextmorning,herbrainwillremindherthatthatsillyperson(you)isgoingtoaskthatsillyquestion,andshe’llbeforcedtostoretheanswerinhershort-termmemory bank. For this effect, you owe partial thanks to the hippocampus, which is located in themammalian part of your brain and decides what information to store and what to retrieve. Thehippocampus’smaincriterion for storage is repetition, soasking thatquestionover andovergives thebrainnochoicebuttopayattentionandbegintocreateanswers.Questions (“What is thecolorof thecarparkednext toyours?”) turnout tobemoreproductiveand

useful for shaping ideas and solutions than commands (“Tell me the color of the car parked next toyours.”).Resultsfrommyinformallaboratoryofpatientsandcorporateclientssuggestthatquestionsaresimplybetteratengagingthebrain.Yourbrainwantstoplay!Aquestionwakesupyourbrainanddelightsit.Yourbrainlovestotakeinquestions,evenludicrousoroddones,andturnthemover.Nexttimeyou’reon an airplane, take a quick survey of your fellow passengers’ activities. I’ll bet you find that manypeopleareworkingoncrosswordorSudokupuzzles.Crosswordpuzzles,whichareessentiallyaseriesofquestions,arebeguilingtoabrainthatfearsboredomduringthelongflightahead.Ornoticeachild’sinattentivenesstodidacticstatements(“Thisisadoggie.”)comparedtohiswidenedeyeswhenyouaskaquestion, even if you’re the one supplying the answer (“What’s this? This is a doggie.”). Parentsintuitivelyknowtoaskquestions,thenanswerthem,thenaskagainandseeifthechildcanrecall.Theyunderstandthatthebrainlovesquestions.Again and again, I’ve seen dramatically different effects between asking questions and issuing

commands—andthat’snotjustduringbusinessmeetings,butinpersonalandevenmedicalsituationsaswell.Forexample,we’reallsousedtoreceivinginstructionsforimprovingourhealth,wecouldrecitetheminoursleep:Fillhalfyourplatewithfruitsandvegetables,reduceyourintakeofsaturatedandtransfats, exercise regularly,drinkenoughwater, and soon.Yet these repeatedcommandsobviously fail toengagemostofus,asthenationalratesofobesity,heartdisease,anddiabetestestify.I’ve found that patients in the family-practice clinic at UCLA havemuch better success inmeeting

healthguidelineswhenIsuggesttheyposekaizenquestionstothemselves:

Ifhealthweremyfirstpriority,whatwouldIbedoingdifferentlytoday?WhatisonewayIcanremindmyselftodrinkmorewater?HowcouldIincorporateafewmoreminutesofexerciseintomydailyroutine?

Aftertheylettheirbrainschewonthesequestionsforafewdays,patientswhoformerlyinsistedtheyhad no time for their health start to come upwith creativeways to incorporate good habits into theirroutines. One patient began keeping a bottle of water in her car; even if that bottle was empty, shereasoned,itwouldremindhertothinkaboutdrinkingmorewater—andshedid.Anotherwoman,whose

travelschedulemadeitdifficultforhertofollowaweight-lossprogram,decidedshe’dcontinuetoorderherregularentréesatrestaurants,butaskthewaitertoputhalfthemealintoadoggiebagbeforeservingittoher.Thatway,sheneverevensawthehalfshewastakingbacktoherhotelroom.Athirdwoman,whofeltthatamorepositiveattitudewouldbehealthful,cameupwiththeideaofplayingHandel’sexuberant“HallelujahChorus”asshebrushedherteethinthemorning.Eachof thesewomen reported that shewasmakingbetter food choices and slowingdown to enjoy

meals,simplybecausetheright—andrepeated—questionmadehermoreawareofherhealth.Delightedbythecreativeanswers thathadflowedin,andmotivatedtofollowtheirowninspirationrather thanadoctor’s edict, they soon were enthusiastically searching for additional measures they could take toimprovetheirwell-being.Admittedly,theywerenotyetexercisingfortherecommendedamountoftimeor eating according to every single nutrition guideline, but thesewomenwerewell down the road tosuccess.(Inthechapter“TakeSmallActions,”I’lldiscusshowverysmallactions—evenonesassmallas leavinganemptybottleofwater inyourcar—canhelpachieveimpossible-seeminggoals.Fornow,it’senoughtounderstandtheusefulnessofsmallquestions.)

TiptoePastFearYour brain loves questions and won’t reject them . . . unless the question is so big it triggers fear.Questionssuchas“HowamIgoingtogetthin(orrich,ormarried)bytheendoftheyear?”or“Whatnewproductwill bring in amillionmore dollars for the company?” are awfully big and frightening. LikePatrick’s questions to his staff, these create fear in anyone on their receiving end—evenwhenwe’reasking the question of ourselves. Instead of responding with playfulness, our brain, sensing the fear,suppressescreativityandshutsdownaccesstothecortex(thethinkingpartofthebrain)whenweneeditmost.Oneofthebrain’sstrengths—theabilitytogointoaself-protectivelockdownintimesofdanger—herebecomesacripplingliability.By asking small, gentle questions,we keep the fight-or-flight response in the “off” position.Kaizen

questionssuchas“What’s thesmalleststepIcan take tobemoreefficient?”or“WhatcanIdo infiveminutesadaytoreducemycredit-carddebt?”or“HowcouldIfindonesourceofinformationaboutadulteducationclassesinmycity?”allowustobypassourfears.Theyallowthebraintofocusonproblem-solving and, eventually, action. Ask a question often enough, and you’ll find your brain storing thequestions,turningthemover,andeventuallygeneratingsomeinterestingandusefulresponses.Althoughthemechanicsofcreativity—howthebraingoesaboutproducinganewthought—remainsone

of thevastunexplored frontiersof science, I’vehaddecadesofexperiencehelpingpeoplemoveawayfromconstriction and conformity and toward creativity. I believe that themere act of posing the samequestionona regularbasisandwaitingpatiently forananswermobilizes thecortex.Aquestion isnotdemanding,notscary.It’sfun.Sowhenyouasksmallquestions,youramygdala(wherethefight-or-flightresponseoccurs)will remainasleep,and thecortex,alwayshungryforagood time,willwakeupandtakenotice.Itwillprocessandabsorbthequestionand,initsownmagicalway,createanswerswhenitisready . . .whichmaybe in thatmomentwe are in the shower, driving, orwashing the dishes.AlbertEinsteinonceasked,“WhyisitIgetmybestideasinthemorningwhileIamshaving?”Iwonderifhe’daskedhimselfsmallquestions—well,assmallasquestionsaboutthenatureoftheuniversecanget—inthedaysorweeksormonthsbeforethebestideascametohim.

SHHH...DON’TWAKETHEAMYGDALA!Makeyourquestionssmall,andyoureducethechancesofwakingtheamygdalaandarousingdebilitatingfear.Whenfearisquiet,thebraincantakeinthequestionsandthenpopoutanswersonitsowntimetable.

SmallQuestionsandCreativityIfyou’veevertackledabigcreativeprojectsuchaswritingaspeech,youknowhowdauntingthetaskis.You stock your printerwith fresh paper, pour a steaming cup of coffee, call up yourword processingprogram,andaskyourself:Whatkindofopeningwouldleavemyaudiencespellbound?orHowcanIpersuadeonehundreddubiousemployeestoacceptthenewplanI’mpresenting?Andthenyoustareattheblankscreen.Youfidget.Yourmouthgoesdry.Yourinsidesbegintobuzz.Even ifyou’renotawareof it,your fight-or-flight response iskicking in; that feelingyoumightcall

“writer’sblock”isactuallyfear.Thequestionyou’veaskedyourselfistoolargeandfrightening.You’veawakenedyouramygdala,andyourcortexhassimplyshutdown.MichaelOndaatje,authorofTheEnglishPatient,usessmallquestionswhenhesitsdowntowritehis

novels.“Idon’thaveanygrandthemesinmyhead,”hesays(astatementyou’llhearechoedbyothergreatwriters).Nordoeshestartwithanimpossiblylargequestion,suchas“Whatkindofcharacterwouldbefascinatingtoreaders?”Instead,hetakesafewincidents—“like[a]planecrashortheideaofapatientandanurseatnighttalking”—andaskshimselfafewverysmallquestions,suchas“Whoisthemanintheplane?Whyishethere?Whydoeshecrash?Whatyearis this?”Oftheanswerstosmallquestions,hesays,“Thoselittlefragments,fragmentsofmosaics,theyaddupandyoustartfindingoutthepastofthesecharactersandtryingtoinventapastforthesecharacters.”Theanswerstohissmallquestionseventuallyleadhimtoremarkablyround,realisticcharactersandprize-winningnovels.Evenifyou’renotanaspiringnovelist,smallquestionscanhelpcalmthefearsthatsquelchcreativity

inotherrealmsoflife.Considerhowthemicrowavewasinvented,forexample.PerrySpencerdidn’tsitaroundthehouse,drumminghisfingersandpoundinghisforehead,thinking,“How,how,howcanIinventadevice thatwill revolutionizekitchens around theworld?”Spencer, an engineer atRaytheon,was atworkonedaywhenhe left a candybar too close to some radar equipment.The snackmelted, andheaskedhimself,“Whywouldradarhavethiseffectonfood?”ThissmallquestionledtoanswersthatledtoothersmallquestionswhoseanswerseventuallychangedhowyouandImakedinner.

KaizenTip

Youwanttodosomethingcreative:writeastoryorasong,paintapicture,dreamupyourperfectcareer,orcomeupwithazingerofasolutiontoanofficeproblem.Butyouhavenoideawheretostart.Yourmindkeepscomingupempty.During times like these,kaizencanhelpyou summonyourpowersof inspiration.Althoughyoucan’t forceyourbrain to coughup

creative ideasondemand,youcanprogramit to launch the imaginativeprocesssimplybyaskingyourselfasmallquestion.Herearesomeofthemostpopularsmallquestionsmyclientsuseforcreativity.Feelfreetocomeupwithyourown.Whateverquestionyouuse,yourchallengeistoaskitwithagentleandpatientspirit.Whenyouuseaharshorurgenttonewithyourself,fearwillclogthecreativeprocess.

What’sonethingIwishtocontributetotheworldwithmybook,poem,song,orpainting?WhomcouldIaskforhelporinspiration?Whatisspecialaboutmycreativeprocess/talents/businessteam?Whattypeofworkwouldexciteandfulfillme?

Remember:Ifyourepeatthequestionoverthecourseofseveraldaysorweeks—orforhoweverlongittakes—thehippocampus(thepartof thebrainthatstoresinformation)willhavenochoicebut toaddressit.Andinitsownway,onitsowntimetable, thebrainwillbegingivingyouanswers.

SmallQuestionstoDefuseComplicatedFearsOneexampleofusingsmallquestionscomesfromawomanI’llcallGrace.Shewasahighlycompetent,intelligentwomanwhoranherownbusiness,butshewasfrustratedthatshecouldn’tfindandsustainasatisfyingromanticrelationship.AsI listened toGrace, Iwondered if fearmightbeanobstacle for thisotherwiseconfidentwoman.

Fear, as we’ve seen, is frequently the reason people don’t get what they want. Fears tend to sortthemselves into twomajorcategories: the fearofnotbeingworthy (Idon’tdeserve it) and the fear oflosingcontrol(WhatifIlikehimandheleavesme?).WhenIaskedGracetotellmeaboutthemenshe’ddatedbefore,shecomplainedthatshesometimeshadoneortwodateswithmenwhoseemedinterestedinalong-termrelationship,buttherewasalwayssomeobstacle:Theyhadachildfromapreviousmarriage;theirjobwasn’tequaltohersinstation;theydidn’tliketodance.Shetendedtoinvestmuchmoreofhertime in men who were rich, powerful, exciting—and remote; they showed no interest in personalcommunicationorthekindoflifelongrelationshipGracesaidshewanted.WhydidGracerejectmenwithrelativelysmall“flaws”infavorofthosewhowereobviouslynotmarriageable?Iusedoneofmyfavoriteexercisestoconfirmthat,inGrace’scase,fearwasindeedatplay.Iasked

Gracetoimaginethatatimemachinesatjustoutsidethedoortomyofficethatcouldtransportherintooneofherparents’bodies.Iaskedhertochoosewhethertoliveashermotherorherfather,sharingthatparent’sfate.Grace’sresponsewasaclassicsignoftrouble.“Idon’twanttobeeithermymotherormyfather,”shesaidwithouthesitation.“Can’tIhaveathirdchoice?”Aswetalked,itbecameclearthathermother—Grace’sconfidanteandawell-lovedparent—underwentatransformationwhenherhusbandwashome. In young Grace’s eyes, her mother shrank almost visibly in her husband’s presence, becomingfrightenedanddocile.Gracerememberedpromisingherselfthatshe’dneverletanyonedominateherthewayherfather lordedoverhermother.Andtheonlywayshe’dfiguredout toachieve thisgoalwas todateremote,wealthymenonwhomshecouldn’tpossiblybecomedependent.Untilnow,however,Gracehadnotmade thisconnectionbetweenwhather rationalbraindesired(a

loving,committed relationship)and thepowerfulcontractshe’dmadewithherselfasachild (never tosuffer the loss of control that love and commitment appeared to require). She began to see that herproblemwasmorecomplicated thanshe’dpreviously thoughtand thatshewasmorefearful thanshe’dbeenwillingtoadmit.WeagreedthatGracecouldbenefitfromfurthertherapytodiscussherchildhood,butmorethananythingGracewantedaromanticpartnerwithwhomtosharetheseverypersonalissues.Tomakethishappen,Iexplained,wewouldhaveto takesmallsteps towardhelpingGracemasterherfears.Bigstepswouldbetooscaryandcouldbackfire.Asabusinesswoman,Gracewasintriguedbytheideaof improvingbysmall increments,andsheagreed to followmysuggestions,even if theysoundedridiculouslytrivial.IaskedGracetodescribeherperfectjobandwhatshe’dliketobedoingwithhercareerinthreeyears.

She answered readilywith a complete description of her goals and dreams andmethods for attainingthem. Then I asked her to describe an ideal man and how a perfect day with himmight unfold. Shecouldn’tdoit!Herfearsoflettinggoandallowingherselftobevulnerableinherromanticlifewereso

overwhelmingthatshecouldn’tevenimagineahappydaywithamanwhotrulylovedher.And sowe began by havingGrace ask herself small, nonthreatening questions that would help her

cultivate an appetite for agoodman—while avoidingherpowerful fear response.At first, shewas tospendtwominutesadayaskingherself:Whatwouldmyidealmatebelike?ThiswasdifficultforGraceatfirst—muchtohersurprise—andshehadtopracticequiteabittogenerateanyanswersatall.Asthequestiontookrootinherimagination,however,shegrewmoreconfidentandmoreabletoproducehonestanswers. I then askedher to callmyvoicemail once adaywith an answer to anotherquestion:Whatsmall,caringactwouldyouliketoreceivefromanidealpartnerrightnow?Thisisaneasyquestiontoanswerforadultswhogrewupinafamilywithparentswhoprovidedthem

withdailyexamplesofmaritalkindnessandrespect,butitwaschallengingforGrace.IwantedtogiveGracethepowerofdaydreamingaboutmensothatshecoulddevelophealthywants.Again,shecontinuedtoaskherselfthequestionuntilherbrainstartedworkingovertimeontheanswers.Shediscoveredthat,amongotherthings,shewantedsomeonewhothoughtshewasprettyandtoldherso,whowouldenjoycominghomewithherforChristmas,andwhodrankonlyinmoderation,ifatall.Asherbrainadjustedtothegame,theanswersbecamemorerefined.Shecouldidentifywhatkindofpraiseshewanted—forherlooksorforheraccomplishments—andwhenshewantedit.Shebecameawareofwhenshewantedthisidealmantolistenandwhenshewantedtobedistractedfromhercurrentworries.As she began to imagine better relationships and explore her desires, however, she also formed

specificintentionsformeetingherownneeds.SheandIagreedthatshecouldstarttakingsmallstepsthatwouldincreaseherchancesofmeetingaman.Insteadofeatingalone inheroffice,shewould takeherbrown-baglunchtothefoodcourtatthebasementofthehigh-risewheresheworked.Shewasn’tgoingtoflirtoreven try tositnearanattractiveman;shewas justgoing toputherself“inharm’sway.”At thesametime,Iaskedhertoconsiderthisquestion:IfIwere100percentcertainthatmyprincewascominginamonth,whatwould Ibedoingdifferently today?Gracehadalwaysmaintainedhighstandardsofphysical health, but now she began to dresswith extra care and follow an evenmore nutritious diet.Essentially, shewasmakingherself ready forher idealman.Anotherquestionhelpedhermobilizeherinterest and leave the safety of her office and apartment: Assuming that your ideal man shares yourinterests, where would you like to meet him? Grace decided she might like to meet him at the gym(becausethatwouldreflectaninterestinhealth),atabusinessconference(becauseshewantedtodateamanwhosharedherambitions),orachurch (becauseshewantedsomeonewho tended tohis spiritualneeds).Within six months of starting counseling, Grace met a wonderful man at church. He gave her

compliments,lovedtotalk,andwasreadytocommit.They’vebeenmarriedforfiveyearsand,judgingbytheChristmascardsIreceiveeachholidayseason,aredoingwell.Ofcourse,lifedoesn’talwaysproduceendingsastidyasthisone.But,againandagain,I’veseensmallquestionstilt theoddsofhappinessinsomeone’sfavor.InGrace’scase,smallquestionsallowedhertocircumventherfearanddefinewhatshewantedclearlyenoughthatshecouldrecognizehappinesswhenitarrived.

KaizenTip

Someofmyclients,includingGrace,thrivewhentheyare“assigned”toleaveanswerstotheirsmallquestionsinmyvoicemail.Butnoteveryonehasatherapist(andnoteverytherapistlikesanoverflowingvoicemailbox).Thesepeoplemighttrycallingafriendorrelative.Ifthat’stooscary,anotherpossibilityiswritingtheiranswersdowninajournalorleavingmessagesontheirownansweringmachines.

NegativeQuestions:AToxicMentalBrewThe power of questions to shape experience and behavior is not limited to dynamic, productiveapplications.Countlesstimes,I’veheardmyclientsdirectpainfullyharshquestionstowardthemselves.Youmayhavefoundyourselfsayingoneofthefollowing:

WhyamIsuchaloser?HowcouldIbesostupid?WhydoeseveryoneelsehaveaneasierlifethanIdo?

Thesequestionsalsohavethepowertoengagethebrain,shiningamerciless,white-hotlightonflawsandmistakes—real ones aswell as imagined or exaggerated ones. They spark intellectual energy, allright,butthatenergyisusedtochurnweaknessandemphasizeinadequacies.WhenIhearclients—especiallythosewhoareclearlylackinginself-esteem—damagingthemselvesin

thisway,Iaskthemtoemployanotherkaizentechnique:tocallmyvoicemailonceadayandtellmeonepositive thought they’ve had about themselves, or one positive act they’ve engaged in, nomatter howsmall.Within amonth, most clients report that the problems that drove them to counseling seem lessoverwhelming.Theyalsostart toviewtherapy inamorepositive light,asa journeyrequiringcourageandstamina,notaprocedureneededbecausetheywereflawedandinneedoffixing.

KaizenTip

Ifyoutendtoberateyourselfwithnegativequestions(WhyamIsofat?), tryasking:What isone thingI likeaboutmyself today?Askthisquestiondaily,writingyouranswerdowninajournaloronasheetofpaperyoukeepinaspeciallydesignatedplace.

SmallQuestionsforOthersOnce, I trooped out to amiddle school in LosAngeles with a group ofmedical residents whoweretrainingtobecomefamilyphysicians.It’sa truisminfamilymedicinethatadolescentshategoingtothedoctor, and until this point we’d all been resigned to dealing with teens who were sullen oruncommunicative.Thiswasespeciallyfrustratingfordoctorswhowantedtotalktokidsaboutimportanthealth matters like drug use, sex, and smoking, but felt their young patients weren’t focused on thediscussion.Butthat’steenagersforyou,weallthought,nothingyoucandoaboutit.ThenIrealizedthatnoonehadevenaskedthesekidshowtomakeofficevisitslessofanordeal.Sowewent toasetting thatwasmorefamiliar to themthan tous—theirownclassrooms.Weasked

studentswhattheylikedanddidn’tlikeaboutgoingtothedoctor.Oneteenagerraisedherhandandsaidthatwhenshewenttothedoctor,shespentthewholevisitworryingaboutthetreatmentshewasgoingtoreceive there, whether a booster shot for tetanus or something equally unpleasant. She suggested thatdoctors perform these procedures at the beginningof the visit so that their patients could focus on thedoctor’squestionsandadvicelater.Whenthekidsaroundherbegantonodinagreement,wedecidedtoimplementthissuggestion(it’sworkedbeautifully).Theresidentphysicianswereallalittlesurprisedandhumbledwhenotherstudents said that theypreferred tohave theirparentswith them in theoffice.Theresidentshadassumedthatteenagersfoundtheirparentsembarrassingandwouldseetheiryoungdoctoras a cool adult alternative. In another twist that reveals the ever-contradictory nature of adolescents,anotherstudentwanteddoctorstogiveouttheirphonenumbersdirectlytotheteenagerssothattheycouldcallwithapersonalquestionwithoutgoingthroughtheirparents.Each of the medical residents in the group was unquestionably committed to helping adolescents

becomehealthy,thrivingadults.Butveryfewofthemsawmembersofthisagegroupoutsideofamedicalcontext.Theirwillingness tomeetwith thematschoolandask themsmallquestions is reflectiveofaningredient basic to kaizen: respect for others, even those whose attitudes and answers we think wealreadyunderstand.Youcanusekaizenquestions in a similarway. I knowone schoolprincipalwho regularly asksher

secretarytoinformherwheneversomeoneleavesherofficelookingdisgruntledorunhappy.Thishighlyrespectedprincipalknowsthatmanypeople—studentsandtheirparentsalike—canfeelvulnerablewhenthey’re sent “to the office” and don’t always disclose their feelings until they’re on the way out. Bymaking her secretary a part of her team, the principal can providemore sensitive follow-up for thesechildrenandadults.Manysuccessfulbossesliketoasktheirreceptionistorassistantthissmallquestion:Isthereonesmallimprovementthatthestaff/customers/clientswouldlikemetomake?(Tomakesurethis question is answered honestly, it’s important to reward honest feedback immediately and alwayspracticediscretion.)Ievenknowalawyerwhoregularlyassemblesthejanitorialstafftolistentohistrialsummationsandoffersuggestions.Questioningothersmayalsohelpwhenyouhave troublepinpointingyourownneeds.Onewoman I

knowwasdissatisfiedwithhermarriage.ButwhenIaskedherwhatshewantedfromherhusband,shelookedatmeblankly.Thiswomanhadraisedtwochildrenwhowerenowincollege,nursedherparents

throughtheirfinalyears,andsupportedherhusbandinhiscareer.Shehadaccomplishedagreatdeal,butshehadfocusedonwhatherchildrenandherhusbandandherparentshadwantedforsolongthatshehadcutherselfoutof the loop.Shewasangryabout thewayherhusband treatedher,but shecouldhardlydescribethemannerinwhichshewouldliketobetreated.Sosheaskedherhappilymarriedfriendsthisquestion:Whatisonethingyourhusbanddoesthatmakesyouhappy?Fromtheiranswers,shecreatedamenuofmaritaloptions,andeventuallyshewasabletoanswerthequestionforherself.I’ve run intomanypeoplewhoareunhappy in theircurrentcareersbutcannot thinkofanythingelse

they’dliketodo.Mostofthesepeoplehavebeentrainedtothinkofajobasawaytoearnmoney—andthat’sall.TheirbrainshaveneverbeenprogrammedtoanswerthequestionWhatkindofjobcouldbringmeprideandpleasure?Inthiscase,Isuggestfindingfriendswhoenjoytheirjobsandasking:What isoneaspectofyourjobthatmakesyouhappy?Theanswerscanstimulatethoughtaboutthesourcesofpleasureatwork.

IHOPEYOU’LL BUILD THEKAIZENHABIT of asking yourself small (and positive!) questions.As you begin,rememberthatyouareprogrammingyourbrainforcreativity,sochooseaquestionandaskitrepeatedly,over thecourseof severaldaysorweeks. Insteadof freezingupyourbrainwith tallordersandangrydemands,you’llexperiencetheproductiveoutputofabrainthatispleasantlychallenged.Ifyourgoalistocome upwith a creative breakthrough or a single idea for improvement, youmay be donewhen youreceiveyouranswer.Butifyouaretryingtoachieveadifficultorfrighteninggoal,asmallquestionmaybe just one step toward change. The rest of this book will suggest many more strategies—safe andnonthreatening—forrealizingyourdreams.

KaizenTechniquePracticingSmallQuestions

Thefollowingquestionsaredesignedtoformthekaizenhabitofaskingyourselfsmallquestions.Someofthem are specifically related to goals; others give you practice in seeking out continual improvementacrossthecategoriesofyourlife.Asyoubegin,rememberthatyouarereprogrammingyourbrain,andthatittakestimefornewmental

pathways to develop. So choose a question and ask it repeatedly over the course of several days orweeks.Trytoposethequestiontoyourselfregularly,perhapseverymorningovercoffee,everytimeyouhop intoyourcar,oreverynightbeforebed.ConsiderwritingyourquestiononaPost-itnoteand thenstickingitontoyournightstand(ordashboard,orcoffeepot).Herearejustafewideastogetyoustarted.Feelfreetocomeupwithyourown.

If you areunhappybut aren’t surewhy, try asking yourself this: If Iwere guaranteed not to fail,whatwould I be doingdifferently? The question’s whimsical qualitymakes it safe for the brain to answer truthfully, and it can produce somesurprisinganswersthatlendclaritytoyourgoals.Someonewhoisstalledoutatworkmaydiscoverthatshereallywantstoquitandstudylandscapearchitectureinstead;anothermightbeshockedtofindthatallshereallywantsisthecouragetoaskherbosstosay“hello”inthemornings.

Ifyouaretryingtoreachaspecificgoal,askyourselfeveryday:What isonesmall stepIcould take towardreachingmygoal?Whetheryouaskyourquestionaloudorintheprivacyofyourownthoughts,pleasetakeakindtonewithyourself,

thesameyou’duseforabelovedfriend.RecalltheexperienceofPatrick,themanufacturingmanagerwhodiscoveredthatahyper,exasperatedapproachdidnothingtoproducecreativeanswers.

It’satruisminbusinessthatacorporationmustnevergrowcomplacentbutmustalwaysseekoutwaystoimprove.Ioftenwishthatmorepeoplewouldapplythisphilosophytotheirrelationships,careers,andbodies,insteadoftakingthesegiftsforgranted.Ifyouaregenerallycontentwithyourlifebutwouldliketoremainalerttopossibilitiesforexcellence,youcanaskyourselfaslightlydifferentversionofthequestionabove:WhatisonesmallstepIcouldtaketoimprovemyhealth(orrelationships,orcareer,oranyotherarea)?Thisquestionisdesignedtoremainopen,togivethebrainplentyofroomforplay.Bepreparedforsurprisinganswers!

Oftenwe focusourattentionon thepeoplewe thinkaremost“important”—akeyemployee, theproblemchild,orourmate,leadingustoignoreotherswhomayhavevaluableinsightsforus.Tryaskingyourself:IsthereapersonatworkorinmypersonallifewhosevoiceandinputIhaven’theardinalongtime?WhatsmallquestioncouldIaskthisperson?

This question is for anyone who has a festering conflict with another person, whether a boss, employee, in-law, orneighbor,andistryingtogetpastthisproblem.Everyday,askyourself:What’sonegoodthingaboutthisperson?Youmaysoonfindyourselfseeingtheperson’sstrengthswiththesameclarityandinthesamedetailasyoudotheirweaknesses.

Ifyoutendtofeelpessimisticornegative,tryaskingyourselfthisquestion:Whatisonesmallthingthatisspecialaboutme(ormyspouse,ormyorganization)?Ifyoucontinuetoaskyourself thisquestionovertime,you’llprogramyourbraintolookforwhat’sgoodandright,andyoumayeventuallydecidetocapitalizeontheseshiningaspects,perhapswithanewmarketingcampaignatworkorideasforfamilyactivitiesathome.

CHAPTERTHREE

ThinkSmallThoughtsTheeasytechniqueofmindsculptureuses“smallthoughts”tohelpyoudevelopnewsocial,mental,

andevenphysicalskills—justbyimaginingyourselfperformingthem!

We are often told that the best way to make a change is feet first, plunging ahead in the hopes thatmomentum will carry us past fear and resistance. In physical fitness, this idea takes the form of thepopularexhortation“Justdoit!”Indating,networking,andgivingpresentations,we’retold,“Fakeittillyoumakeit.”Butimagineashypersonwhotriesto“fakeit”byattendingacocktailpartysolo,givingairkisses to strangers and pretending to feel confident and charming. That person is likely to find theexperiencesoexcruciatingthatshegoesstraighthometobedwithaheadache,vowingnevertodothatsortofthingagain.Itmaycomeasarelieftoknowthatthere’sanearlypainlesswaytotrainyourselftoperformdifficult

tasks,eventhoseyouthinkareunsuited toyournatureandtalents.Thismethod,calledmindsculpture,canhelpyourunatoughrace,gooutonblinddates,ortalktoemployeesmoreeffectively.Mindsculpturetakesadvantageofcutting-edgeneuroscience,whichsuggeststhatthebrainlearnsbest

not in large dramatic doses—Just do it!—but in very small increments, smaller than ever believedpossible.

MindSculpture:ATotalExperienceYoumay already have heard of guided imagery, a concept that predatesmind sculpture. Traditionally,psychologistsinstructingpatientsinguidedimagerywouldaskthemtoclosetheireyes,breathedeeply,andimaginethemselvesinsideamovietheaterfacingthescreen.Thepatientswerethensupposedtoseethemselves on the screen, performing with perfection and confidence whatever skill they wanted toimprove, whether it was swinging a golf club or giving a presentation. That kind of guided imageryachieved only limited results. Later, Position Emission Topography (PET) scans confirmed that thisexerciselitupjustasmallportionofthebrain,thevisualcortex(wherevisualinformationisprocessed).Mind sculpture, developed by Ian Robertson, is a newer technique that involves total but still-

imaginarysensoryimmersion.Itrequiresitspractitionerstopretendthattheyareactuallyengagedintheaction,notjustseeingbuthearing,tasting,smelling,andtouching.Inmindsculpture,peopleimaginethemovementoftheirmuscles,andtheriseandfalloftheiremotions.My favorite example of effective mind sculpture comes from the extraordinary Olympic swimmer

MichaelPhelps.Withtwenty-twomedals—eighteenofthemgold—PhelpsisthemostdecoratedathleteinOlympichistory.Duringhistrainingregimenforthe2008GamesinBeijing,Phelps’scoachaskedhimtopracticemindsculpturewhile still lying inbed.He instructedPhelps topicturehimselfon the startingblock,hearingthesignal,pushingofftheblock,guidingpowerfullyandsmoothlythroughthewater,andmaking perfect turns at eachwall. So, instead of seeing himself on some inner screen, as if he werewatchingavideoclipofhisperformance,Phelpsimaginedthathewasactuallyinsidetheaquaticcenter,competing in his events. Like those who’d tried guided imagery before him, he used his visualimagination.Youcantrysomethingsimilarnowbyimaginingyourfeetonthestartingblock,theswimcapfittingsnuglyonyourhead,andtheroarofthecrowdinthestands.Phelpsrehearsedmentallyeverydaybeforeheactuallygotinthepool.Thepayoffcamewhen,during

oneofhisevents,hehadwaterinhisgoggles—aproblemthatcouldhaveslowedhimdownandcosthima victory. But Phelpswas prepared, having envisioned this potential snare during hismental imageryexercises.Thus, thegoldmedal for thateventwashis,bringinghis totalgoldsat theBeijingGames toeight.Ian Robertson, one of the world’s leading authorities on brain rehabilitation, theorized in his book

MindSculpturethatduringmindsculpture,thebraindoesn’tunderstandthatit’snotreallyperformingtheimaginedactivity.Phelps’sbrainsenttheprecisemessagestohismusclesthatwerenecessarytopropelhimtoOlympichistory.Ineffect,hisbrainandbodywerepracticingtheevents,overandover,withoutmistakes.Withinminutesof“practicing”a taskmentally,usingallyoursenses, thebrain’schemistrybegins to

change.Itrewiresitscellsandtheconnectionsbetweenthecellstocreatecomplexmotororverbalskills.With enoughpractice thenewpatterns aremastered.Research supports this idea: Inone study,peoplewhopracticedafive-fingerpianoexercisefortwohoursadayshowedasimilarincreaseinbrainactivityasthosewhoperformedtheexercisesolelyintheirimaginations—withoutevertouchingakeyboard.Inthisway,youcanapproachadifficulttaskwithapurelymentalrehearsal,avoidingtheunproductivefear

thatcomeswiththe“feet-first”strategy.Youcantrainyourbrainbysmallincrementstodevelopthenewsetofskillsitneedstoactuallyengageinthistask.

MindSculpturefortheRestofUsManyprofessionalathletes,includingMichaelJordanandJackNicklaus,haveusedthiskindofimagerytoimprovetheirskills.Butthesemenwerealreadymastersoftheirgameswhentheyusedmindsculpture.Whatabouttherestofus,whoneedhelpwithtaskswefindfrightening,suchaschattingwithanattractivedatingprospectorstickingtoadiet?This small kaizen strategy is actually perfect for anyonewho’s struggled and struggled to achieve a

goalthatremainsoutofreach.That’sbecauseit’ssuchasafe,comfortablesteptotakethatitallowsyouto walk right past any mental obstacles that have held you back. Mind sculpture is so effective inneutralizing fear that it’s evenworked for earthquake or accident victimswho suffer from flashbacks.Theyimaginethemselvesinsidetheflashback—buttheyenvisionapositiveresolution.Thesamegoesforpeoplewithrecurringnightmares:Iaskthemtorelivethedream,butwithahappyending.Dozensofmyclientshaveusedthistechnique,andforeachonethenightmareorflashbackhasvanishedwithinamatterofdays.You might also take inspiration from a woman I met after giving a lecture on kaizen. When she

approachedme, shewas nearly in tears. She suffered from narcolepsy, a disorder inwhich the bodyrespondstostressbyfallingasleep.Effectivemedicationwasavailableforherproblem,butthiswomanwasunabletotakethepillsshe’dbeengiven.Sheexplainedtomethatasateenager,she’dtakenapill(unrelatedtohercurrentcondition)andsufferedterrible,almostlife-threateningsideeffects.She’dbeenunable to swallowapill since.Whenshe thinksaboutpills,herbrain runs through theonescenario itknows:aviolentsetofreactions.Isuggestedsheprovideherbrainwithanalternativetothisscenariobyimagining thatshewassuccessfully takinghermedicationandenjoyingitspositiveeffects.This imagealonewasenoughtocalmherfear,andafteronemind-sculptingsessionshewasabletoswallowherpill.Mindsculpturedoesn’talwaysworksoquickly,butitisquitereliableandversatile.I’veseenpeople

usemindsculptureasawayto:

overcometheirfearofmedicalproceduresrespondcalmlyinanemotionallychargedsituation,insteadofexplodingwithragelearnportioncontrolgetpasttheirresistancetofitnessroutinesfeelmorecomfortabletalkingtostrangersbecomefluentpublicspeakers

Michael,asupervisoratalargecorporation,hadaprofoundexperiencewithmindsculpturethatcanserveasinspirationfortherestofus.Here’shisstory:ThehumanresourcesdepartmentatMichael’scorporationcametomewithanunusualrequest.They

wantedmetoconvinceMichaeltositdownandconductannualreviewsofhisemployees.Michaelhadbeenavoidingthesereviewsforsolongthathewasinviolationofcompanypolicy,butdespiteconsistentpressure from the top and disgruntlement from below, he continued to put off the task.Morale in hisdepartmentsank,andtalentedemployeesexpressedinterestintransferringtootherjobsinthecompany.

Michaelwastoovaluableacreativeforcetolose,yethismanagementskillsneededimprovement,andquickly.Michaelhadbeentoldthatcooperationwithmysuggestionswasmandatory.ButMichaelinsistedtome

thathewastoobusyeithertoconductthereviewsortodevotetimetotellingmeabouthisobjectionstothem.Michael’spositionwasdefensible—hisschedulewascrushing—butitwasn’tcompletelyaccurate.I suspected that if he enjoyed the reviews, he’d make time for them. But Michael was a fairlyuncommunicativeperson.Hefoundconfrontationwithproblememployeesdistasteful,andhecouldn’tseethe reason for “wasting” time reviewingemployeeswhoseworkwasexcellent.Hiswas the schoolofthought thatsaysnoonedeservesacompliment just fordoing the jobright.So reviewsstayedat thebottomofhisto-dolist.IhadtofindawaytohelpMichaelchangehisattitudetowardconfrontationanddiscussion,andIhadtodoitinawaythatthischronicallyovercommittedpersonwouldaccept.Istruckabargainwithhim.“Mygoalistogetyoutothepointwhereyouenjoyannualevaluations,”I

said.“IthinkIcandothisifyougivemethirtysecondsadayforthenextthreemonths.Ifitdoesn’twork,you can tell human resources that you followed allmy suggestions and fulfilled your obligation.”MyrequestwassosmallthatitwasimpossibleforMichaeltorefuse.Forthefirstmonth,Michaelwastospendthirtysecondseachdayperformingmindsculpture.Iasked

himtoimaginegivingapersonfromhisdepartmentaspecific,detailedcomplimentinanenthusiastictoneofvoice,asiftherewerenoproblemsatallwiththisperson’swork.Hewastoimaginehowhewouldstandinfrontoftheperson,howitwouldfeeltoapproachthepersonwitharelaxed,openposture,howhisvoicewouldsound,andwhatanyambientsoundsorsmellsmightbe.IwantedMichaeltostartwithcomplimentsforacoupleofreasons.Likemostpeople,Michaelfoundit

easier to give compliments than criticism.But I also knew that a likely result of letting trouble in hisdepartmentpercolatefortoolongwasthatMichaelwouldseehisemployeesasnothingbutacollectionofproblems.Andfromanotherperspective,psychologicalresearchclearlyshowsthatpeoplewhofeelunderappreciated tend to resent criticism and ignore the advice they’re given. By practicing mindsculptureforgivingcompliments,Michaelwasnotonlylearningtofeelcomfortabledoingsomethingthatfeltunnaturaltohim;Hewasalsodevelopingaskillthatwouldincreasethesatisfactionandproductivityofhisemployees.IaskedMichaelifhe’dmindextendingthisexercisetohisfamily.Isuspectedthathissilenceextended

tohishome lifeand thathis lovedoneswouldappreciatea littlekaizensent theirway. Iaskedhimtospendsomeofhisthirty-secondperiodsimagininggivingspecificcomplimentstohiswifeoroneofhisthreechildren.ThenextmonthIaskedMichaelifhecouldcontinuetoimagineonecomplimentbuttoaddonecriticalcommentaswell.Hewastoimaginehimselfwithaspecificemployee,feelinghisownfacialmusclesmovingandhisbodypostureremainingopenashedeliveredthesemessagesinakind,matter-of-facttoneofvoice.Ialsoaskedhimtoactuallygiveonecomplimentoutloudtosomeoneathomeeveryday.Twoweeks into thesecondmonth,myphonerang.“Mywifeandkidsareaskingwhat’swrongwith

me!”Michaelsaid,clearlypleasedwithhimself.Hisfamilyhadreturnedhiscomplimentswithsuchloveandwarmththatmindsculptureandkaizennowhadrealcredibilitywithhim.“Now,” I suggested, “how about callingme once a day and leaving your one compliment and one

criticismforanemployeeonmyvoicemail?”Hecouldpracticehistoneofvoicethatway,andI’dreturn

thecallwithfeedbackaboutthespecificityofthecommentsandwhetherhistonehadreachedthelevelofneutralityhesought.Mindsculpture—plusthesmall,activestepsthatmentalrehearsalenabledhimtotake—taughtMichael

anewsetofskills.Italsogavehimatastefortheeaseandtherewardsofapplyingthem.Attheendofourthreemonthstogether,heconductedthebelatedreviewswithoutanypromptingandhefoundhimselfstopping in thehallways togive fifteenor twenty secondsof immediate feedback.For severalyears, IreceivedanannualholidaycardfromMichael.Hisfamilyhadneverbeenbetter, thecardalwayssaid,anddepartmentmoralewashigh.

KaizenTechniqueAMindSculptureHow-To

Whateveryourgoal,mindsculptureisaterrificwaytoeaseintoyourkaizenprogramforchange.Intruekaizenfashion,I’llbreakmindsculpturedownintoseveralsmallsteps:

1. Isolateataskeitherthatyouareafraidtodoorthatmakesyouuncomfortable.Trytogiveyourselfatleastamonthbeforeyouactuallyhavetoperformthisactivity.

2. Decidehowmanysecondsyou’rewillingtodevotetomindsculptureforthistaskeachday.Makesureyouallotseconds,notminutesorhours;thetimecommitmentshouldbesolowthatyoucaneasilyfulfillitsrequirementseverysingleday.Repetitionisessential:Whateveryoudorepeatedly,evenifforonlyafewsecondsatatime,thebraindecidesmustbeimportantandsobeginscommittingcellstothenewbehavior.

3. Whenyouarereadytopracticemindsculpture,sitorliedowninaquiet,comfortablespotandcloseyoureyes.

4. Imaginethatyouare inthedifficultoruncomfortablesituationand lookingaroundyouthroughyourowneyes.Whatdoyousee?Whatisthesetting?Who’sthere?Whatdotheylooklike?Seetheexpressionsontheirfaces,theclothestheyarewearing,theirposture.

5. Nowexpandyourimaginationtotherestofyoursenses.Whatarethesoundsandsmellsandflavorsandtexturesaroundyou?

6. Withoutmovinganactualmuscle,imaginethatyouareperformingthetask.Whatarethewordsyouuse?Whatdoesyourvoicesoundlikeandhowdoesitresonatethroughyourbody?Whatareyourphysicalgestures?

7. Imagineapositiveresponsetoyouractivity.Ifyouaremindsculptingforpublicspeaking,forexample,seetheaudienceleaningforwardintheirseats,lookingresponsiveandinterested.Hearthescratchofpencilonpaperassomeparticularlyenthusiasticpeopletakenotes.

8. When your allotted time formind sculpturehas becomehabitual and even fun, youmay find that you are automaticallyperformingtheformerlydifficultactivitywithenthusiasm.Butifyou’renotreadyfortherealthing,that’sperfectlyokay.Never force the process of kaizen; itworks only if you let change happen in a comfortable and easymanner.Youmayinsteadchoosetoincreasethetimeyouspendonmindsculpture—butonceagain,youshouldincreaseslowly,perhapsbyjustthirtyseconds.Youshouldincreasethelengthandpaceonlywhenthepreviousstageofmindsculpturehasbecomeeffortless.Ifyoustartmakingexcusesfornotpracticingmindsculpture,orifyoufindyourselfforgettingtodoit,thenyouneedtocutbackontheamountoftime.

9. Onceyoufeelcomfortableusingmindsculptureforthistask(anditmaytakedaysorweeksorevenlonger), imagineaworst-casescenarioandhowyouwouldrespondeffectivelytoit.Apublicspeakermightfeelnervoussweatrundownhisface as he sees the audience members looking bored and hears them whispering among themselves. He would thenimaginehowhewouldliketospeak,gesture,andfeelinthatsituation.

10. Whenyoufeelreadytotakeontheactualtask,tryoutsomesmallstepsatfirst.Tocontinuethepublicspeakingexample,considergivingyourtalkoutloudbuttoanemptyroomortoanaudienceofonesympatheticperson.

TheFirstStep...orAnyStepYoucanusemindsculptureinanystageofakaizenprogramforchange.Manypeopleuseitwhentheyknowwhatactiontheywouldliketotake,butjustcan’tpsychthemselvesuptodoit.Youmayknow,forexample,thatyoushouldeatmorevegetables.Youmightchoosetospendfifteensecondseachdaysimplyimagining that you are eating—and enjoying!—some broccoli. When this is habitual and evenpleasurable,youcanincreasetheamounttothirtyseconds—orwhateveramountoftimeappealstoyou.(Youcanthenworkuptoanotherkaizenstrategy,theactionofactuallyeatingafloretortwo;thekaizentechniqueofsmallactionsisdiscussedinthenextchapter.)Butlikeeverykaizenstrategy,mindsculpturecanbeusedatanystageinaprogramforchange.Mind

sculpture is perfect for those timeswhen illness or scheduling conflicts leave you unable to pursue acourseofactionthat isalreadywellunderway.Evenafteryou’veachievedsuccess,youmayemployalittlemindsculpturewheneveryouwanttotakeyournewskillorhabitinforamentaltune-up.

KaizenTip

Belowaresomesuggestionsforapplyingmindsculpture tospecificgoals.Andremember this:Smallquestionsareapowerfulwaytogenerateideasformindsculpture.Justaskyourself:WhatisatinystepIcouldmaketoachievemygoal?Letthequestionstewforafewdaysorweeks.Whenyouhaveananswer,youcanusemindsculpturetoimagineyourselftakingthatstep.Ifyouwanttolearnportioncontrol,imagineyourselfatthetable.Seeaplateinfrontofyouwithfoodremainingonit.Whatdoesthe

foodlooklike?Howdoesitsmellandtaste?Nowimagineputtingdownyourutensil,eventhoughsomefoodremainsontheplate.Howdoestheutensilsoundasitmeetstheplate?Pickupyournapkinfromyourlapandnoteitstexture.Putthenapkindownandhearyourchairandfeelyourmusclesmoveasyoupushbackfromthetable.Imagineyourselfgettingupandeffortlesslywalkingaway.Ifself-directedanger isblockingyourpath tochange, try this:Considerasituation inwhichyouareoften judgmentalorharshwith

yourself.Sinceit’smucheasierformostself-criticalpeopletobekindtoothers,tryimaginingthatyouarecomfortingafriendorasmallchildwhohasmadethesamemistakeorhasthesameflawyouseeinyourself.Hearthatpersonsayingthedamagingthingsyousaytoyourself,suchas“I’mabadperson”or“I’llnevergetitright!”Nowimagineyourselfcomfortingthatperson.Experiencetheloveandcompassionyou’dfeeltowardsomeonewhoissufferinginthisway.Whatgesturesandwordswouldyouuse?Ifyou’dliketorepairarupturedpersonalrelationship,firstthinkofonethingtheotherpersondoestopushyourbuttons,leadingyouto

overreactortoavoidthatperson.Nowpicturethatpersonperformingtheirritatingbehaviorandimagineyourselfrespondinginamanneryou’dfindideal.Howwouldyourbodyfeel?Woulditcooldowninsteadofheatingup?Whatwouldyouliketosayandinwhichtoneofvoice?Whatposturewouldyouliketoassume?Many of us need help learning to relax. Choose a recurring scenario that frequently causes you to become irritated or impatient

(drivinginheavytrafficprovokestheseresponsesinmanyofus).Thenimagineyourselfinthatsituation,feelingasenseofinternalpoiseanddemonstratinggoodgracetowardothers.Ifyou’retryingtoimproveyourresponsetoheavytraffic,imagineyourselfinthecar,yourmuscles remaining relaxed,yourbreathingdeepandeven,andyourbodycoolas thedriversaroundyouhonk theirhornsandbehaveaggressively.Imagineyourselffeelingkindnesstowardtheotherdrivers—andmaybefeelyourselfwavingtoletoneofthemintoyourlane!

CHAPTERFOUR

TakeSmallActionsSmallactionsareattheheartofkaizen.Bytakingstepssotinythattheyseemtrivialoreven

laughable,you’llsailcalmlypastobstaclesthathavedefeatedyoubefore.Slowly—butpainlessly!—you’llcultivateanappetiteforcontinuedsuccessandlaydownapermanentnewroutetochange.

Smallactionsformthebasisofmostkaizenprogramsforchange,foranobviousreason:Nomatterhowmuchyouprepareorpracticesmallquestionsandsmallthoughts,eventuallyyoumustenterthearenaofaction.Thisistruewhetheryouplantohangoutashingleforyournewbusinessorconfrontadifficultfamilymember.But since this is kaizen, your first actionswill bevery small ones—so small that youmightfindthemoddorevensilly.That’sokay.It’shelpfultohaveasenseofhumorwhenyou’retryingtochangeyourlife.Somewonderfulexamplesofkaizenactionsareincludedinthechartthatfollows.

Goal KaizenActionStopoverspending Removeoneobjectfromtheshoppingcartbeforeheadingtothecashregister.

Beginanexerciseprogram Stand—yes,juststand!—onthetreadmillforafewminuteseverymorning.

Managestress Onceaday,notewhereyourbodyisholdingtension(yourneck?lowerback?shoulders?).Thentakeonedeepbreath.

Keepthehouseclean Pickanareaofthehouse,setatimerforfiveminutes,andtidyup.Stopwhenthetimergoesoff.

Learnaforeignlanguage

Commitonenewwordtomemoryeveryday.Ifthat’stoohard,practicerepeatingthesamenewwordonceortwiceadayforaweek,addinganewwordeachweek.

Getmoresleep Gotobedoneminuteearlieratnight,orstayinbedoneminutelaterinthemorning.

These little actionsusually soundbizarre to theuninitiated.But if youhave struggled tomakeabigchange—todroptwentypounds,tochangecareers,ortosteadyasinkingromance—andfailed,thenyoumight appreciate how small changes can help. Remember, big, bold efforts to make a change can becounterproductive.Manyoftheseeffortsdon’ttakeintoaccounttheweightyobstaclesthatmaylieinthepath:alackoftime,tightbudgets,oradeeplyingrainedresistancetochange.Aswe’velearned,radicalprogramsforchangecanarouseyourhiddenandnot-so-hiddendoubtsandfears(WhatifIfail?WhatifIachievemygoal—andI’mstillunhappy?),settingofftheamygdala’salarms.Yourbrainrespondstothisfearwith skyrocketing levelsof stresshormonesand lower levelsofcreativity insteadof thepositive,consistentenergyyouneedtoreachyourlong-termgoals.Smallactions takevery little timeormoney,andtheyareagreeableevento thoseofuswhohaven’t

laidupbulksuppliesofwillpower.Smallactionstrickthebrainintothinking:Hey,thischangeissotinythatit’snobigdeal.Noneedtogetworkedup.Noriskoffailureorunhappinesshere.Byoutfoxingthe

fear response, smallactionsallow thebrain tobuildupnew,permanenthabits—atapace thatmaybesurprisinglybrisk.

NoTime,NoMoney?KaizenFitsYourLifeIfyou’relikelotsofotherpeoplewhowanttomakeachange,youmaysaytoyourself:ButhowcanIreachmygoal? I don’t haveanymoney to spare—and Ibarelyhaveamoment to sit downbetweenbreakfastandbedtime!Takeheart.Likeall thebest things in life,smallstepsare free.Andsince theytakeonlyaminuteortwoofyourtime,theycanfitintoanyschedule.Asproof,letmeshowyouhowacoupleofsmallkaizenactions—requiringonlyafewextramomentseachday—rescuedamedicalclinicfromfinancialdisaster.When the outpatient clinic called me, it was in serious trouble. It had a high rate of patient

disenrollment,asituationwithseverefinancialconsequences.Thosepatientswhodidstayongaveitverypoor ratings.Whenpatientswere asked inwritten surveyswhy they disliked the clinic somuch, theirchiefcomplaintwasthelongwaits.Now,even ifyouaren’t amedicalprofessional, youprobablyknow that longwait timesare avery

commonproblemindoctors’offices.Thisproblemisusuallyimpossibletosolve,giventheemergenciesandunforeseenproblemsthatcropuponadailybasis.Apatientinitiallyscheduledfortreatmentofaskinrash, forexample,mayhappen tomentiona separate,more severe symptomsuchasdizzinessorchestpain—andsuddenlyaroutinevisitbecomesmuchlongerandthrowstherestofthedayoffcourse.Thisproblemof timingpatientswas so trickyandpervasive that the clinic considered somedrastic

solutions. Staff members suggested investing in expensive software that would supposedly help themmanagepatient flowandhelpdoctorsdeterminehowmuchtimetoallotpervisit.Another ideawas tohire a nurse-practitioner to thoroughly screen patients over the phone in order to accurately determinehowlongtheirofficevisitswouldtake.Thedoctorsevenentertainedthenotionofassigningonedoctorsolelytowalk-inpatients—ariskystep,sinceadoctortiedupwithwalk-inswouldnotbeabletotakeonthenewpatients theclinicsorelyneeded.Noneof thesesolutionsseemedworkableor likely to fit theoffice’salreadystrainedbudget.Day-to-daylifeattheclinicgrewtenseasdifferentoverworkedgroups—doctors,nurses, receptionists—blamedoneanotherfor thedwindlingpatient rostersand theunhappy“customers.”This clinic faced a real challenge. But I was hopeful, because kaizen has a natural advantage in a

medicalsetting.Withinthemedicalmodel, theidealsolutionisalwaysthesmallesteffectivetreatment,theone thatworkswithoutposinganyunnecessaryrisk.Doctorsdon’tperformsurgery ifmedicinecanhelp, and they don’t like to givemedicine if simple rest or lifestyle changeswill effect a cure.All Ineeded to do was show this clinic how to recast its business problems according to these familiar,smaller-is-betterterms.Icalledthestafftogetherandaskedthemtotalkabouttheirbestandworstexperiencesasconsumers.

Most people talked about broken computers, hassles at the bank, and other problems. Then someonementionedthathisbestconsumerexperienceoccurredwhenhistelephoneservicebrokedown.Thiswashisbest experience? I asked.Whatmade the experience so gratifying, he said, was that the customerservice representative immediately apologized for the problem and for the wait to reach therepresentative.Twodays later, the same representativechecked in tomake sure theproblemhadbeen

resolved. Other people agreed that their worst consumer experiences could easily have been turnedaroundbyanapologyandademonstrationofconcern.Everyoneknows, theysaid, thatharddrivescanbreakdownbeforetheyshouldandthatbankscanmakemistakes.Whatmakestheexperienceapositiveor negative one iswhat transpires in those fewminuteswhenyou explain your problem to the peopleinvolved.Thegroupconcludedthatpatients,likebankcustomersandcomputerowners,reallydounderstandthat

mistakeshappen—andthatphysicianscan’talwayscontroltheirtime.Whatpatientsreallyhatedwasthatfeelingofsurrenderwhentheywalkedinthedoor,thatnotonlytheirbodiesbuttheirtimewasinsomeoneelse’s hands. It was a perfect moment for a kaizen question: How can you improve the patient’sexperienceofdelays inaway thatwon’tcostanythingordemandmore thana fewsecondsof yourtime?Iwasn’tsurprisedwhenthestaffenthusiasticallyrosetothechallenge.Theydecidedthateachofthe

followingstepscouldeasilybeimplementedinthecaseofdelay:

The receptionist would personally explain the reason for the wait to the patient and offer anapproximatetimethatthedoctorwouldbeavailable.Thepatientwouldbeofferedthealternativesofseeinganotherphysicianorrescheduling.The nurse or nursing assistant would apologize to each patient who had to wait before beingassignedtoanexaminingroom.Thedoctorwouldapologizewhenwalkingintotheexaminingroom.Beforeleavingtheexaminingroom,thedoctorwouldthankthepatientforchoosingthepractice.Finally,thereceptionistwouldofferasecondthank-youasthepatientwalkedoutthedoor.

These changes consisted of short sentences—mainly “I apologize” and “thank you”—and wereundeniably the smallest of steps.But shortly after the staff implemented these changes, patient surveysshowed that the satisfaction ratedoubled, and the number of patients defecting from the practicewentdownby60percent.Keepinmindthattheaveragewaitingtimeremainedexactlythesameasbefore.Butnowpatientssaidthingslike“I’veneverfeltmoreappreciatedinadoctor’soffice!”Andthepreviouslywarringfactionswithinthepracticelaiddowntheirarms,pleasedthattherewassomethingsimpleandproductiveeachofthemcoulddotoachievetheirgoals.

Don’tSmallStepsYieldSlowResults?Kaizenstepsmaybesmall,buttheycanoftenleadtorapidchange.Myexperiencewiththeclinicshowsthatsometimesall it takes isonesmallsteptoeffectadramatic improvement.Andyoumayfindthatasingle tiny change, perhaps taking just five minutes every night to pick up stray toys and householdobjects,satisfiesyourgoalofacleanerhouse.Whenthegoalistoperformanactivitythatyoudeeplyresist(say,exercise)ortogiveupaningrained

habit(perhapsyoushopasawaytorelax),youmayfindthatonesmallstepisn’tquiteenough.Butthatstepdoesleadyoucomfortablytoasecondstepandthenathird,andsoon,untilonedayyoudiscoverthatyouhavemasteredthechange.Let’sreturntoJulie,thesinglemotherwhodidn’thavetimetoexercise.Shestartedwithasmallaction

—marching for just oneminute eachday in front of the television.This actiondidn’t domuch for heraerobic capacity, but for Julie it had a different and perhaps evenmore significant effect. It opened awindow to the possibility of fitting exercise into her life.After a couple ofweeks, Julie decided shecouldtrymarchingforthedurationofacommercialbreak.Onceshemasteredthat,shedecidedshewouldtry for two commercial breaks. And then she forgot to stop. The commercials would conclude, thetelevisionshowwouldresume,andJuliewouldfindthatshewasstillmoving.Almostwithoutrealizingit,thisextraordinarilybusywomanfoundawaytomeettheAmericanMedicalAssociation’sguidelinesfor thirtyminutes of cardiovascular exercise onmost days—and to enjoy it. It had become a habit byitself,onethatshewouldbegintomissifsheskippedit.Taking small steps, knowing that you are calming fear and building a new habit, requires trust and

optimism.Peoplewhostrugglewithkaizendosonotbecausethestepsarehardbutbecausetheyareeasy.Theycan’tovercometheculturaltrainingthatsayschangemustalwaysbeinstantaneous,itmustalwaysrequiresteelyself-discipline,anditmustneverbepleasurable.Wethinkthatifwe’rehardonourselves,exhortingourselvestodomoreandtodoitfaster,we’llgetbetterresults.Wesay:HowcanIgettomygoalinoneminuteaday?Atthisrate,it’lltakeyears!Butkaizenasksustobepatient.Itasksustohavefaiththatwithsmallsteps,wecanbetterovercomethemind’sinitialresistancetochange.Wedonothavecontrolofthetimetableforourchange—justaswecannotpinpointthemomentweachievedagoalsuchaslearningtodriveorskiorplaytheguitar.Wesimplyhavetotrustthatthemindwilldevelopmasteryandobeytheinstructionswearesendingit.

“IJustCan’tBringMyselftoDoIt”:HowKaizenMeltsResistanceEveryNewYear’sEve,millions of usmake a list of our goals for the comingyear:Wewant to loseweight,getorganized, learn tomanage stress, and soon—andweplan tomake thesechanges, in theirentirety,startingtheverynextday.Yetoverandover,wejustcan’tsummonupthewillpowerrequiredformassive, sudden reformation, at least not for a long period of time. Surveys suggest that the typicalresolutionisrepeatedtenyearsinarow,withone-quarterofthesebeingabandonedwithinthefirstfifteenweeksanddustedoffagainthefollowingyear.Kaizenoffersanalternativetothisannualritualoffailure.Manyyearsago,beforeIlearnedofkaizen,Iheardaveryfamouspainexpertgivealecturetoalarge

audience. Although pain cannot always be managed with medications and other medical inventions,mentaltechniqueslikemeditationcansignificantlyreducethesufferingofthosewhohurt.Thispainexpertencouragedeachofhislistenerstogohomeandmeditateforoneminuteaday.Quitesurprised,Iwentuptohimafterthetalkandaskedhimwhyhethoughtoneminuteofmeditationwouldpossiblydoanyoneanygood.Inapatienttoneofvoice,heaskedmehowlongmeditationtechniqueshadbeenaround.“Twoorthreethousandyears,”Isaid.“That’sright,”hetoldme.“Sothere’saverygoodchancethatthepeopleinthisaudiencehaveheardof

itbeforenow.Thosewholiketheideahavealreadyfoundateacherorabookandaredoingit.Fortherestofthepeopleinthisaudience,meditationistheworstideatheyeverheardof.I’drathertheygohomeandmeditate foroneminute thannotmeditate for thirtyminutes.Theymight like it.Theymayforget tostop.”And I believe he was right. The study of persuasive techniques consistently demonstrates kaizen’s

power tomelteven the toughest resistance. Inone ratherhumorousstudy,homeowners inoneSouthernCalifornianeighborhoodwereaskedbyvolunteersiftheywouldminddisplayingasmallsignthatread“Beasafedriver”inoneoftheirwindows.Mostofthemagreed.Homeownersinanotherneighborhoodchosenforitssimilaritytothefirstwerenotaskedtodisplaythesign.Twoweekslater,homeownersinbothneighborhoodswereaskediftheywouldallowabillboardbearingthesamemessagetobeinstalledon their front lawns.Theywere shownphotos thatmade itplain theirhousewouldbedwarfedby thebillboard.Tomake the requesteven lessattractive, the letteringon thebillboardwaspoorlyexecuted.Thegroupthathadnotbeenapproachedaboutthesmallsignrefusedthebillboard83percentofthetime;the group that hadmade the small step in the first neighborhood, however,agreed to the billboard 76percentofthetime.Thesmallstepmadethelargeronefourtimesmorelikely.Otherstudieshaveborneouttheseresults,showingthataninitialsmallaction(wearingapinforacharity,watchingastranger’sbelongingsonthebeach)wipesawaymostobjectionstoamuchgreateraction(makinglargerfinancialdonationstothecharity,interferingifthestranger’sbelongingsarestolen).Nowimaginehowefficientlysmallactionscanbreakdownyourresistancetoachangeyoureallywanttomake!I have used kaizen again and againwith peoplewho like the idea of upholding their resolutions to

become slim or organized ormore relaxed—butwho resist the necessary changes to their routine. InUCLA’smedicalpractice, forexample, I’veseenpeoplewhosimplywillnot,cannot, floss their teeth.

Theyknowthey’reatriskfortoothdecayandgumdisease,andtheyfeeltheyoughttodevelopaflossinghabit,buttheycan’tseemtotranslatethatknowledgeintoaction.SoI’veaskedthemtoflossonetoothaday.Thesepeoplefindthistinystepmucheasier.Afteramonthofflossingonetootheveryday,theyhavetwothings:oneverycleantoothandahabitofpickingupthatsillystring.Acleantoothisanachievementinitself,butmostpeoplefindthattheydon’twanttoquitatthispoint.

Somegoontoflosstwoteethforthenextmonth—butmostfindthattheirnewhabitisgrowingsostrong(andsincethey’restandinginfrontofthemirrorwiththesegmentofflossanyway)thattheyflossthreeorfourorfiveteeth.Insixtotenweeks,mostpeopleareflossingeverysingletooth.(Whenpeopleforgettoperformtheirone-tooth-per-dayroutine,I’llaskthemtoaddanotherkaizenstep: to tieapieceofflossaroundtheirremotecontrol,ortotapesomeflosstothebathroommirrorasareminder.)I’vealsoseenmorethanmyshareofpeoplewhohaven’tbeenabletomanageregularexercisehabits

—andwho’veexperienceddevastatingsicknessasaresult.Theseareoftenpeoplewhoareoverworked,overcommitted,andoverstressed.Thesepatientsjustdon’tseehowtheycanfindtherecommendedthirtymore minutes a day for exercise. Life may be so hard that they can’t imagine making it harder byvoluntarilyworkingupasweat.Maybethey’reafraidofwhattheirotherhabitswilllooklikefromanewandhealthfulvantagepoint.Icancertainlysympathize.Forthesepeople,thepainlessandeasynatureofkaizenholdsaparticularappeal.PeoplewhoabsolutelyhatetoexercisecanbeginthewayJuliedid,byjustmarchinginplaceinfront

ofthetelevisionforoneminuteaday.Soontheycreateahabit,andtheyarewillingtoaddafewmoreminutes to their routine,and thena fewmore,until they find themselvesenthusiasticallydedicated toahealthfulexerciseregimen.Ioncemetawomanwhowishedtoexerciseandhadevenboughtanexpensivetreadmillforherhome.

Shestillfoundherselfavoidingexercise.Ijustcan’tbringmyselftodoit,shethought.Sosheturnedtokaizen.Forthefirstmonth,shestoodonthetreadmill,readhernewspaper,andsippedhercoffee.Forthenextmonth,afterfinishinghercoffee,shewalkedonthetreadmillforoneminute,increasingbyaminuteeachweek.Duringtheseearlymonths,hersmallactionswouldhavestruckmostpeopleasridiculous.Buttheyweren’t, really.Shewasdevelopinga tolerance forexercise.Soonher“ridiculous” small actionshadgrown into the firmhabitof runningonemile eachday!Note that thisgradualbuildup toa steadyprogramistheexactoppositeoftheusualpattern,inwhichapersonstartsoffwithaburstofactivityforafewweeks,butthenreturnstoacomfortablespotonthecouch.As you plan your own small steps toward change, keep in mind that sometimes, despite your best

planning,you’llhitawallofresistance.Don’tgiveup!Instead, tryscalingbackthesizeofyoursteps.Rememberthatyourgoalistobypassfear—andtomakethestepssosmallthatyoucanbarelynoticeaneffort.When thestepsareeasyenough, themindwillusually takeoverand leapfrogoverobstacles toachieveyourgoal.Everynowandthen,kaizendoesproducechangemoreslowly,requiringsmallstepsallthewayfrom

pointAtopointB.Ifyoufindyourselfgrowingfrustratedwiththepaceofchange,askyourself:Isn’tslowchange better than what I’ve experienced before . . . which is no change at all? One entertainingexampleofthisstrategycomesfromawomanwhogrewupinEngland.Atagethirteensherealizedthatthe four teaspoonsof sugar shewasputting inherdaily teawerenotdoingherbodya favor.Throughwillpowerandself-control,shewasabletocutoutthreeofthefourteaspoons,butthehabitofusingthat

onelastteaspoonofsugarwasstubborn.Whensherealizedthatherwillpowerwasn’tstrongenoughtoresistthefinalteaspoon,sheheldthespoonandtriedtoremovejustonegrainofthesugarfromitbeforepouring the rest into her tea. The next day she tried to remove two grains of sugar from the teaspoonbeforepouringtherestin.Shecontinuedthis,removingoneortwomoregrainseachday.Ittookalmostayeartoemptytheteaspoon!Shewasforty-fiveyearsoldwhensherelatedthisstory—andstilltakingherteawithoutsugar.

KaizenTip

Forglowinghealth,itmightbebesttosetyourgoalslower.Justafewpositivechangescanhaveasurprisingimpactonyourwell-being.Recent researchhas strongly suggested that losing10percentofone’sbodyweight (assumingaperson isoverweight tobeginwith)leadstoradicalimprovementsindiabetesrisk,hypertension,andsleepapnea.AstudyatAdelphiUniversityshowsthatpeoplewhousedthetreadmilljustfourminutesadayforfourdaysaweek(makingsuretoreach70percentoftheirmaximumheartrate),experienceda10percentincreaseintheiraerobiccapacity—thesamepercentageasthosewhoexercisedtwentyminutesaday!

NewYear’sResolutions,KaizenStyleHerearesomeofthemostpopularNewYear’sresolutions,teamedupwithaseriesofkaizenstepsthathavestartedseveralofmyclientsdowntheroadtosuccess.Todecideontherightfirststepforyou,see“KaizenTechnique:WhatWillBeYourFirstSmallStep?”.

Resolution:Eatmorehealthfully.SmallSteps:

1. Tossoutthefirstbiteofonefatteningsnack.Dothisforonemonth.Thisprocesshelpsyoulearntoeatlessofalargeportion.

2. Forthenextmonth,tossoutthefirstandthesecondbites.3. Thentossthreebitesof thesnackforamonth(andsoon,untilyoudecideyounolongerwant the

snackoruntiltherearenobitesleft).4. Onceyouhavegivenupthesnack,focusonslowingdowntheeatingprocessduringothersnacksor

mealtimes.Asyoueat,putthefooddownbetweenbites,placingyourhandinyourlapandchewingthoroughly.Pickupthefoodagainonlywhenyouhaveswallowedthepreviousbite.

Resolution:Exercise.SmallSteps:

1. If you can’t bring yourself to get off the couch, purchase a hand grip to squeezewhilewatchingtelevision(orsqueezeoldtennisballs).Thiswillburnafewcaloriesandgetyouaccustomedtotheideaofmovingyourbodyagain.

2. When you’re ready to getmoving,walk around the block once a day, or take one flight of stairsinsteadoftheelevator.

3. Passoneadditionalhouseperday,orrepeatoneextrasteponthestaircaseuntilyoufindthehabitgrowingsolid.

4. Tofurtherincreaseyourappetiteforexercise,thinkabouttheactivityyouwouldmostlovetoengagein—swimming? skiing? tennis? Find an attractive picture of that activity and place it on therefrigerator,ontopofthetelevision,orinthecornerofamirror.

Resolution:Savemoney.SmallSteps:

1. Setyourself thegoalofsaving justonedollarperday.Oneway todo this is tomodifyonedailypurchase. Perhaps you can downgrade from a large, relatively expensive latte to a small, plaincoffee.Maybeyoucanreadanewspaperforfreeonlineinsteadofbuyingoneatthenewsstand.Puteachsaveddollaraway.

2. Anothertacticforsavingadollaradayistoshareadailyindulgencewithafriend.Buyonelargecoffeeandpouritintotwosmallermugs.Buyonenewspaperandswapsections.

3. Ifyousaveonedollareachday,attheendoftheyearyou’llhave$365.Startalistofthingsyou’dliketodowiththatextramoneyandaddoneideaeachday.You’lllearntothinkaboutfar-off,moresizeablefinancialgoalsratherthanimmediate,cheaperpleasures.

Resolution:Meetmorepeople.SmallSteps:

1. Thinkofoneplaceyoumightgo(perhapsaplaceofworship,anadulteducationclass,oranathleticsocialgroup)tomeetpeoplewithinterestssimilartoyours.Writeitdown.

2. Everyday,thinkofoneadditionallocationorgroupandaddittoyourlist.Rememberthatthisisnotato-dolist;youaresimplygeneratingideas.

3. Thinkofsomeoneyouknowwhohasafullandhappysociallife.Askthispersonwhereheorshehasmetfriends.

4. Ifyouliketheideaofjoiningacertainclubbutfeelthatyou’retoobusy,keepyourinitiallevelofcommitment very low.Youmight plan to attend justonemeeting—and promise yourself to leaveafteronlyfifteenortwentyminutes.Thiswillhelpyoubuildanappetiteforsocialactivitywithoutwrenchingyourschedule.

Resolution:Askforaraise.SmallSteps:

1. Startalistofreasonsyoudeservemoremoneyforyourwork.Everyday,addoneitemtothelist.2. Spendoneminuteadaypracticingyourrequesttoyourbossoutloud.3. Increasethistimeuntilyoufeelreadytomakeyourrequestinperson.4. Beforeyouactuallyaskfortheraise,imaginethatthebossrespondspoorly—butthatyouwalkout

thedoorfeelingsuccessfulanyway,feelingproudofyoureffort.(Thisstep—reallyaformofmindsculpture—helpsyoumanageanylingeringfears.)

Resolution:Usetimemoreproductively.SmallSteps:

1. Make a list of activities that take up your time but are not useful or stimulating to you.Watchingtelevision, browsing through stores, and reading things you don’t find pleasant or productive arefrequentsourcesofpoorlyusedtime.

2. Make a list of activities youwould like to try that you feelwould bemore productive than yourcurrentones.Eachday,addoneitemtothelist.

3. Onceyouhaveidentifiedmore-productiveactivitiesthatyou’dliketotry,goaheadandgivethemawhirl—but in a very limited, nonthreatening manner. If you want to keep a journal, do so—butpromiseyourselftowritejustthreesentencesperday.Ifyou’dliketotakeayogaclass,youmightbeginbyjustsittinginthestudio’slobbyandwatchingstudentspassinandout.Soon,youwillfindyourselfparticipatingmorefullyinyouractivity.Andyou’llhardlynoticethatyou’respendinglesstimeinfrontofthetelevision.

4. Eachday,writedownthenameofonepersonwhomyoufeelislivingaproductivelife.Thenwrite

downonethingthatpersonisdoingdifferentlyfromyou.

KaizenKickstheHabitWhenpeoplearetryingtoquitanunhealthfuladdiction,oneoftheirbiggestchallengesisthelikelihoodthat a brief period of successwill be followedby a long relapse into the bad habit. It doesn’tmatterwhethertheaddictionistocigarettes,junkfood,alcohol,drugs,orsomethingelse:Evenafterremainingfree of the addiction formanymonths, people often slip and return to their oldways. There is hope,however.Ihaveseenmanypeoplequitpermanentlybytakingsmallsteps.IbeganrecommendingthisparticularpatternofkaizenstepsforaddictionswhenInoticedacommon

refrain among smokers who’d given up and then returned to their habit. “Cigarettes are my friends,”they’d tellme.Sometimes theywere laughingwhen they said this, but their feelingwas real.Manyofthesesmokers,Idiscovered,grewupinfamilieswithparentswhowereincapableofconsistentnurturing.Aschildren,theyquicklylearnedtokeeptheirproblemstothemselvesandtoconfideinnoonewhentheywereupset.This self-reliance isa frequentlyusedbutverypoor strategy forcopingwith life’sadversity.That’s

becausewe are biologically “wired” to reach out for supportwhenwe’re stressed; it’s in our nature.Consider what a child does when awakened at night by a nightmare or thunderstorm. The childinstinctively runs to a parent’s bed for help. The child clings to Mom or Dad and then, after a fewmomentsofsoothing,fallsasleepintheparent’sarms.Whenthisnaturalcopingprocessisinterruptedbyparentswhoarephysicallyoremotionallyunavailable,it’sreplacedbyself-relianceandstoicism.Asthisindependent child grows into adulthood, cigarettes or food or other substances become dependablecompanions,providingcomfortconsistentlyandreliably—butwiththeunfortunatesideeffectsofdisease,obesity,orworse.Ifapersonlikethistriestoquittheaddictionwithoutlearningtoaskothersforhelp,thatpersonisunlikelytosucceed.Livingwithoutthis“friend”isjusttoofrightening.Oneclient,Rachel,wasawomaninhermid-fortieswhoselifefitthepatternI’vejustdescribed:Asa

child, Rachel determined that she would never lean on anyone. And she didn’t. She taught herself tobecomefinanciallyindependent,andshewasabletomanageherhomeandcareerwithoutassistance.Butshe had not developed the ability to receive comfort from others. Rachel could count several friendswhosecamaraderiesheenjoyed,butsheneverconfidedin themorrevealedherself inapersonalway.Herdating relationshipswerewithmenwho remaineddistant.Butwe all need some formof externalsupport, andRachel’swas cigarettes.When things got tough, she’d take her “best friend” outside andsmoke.Thenicotineliftedherwhenshewasdepressedandcalmedherwhenshewasanxious.Rachel came to see me because she knew she needed to quit, permanently. Frequent respiratory

problemsmadethisfrighteninglyclear.Rachelhadoftenkickedthehabitforamonthortwoatatime,but—youguessedit—shealwaysfellbackintoit.I knew there was no point in prescribing the latest smoking-cessation technology for Rachel. She

clearly possessed the self-discipline tomake that first leaponto thewagon.But oneof themost solidpredictorsofsuccessinlifeiswhetherapersonturnstoanotherhumanforsupportintimesoftroubleorfear. If Rachel really was to succeed, she’d have to learn to trust, to find a human companion andconfidante who could replace cigarettes. And we both knew that her health was on the line; in all

likelihood, she didn’t have a couple of years to spend in therapy thoroughly discussing her childhoodbeforetryingtogiveupcigarettesagain.Nordidshehavethepatience;Isuspectedsuchintensetherapywastoobigandscaryastepforher.ThefirstsmallstepRacheltookwastocallmyvoicemailonceaday.Allshehadtosaywas,“Hi,it’s

Rachel.”Shewastakenabackwhensherealizedthisteenystepmadehernervous.Shethenunderstooditsvalue:Ifyou’vespentalifetimeavoidingdependence,thesimpleactofcallingintovoicemailviolatesyourpromisenevertoneedanotherperson.Asthisstepbecamelessfrightening,weaddedanothercalljustbeforeshesmokedacigarette.ThiswasnotanattempttoshameRachelintoquitting.Weagreedthatshecould still smokeasmanycigarettes as shewanted to—shewas just supposed to sayhellobeforesmoking.“Hi,it’sRachel!”she’dsay.“I’mhavingacigarettenow!”BecauseRachelhadlearnednottocravehumancompanionship,IwastryingtodevelopRachel’sappetiteforitinawaythatwouldn’tscareher.IwasalsoputtingonestepbetweenRachelandher“bestfriend.”Wedidthisforonemonth.ThenIaskedRacheltowritedownherfeelingsinajournal.Researchdemonstratesthatpeoplewho

use a journal to chart their emotions receivemanyof the samephysical and psychological benefits asthose who talk to a doctor or minister or friend. I believe that the reason writing in a journal is soeffective is that, formany people, it’s a pretty big deal to decide that your emotional life is valuableenoughtocommittoabookthatnooneelsewilleversee.Psychologyresearchsuggeststhatclientsaresupposedtowriteintheirjournalsforatleastfifteentotwentyminutesadaytoreceiveitsbenefits,buttherewasnowayRachelwoulddevotethatmuchtimetoherinnerlife.Sowebeganbyhavingherwriteforjusttwominuteseveryday.Wedidthis,alongwiththephonecalls,fortwomoremonths.Rachel’sbrainbegantothinkaboutherjournalandmewhenevershewasupset.Attheendofthisperiod,Rachelwassurprisedtodiscoverhercigaretteintakewascutbackby30percent,withoutanyeffortonherpart.Then I asked her to incorporate another kaizen step—small questions—into her routine. Shewas to

imaginethatshehadabestfriend(ahumanone!)whowasbyhersidealldaylong,andtoaskherselfwhat she’d like the friend to do at any given moment—perhaps listen to her brag about one of heraccomplishmentsorchatwithherasshedecidedwhattohaveforlunch.Thesequestionsbegantotakehold. (For more information about the power of small kaizen questions, see the chapter “Ask SmallQuestions.”)SoonRachelstartedtocallrealpeople, thosefriendswhoseemedworthyoftherisk,andshe began to have positive experiences as she reached out to them in small ways. Around this time,Rachelwentbacktothesmoking-cessationtechniqueshe’dusedbefore.Withinamonth,she’dstoppedsmoking.Andthistime,shedidn’tstopforjustalittlewhile.Rachelhasnotsmokedacigaretteintwoyears.

KaizenTechniqueWhatWillBeYourFirstSmallStep?

Here’sanexerciseIrecommendtoalmostallmyclientsandthatIusemyselfonanongoingbasis.Youcanperformthisexerciseonyourown,but I’ve found thatmostpeoplearemoresuccessfulwhen theybringinatrustedpartnertohelpthem.Beginbydecidingwhereinyourlifeyouthinkyoucanmosteasilybenefitfromsmall,incrementalstepstowardexcellence.Thenapplythekaizentechniqueofaskingsmall

questions to determine your best first step. Suppose you choose health.Haveyour partner ask you thefollowing:Whatsmall,trivialstepcouldyoutakethatmightimprovethequalityofyourhealth?Mostpeoplewillfirstsaysomethingalongthelinesof“loseweight,”or“exercisemoreoften.”That’s

agoodstart,butlosingweightorexercisingisn’texactlyasmallstep.Infact,mostofushaveattemptedto apply innovation toward these goals—going on diets, starting a daily running regimen—and failed.Let’strytofindatrulysmall,trivial-seemingstep.Here’swhereapartnercanhelp.Apartnercanspot“cheating”—whenyoucomeupwithananswer

thatissmallandkaizenenoughtoletyoufeelyou’vefinishedthetask,butstilllargeenoughtosatisfythatragingcriticinyourhead,theonewhodemandsbig,boldactionsnow.Toavoidthis,yourpartnershouldaskyouthequestionoverandoveruntilyourbrainproducesatruekaizenanswer—astepsoeasythatyoucanguaranteeyou’lltakeiteverysingleday.Soyourpartnerasksagain:Whatsmall,trivialstepcouldyoutakethatmightimprovethequalityofyourhealth?Apossibleanswerhereis“eatless.”Tryagain!Vaguegoalslikethiswillsatisfythedemanding,self-criticalvoiceinourheads,buttheyare

hardtoachieveandevenhardertosustain.Whatsmall,trivialstepcouldyoutakethatmightimprovethequalityofyourhealth?Avoidchocolate.Thisstepismoreconcrete,butit’sstilltoobig.Hey,ifitwereeasytostopeatingchocolate,thediet

industrywouldbeoutofbusiness.Tryagain.Whatsmall,trivialstepcouldyoutakethatmightimprovethequalityofyourhealth?Eatlesschocolate.Close,butnochocolatecigar.Noticethatbyhearingthisquestionrepeatedly,yourbrainisbeginningto

takeitin,turnitover,andcomeupwithmorecreativeanswers.Whatsmall,trivialstepcouldyoutakethatmightimprovethequalityofyourhealth?Howaboutthis:Eatthechocolate,buttossoutthefirstbite.That’s it!This isagreatway to learnportioncontrol.Youreyesareseeing thewholechocolatebar

whileyourbrainislearningtotakeawaypartofitbeforeyoueat.(Tryingtothrowoutthelastbiteistoohard!)You’llknowthatthestepissmallenoughifyouareascertainyoucandoitasyouarethatthesunwillcomeuptomorrow.Anotherpopularareaofkaizenfocusistheofficedesk.Peoplewilloftenanswerthatthey’llspendthe

firsthourofeachmorningfilingpapers,clearingoffuselessjunk,andsoon.ButwhenIaskthem,“Canyouguaranteeme,nomatterhowbusyyouare,thatyou’llspendanhourorganizing?”theanswerisno.Eventually,thepersondecidestospendjusttwominutesfilingpapersattheendoftheday,ormaybejustfileevenonepaper,orperhapsaskanorganizedpersonforonetip.Orhowaboutthegoalofreconcilingwithanestrangedparent?Throwinganextravagantreunionevent

couldhaveaparalyzingeffectonbothparties.Whatabouthavingtheparentoverfordinnerinstead,orjusttalkingoverthephone?Again,thebestfirststepistheoneaboutwhichyoucansay:“NomatterhowscaredIamtospeakwithmymotherorfather,IknowIcandothisonesmallthing.”Formanypeople,thatfirststepmaybetodevoteoneminuteadaytothinkingabouttheparent’spositivequalities.Another

firststep—usefulifaparentisasternfigureofauthority—istospendoneminuteadaywonderingaboutthatparent’sfearsorinsecurities.Thissmallactivityhelpshumanizeawithholdingmotherorfather.Bytakingcarethatyourfirststepistrulyasmallone,yougiveyourselfthebestshotatsuccess.Once

you’veexperiencedthejoyoftakingthefirststep,youcandecidewhetherit’sappropriatetotakeanother.You’llknowyou’re readywhenyourcurrent stepbecomesautomatic,effortless,andevenpleasurable.Butdon’tletanyonepressureyouintoacceleratingthepaceofchangeifitdoesn’tfeelrighttoyou.Justusetheexerciseabovetodetermineyourbestsecondstep,againmakingsurethatyoucanguaranteetheresults.Andthenit’sontothethirdstep,andsoon,untilyourbrainovercomesitsresistanceandspeedsyouonyourway.Ifyoueverfeelyourselfdreadingtheactivityormakingexcusesfornotperformingit,it’stimetocutbackonthesizeofthestep.

CHAPTERFIVE

SolveSmallProblemsWearesoaccustomedtolivingwithminorannoyancesthatit’snotalwayseasytoidentifythem,let

alonemakecorrections.Buttheseannoyanceshaveawayofacquiringmassandeventuallyblockingyourpathtochange.Bytrainingyourselftospotandsolvesmallproblems,youcanavoid

undergoingmuchmorepainfulremedieslater.

Initsyearsofpost–WorldWarIIrebuilding,Toyotabeganaboldexperiment.Oneofthecompany’sgiftedmanagers,TaiichiOhno,changedoneofthefundamentalpreceptsoftheassemblyline.BeforeOhnocamealong,nearlyall autocompanies followed the sameprocedure—eachchassiswentdown theassemblylineasoneworkerafteranotherperformedhisorherfunction.Theworkerswere todothesingle taskassigned to them, and that was all. Any mistakes in the process were corrected by quality-controlinspectorsattheendoftheline.Ohnohadadifferent idea,one thatwasapparently influencedbyDr.W.EdwardsDeming’s ideaof

small,continualimprovement.Ohnoplacedacordateachstepalongtheassemblyline,andanyworkerwhonoticedadefectcouldpullthecordandbringthelinetoadeadstop.Ohnomadesurethatengineers,suppliers,andlineworkerswereonhandtofullyidentifytheproblemandcraftasolution,preferablyonthespot.Everyothermanufacturerfoundthisideaabsurd,aviolationofthebasictenetsofmassmanufacturing.

Howcouldacompanyassembleproductsswiftlywhenthelinecouldbestoppedonaworker’swhimtocorrectaminordefect?Contrarytothiscommonwisdom,Ohno’smethodprovedtobethemostsuccessfulmeansofbuilding

automobiles.Fixingasmallproblemonthescenepreventedmuchbiggerproblemslater.Sadly,though,noteverybusinesshaslearnedfromToyota’sexperience,andthetemptationremainsstrongtoglossoverwhatappeartobeminorproblems.TheoilandgascompanyBP,forexample, ignored356“small”oilspills that occurred between 2001 and 2007. Regulators twice issued concerns, but experts from thepetroleumindustrydismissedthem.Itwasn’tuntil2010thatBPwasforcedtorecognizetheconsequencesofignoringthese“small”warnings:ThatwastheyearwhenanexplosionaboardtheDeepwaterHorizondrillingrigcaused200milliongallonsofcrudeoiltobepumpedintotheGulfofMexico—becomingtheworstoilspillinhistory.A curious but true rock ’n’ roll legend shows the power of implementing small, kaizenmeasures to

achieveexcellenceandpreventcostlymistakes:VanHalen’scontractswithconcertpromotersdemandednotonly thatabowlofM&Msbeprovidedbackstageprior to itsperformance,butalso thatallbrownM&Msberemoved!Ifanywerefoundinthebowl,theconcertwouldbecancelledbutVanHalenwouldstillbepaid.Atfirstglance,thisappearstobenothingmorethananexampleofarockband’snarcissisticexcess.

VanHalen’stourswereamongthefirsttobringhighlytechnical,verycomplexstagecrafttovenues.Theirlegendary leadvocalistDavidLeeRoth says, “We’dpull upwith nine eighteen-wheeler trucks full of

gear,where thestandardwas three trucks.And thereweremany,many technicalerrors.WhenIwouldwalkbackstage,ifIsawabrownM&Minthebowl,we’dline-checktheentireproduction.Guaranteedyou’regoing toarriveata technicalerror.Guaranteedyou’drun intoaproblem.”Yethowmany timeshavewe,inourhastetoreachagoal,spottedsignsoftrouble—andthenrecategorizedthemas“normal,”justtoavoidfacingthem?Whenwearetryingtomakeachange,itcanbetemptingtoignorethesubtlewarningsigns,onesthat

say:Something’swrong here. You need to slowdown, retrace your steps, and investigate.But ifwecontinuetoavoidthesesmallproblems,theywillgrowandgrowuntilwecreateamesssospectacularthatwearerequiredtostoptheassemblylineofchange,announcearecall,andproceedwiththepainfuland time-consumingprocess of undoing the now-bigmistake.Focusing on the smallmistakes nowcansaveusyearsofcostlycorrections.

KaizenTechniqueLearningtoSpotSmallProblems

Hindsight,astheysay,is20/20,andit’salwayseasiertospotacrackintheceilingafterrainhassoakedtheplaster.Butit’spossibletotrainyourselftoseesmallwarningsignsmoreclearly.Trytheseexercisestosharpenyoursmall-problemvision:

1. Recallamajormistakeyou’vemadeatsomepointinyourlife.Now,takesometimetoconsiderwhetherthereweresmallsignsalongthewayindicatingthatthingswerenotgoingaccordingtoyourplansorwishes.Whatmeasuresdidyouhavetotaketocorrecttheproblem?Didyouhaltyour“assemblyline”andstartallover?Didyouignoretheprobleminthehopesyou’dachieveyourresultontimeanyway?

2. Identify one small mistake you havemade today, without becoming angry with yourself formaking this mistake. Thissingleact,especiallyifyouperformitdaily,willraiseyourawarenessofsmallmistakes.

3. Nowaskyourselfwhetherthesmallmistakeyouidentifiedinexercise2reflectsalargerproblem,orifithasthepotentialtogathervelocity.(Ifyoumisplacedyourcarkeys,forexample,askyourselfifyouaretryingtojuggletoomanythingsatonce,oraresodistractedthatyoumighteventuallymakeamoreseriousmistake.)Bypayingattentiontothismistake,youwillreduceitsfrequency.Ifyoufeelthismistakeindicatesamoresignificantprobleminyourlife,askyourself:WhatkaizenstepcanItaketocorrectthissituation?

4. Ask yourself whether there are ways in which you irritate your family, friends, co-workers, or customers. Your newawarenessalonereducestheprobabilitythatyouwillmakethismistakeagain,butyoushouldalsoaskyourselfwhetherthismistakeispartofabiggerproblem.Ifyoucanpegtheerrortoalargerissue,you’llgiveyourselffurtherincentivetoworkonit!

WhenFailureIsn’tanOptionMostofuswouldstronglyprefernot tofail,butforsomepeopleandcorporations,failuremeansmorethan the account balances dipping into the red or dashed personal ambition. It canmean loss of life,perhapsonamassivescale.Psychologistshaveexaminedthestrategiesusedbyorganizationsthatcannotaffordevenasingleerror,andtheirfindingsareilluminatingforeachofus,nomatterhowhighorlowthestakesofourdailyendeavors.OneofthemostinterestingstudiescomesfromDr.KarlE.Weick,apsychologistattheUniversityof

Michigan’sbusinessschool.Hissubjectswereworkersinemergencyrooms,aircraftcarriers,airtrafficcontrol towers, nuclear reactor centers, and fire engine companies. He called these groups “high-reliabilityorganizations,”orHROs—meaningthattheirservicesaresovitalandprecisethattheyareallforced to find ways not to fail. One common characteristic of these well-functioning teams, said Dr.Weick, is that they “distinguish themselves by being able to detect incrediblyweakwarning signs andtakingstrong,decisiveaction.”For example, the pilots who take off and land from the decks of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers are

handpickedfortheirflintynervesandunflappablejudgment.Therearemanyhighlytechnical,automaticcontrolstohelpensuresafetripsaswell.Butwhenyou’relandingplanesatopashipinthemiddleoftheocean,oneerror,evenatinyone,couldspelldisaster.Officersandcrewaretrainednot toassumethesystemwillrunperfectlyonitsown.Instead,theylookfortheslightestsignalthatthingsaregoingawry.They listen for subtle signsof tension inpilots’voiceswhen theycircle the ship todumpexcess fuel.Theywalktheshipmanytimesadaylookingfor“foreignobjects”—anythingthatcouldbesuckedintothejet’s engine—basing their scrutiny on the assumption that anything that can gowrong,will. They alsodevoterigorousattentiontothenatureofeachlanding.Onthedeckoftheaircraftcarrier,therearefourarrestingwires thatcancatch theplane’s tailhook.Apilot strivesnot tocatch the firstor secondwire(becauseitwouldmeanthey’dlandedtoosoon)orthefourth(whichisunnervinglyclosetomissingthedeckandfalling into theocean).The thirdwire is ideal.Those landings thatcatch thefirst, second,orfourthwiresarereviewedsothatthepilotandcrewcanspotandcorrectthecausesofthedeviation.Wecanallimplementhigh-reliabilitystrategiesforourselves,bringingthiskindofmeticulousattention

tolife’sfaintwarningflares.Afewyearsago,IwasteachingaweekendcourseoncreativitywhenImetAmyandFrank.Overthecourseofthethree-daysession,Igottoknowthishusbandandwifefairlywell,andatonepointAmyvolunteeredthatshewishedFrankwouldseemefortreatmentofhisroadrage.Herhusband agreed that he yelled at other drivers too often (and since they lived in traffic-clogged LosAngeles, therewereplentyofopportunities for it)but felt that theproblemwas toosmall towarrantapsychologist’sattention.IsuggestedtoFrankthatthisseeminglyinsignificantproblemwasworthhisattention.Excellentstudies

havesuggestedthatpeoplewhorespondtolife’schallengeswithangerareseventimesmorelikelytodieprematurelyfromheartdiseasethanthosewiththesamelifestyle(includingsimilarexerciseanddietaryhabits)butdifferenttemperament.IalsopointedoutthatifFrankwassittinginhiscomfortablecar—onethathe’dequippedwithallthelatestentertainmentoptions,withthewomanofhisdreamsbesidehim—

andstillcouldnotfindawaytoenjoytheride,hemayhavetroublecreatinghappinessduringthebiggerchallengeslifewouldinevitablysendhisway.Whynotusethecarasaclassroomforlearningtocontrolhismoodsandhisfocus?Thecardiac-risk statisticswereawake-upcall forFrank. I suspected thathisnewawarenessalone

wouldputadamperonhisangryresponseswhiledriving.IalsothoughthemightbenefitfromastrategyIuseinUCLA’sprogramtoreducecardiac-riskbehaviors:Eachtimehegotbehindthewheel,Frankwastoperformonesmallfavorforanotherdriver.Now,insteadoftenselysurveyingtheroadfor“jerks”whomight cut him off, Frank’s focus was on finding an opportunity to wave another driver into his lane.(Another technique is to play soft music instead of listening to the news, so that your mind is beingrelaxedinsteadofstimulated.)Beforelong,Frankreportedthathispatienceandgoodhumorwereatanall-timehigh—andnotjustinthecar.AndhewasgratefultoAmyforspottinghis“smallproblem”earlyon.But I realize that Amy may have been unusually eagle-eyed about spotting small problems and

intuitively recognizing their significance.For thoseofuswhoaren’tworkingunder thepressureof thelife-and-deathsituationsfacedbyHROs,itcanbehardtoseethelittleirritations—letaloneappreciatetheirpotential forwreakingmajorhavoc.Letme showyou three circumstances inwhichall of us areespeciallylikelytomisslife’ssmallproblems.Thenyoucancompensateforthemwithextravigilance,justasyoucompensateforblindspotsinyourcarwithmirrorsandfrequentvisualchecks.

“Confrontthedifficultwhileitisstilleasy;accomplishthegreattaskbyaseriesofsmallacts.”

—TaoTeChing

BlindSpotNumberOne:AttheBeginningofYourPathtoChangeLaurelcame tomebecausehermarriagewas indeep trouble.Oneofherbitterestcomplaintswasherhusband’slackofempathy.Ifafriendcalledwithaproblem,hehadalmostnointerestinhisorherplight.HeresentedthetimeandenergyLaurelgavetoherownfamily.Thisoftenledtofierceargumentsaboutthetimeshespenteitherhelpingpeopleorsocializing,activitiessheconsiderednormalandappropriate.She’dnoticedhislackofempathywhentheyfirststarteddating,butshehadbeeneagerforacommittedrelationshipandassumed,mistakenly,thatthisunpleasanttraitwouldimprove.I’mnotsuggestingthatyouapplyoverlyrigidstandardstopotentialfriendsormates(recallmyclient

Grace,whorefusedtodatemenwhocouldn’tdanceorwhosejobsweren’tprestigiousenough),butit’sunwise to turn a blind eye to characteristics you find downright unlikable.More vigilancemight havehelpedLaurel andherhusbandnegotiate theirdifferencesearlyon,before theirmarriagecooked itselfintoastewofangerandresentment.Forthisreason,I’mpleasantlysurprisedwhendatingcouplescometomewithasmallproblemintheirrelationship.Oftentheyapologizeforbotheringme,butIrespondbysaying,“Hey, it’sagood sign thatyou’reclear-sightedenough tospot thesmallproblemsand thatyouvalueyourrelationshipenoughtoworkthemout.”Ofcourse,thisistruefornonrelationshipissuesaswell.Ifyoufeelpaininyourkneewhilestepping

out foryour first fitnesswalk,doyou reallywant to ignore it?By slowingdownyourpaceor cuttingdownonthedistanceyoucover(orseeingadoctorifthepainpersists),youmaypreventseriousinjury.Ifyouwanttobecomeaninteriordecoratorbutarechronicallylateforyourdesignclasses,shouldn’tyouaskyourselfwhetheryouaretrulycommittedtothiscareer?Laurel’sstoryhasahappyending.Sherealizedsheboresomeresponsibilityfortheircurrentproblem,

sinceshe’dcommittedtoherhusbanddespitehisundesirabletrait.Thisenabledhertoapproachhimwithmorekindness,patience,andevencuriosity.Herhusbandfoundthisnewframeofmindsoinvitingthathewaswillingtojoinherintherapy,wherethethreeofuscouldworkontheirtroublestogether.

BlindSpotNumberTwo:NeartheFinishLineOneofmyconsultingclients,a largehospitalchain thatwas lookingforanewchiefexecutiveofficer,illustrates thedifficulty in sensingdangerwhenagoal is inclearview. Itwasa timeofupheaval andcrisisintheorganization,andtheboardoftrusteesdecidedtohiresomeonewithadecisive,take-chargeattitude. Its members were delighted when they found a qualified, confident candidate. They were sothrilled tofind themselveswithin inchesof thefinish line that theydidnotaskmetoperformmyusualevaluation.Astheboardurgentlydebatedwhethertomakeanoffertothiscandidate,Iwasabletointrudeontheirdeliberationsonly longenoughtoaskasinglequestion:“Whatquestionsdid thecandidateaskeachofyou?”Theboardmemberscouldrecallalmostnoquestionsfromthecandidate.Instead,sheseemedalready

well-informedabout thecompanyandfocusedonsellingherselfandwhatshehad tooffer. Isuggestedthatthiswasadangeroussign,asthenewCEOwouldneedtolistentomanypeoplebeforedecidingwhattodo.Herlackofcuriositysuggestedanunwillingnesstolisten,apenchantforactionoverunderstanding,andaninclinationtodemandobedienceratherthantoinspire.Theboardmemberslistenedtomepolitely,butthepressuretoactwasintense.Theyquicklyofferedthejobtothecandidate,andsheaccepted.In thenext sixmonths, thenewCEOdiduntoldharm.Shealienatedahighlymotivatedand talented

staffwhofeltignoredbyheredicts.Sheissueddemandsthatdemonstratedalackofunderstandingaboutheremployees.Forexample,shewantedweeklyreportsofhowpeoplewerespendingtheirtime,addingwhatthestaffperceivedasextrabusyworkontopoftheirregularreportingforms.Inamoredisturbingmove,shecutbackonthenumberofnursingassistants,despiteprotestsfromherstaff.Afewweekslater,a patient diedwhose deathmight have been prevented by adequate staffing.The resulting lawsuit andsettlementwouldhavepaidthefirednursingassistants’salariesmanytimesover.TheCEO’sfailuretolistenandtothinkthroughissues—afailurethatmighthavebeenpredicted,based

onthesmallproblemexhibitedduringherinterview—turnedouttobealiterallyfatalmistake.Howeverinconvenientitwouldhavebeentocontinueitssearchafterhavingcomesofarintheinterviewprocesswith apromising candidate, theboardwouldhavebeenbetter off admitting to itself that shewouldn’tworkoutandstartingfromsquareone.

KaizenTip

Thesewarningsignsfrequentlypopup.Don’tignoreanyofthem!

Disturbing traits in a new dating partner, such as rudeness to waiters or drinking a little toomuch. Every time I seesomeoneattheendofarelationship,Iask,“Didyouhaveearlywarningsignsofaproblem—perhapsbadtemper,indifference,orsubstanceabuse?”Almost every time, thesepeople admit that, yes, theyhad seenevidenceof this flawby the thirdor fourthdate.Ofcourse,it’snotwisetorejectanyonewhohasthetiniestflaw(otherwise,we’dallbelonely),butyoucanaskyourself:Isthispersonawareof theproblem?Willheorshe takeresponsibility for itandwork tocorrect it?Does this small flawpointtobiggerissuesthatweneedtodiscuss?Less-than-stellar skills in a job applicant.When you interview an applicant who doesn’t quite meet your performancestandardsbutwhomyou’retemptedtohireoutofadesperateneedforanywarmbodytofilltheslot,slowdownandreconsider.

Ifyoudon’thaveasurplusofotherapplicantsfromwhichtochoose,andifthecandidateisotherwisewellqualified,developafullersenseofhisorherabilitiesbyundergoingthreeorfourmoreinterviews.Besuretobringuptheshortcomingandnotehowthecandidateresponds.TheHarvardBusinessReviewhasreportedthatit’smuchmoreefficienttoleaveapositionemptythantofillitwiththewrongperson.Angryorcriticalself-talk.BythisImeantheinternalvoicesthatsay,Whydon’tyoujustgiveup?You’renevergoingtobesmarter or richer or thinner, as discussed in the chapter “Ask Small Questions.” It’s a myth that this kind of harsh self-treatmentwillgoadusintobetterperformance.Inreality, itstimulates thefight-or-flightresponse(discussedat thebeginningofthisbook)andstopsprogress in its tracks.Youcanquiet thesevoicesbybringingyourawareness to them—andby taking thesmallstepsofkaizen,whicharedesignedtocalmthestressassociatedwithchange.Small, persistent signs of pain when exercising. It’s perfectly normal to experience muscle fatigue and soreness during aworkout andafterward,because thebodybuildsmusclesby tearing themdown. (Ifyoubegin anexerciseprogramwith smallkaizenactions,youprobablywon’tgetmuchoranysorenessatfirst.)Butifyouexperiencepaininyourjointsorifyourbreathingbecomes very labored, it’s time to cut back andmaybe take a few days off. By pushing through the pain, youmay create aseriousinjurythatderailsyourfitnessplan.Ifthepainpersists,orifyoueverfeelchestpainwhileworkingout,seeadoctor.Anyresistancetothesmallstepyouhavechosen.Thechallengeistomakethestepsosmallthatitiseffortless.Ifyourinnervoiceisharshandangryatyoufornotmakingthechangesooner,itwilldemandabiggerstepthanmaybepractical.Remember,youarecountingontherepetitionofthesmallstepto“program”thebrainforthelifechangesyouwishtomake.Evensmallsignsthatyouareresistingthesmallstep—thatyouarehavingtopushyourselftodothestep—areanindicationthatthestepistoobig,invitingtheamygdalaandtheharshvoicetoawakenandinterfere.

BlindSpotNumberThree:AnOverwhelmingCrisisSometimes it’s hard to spot small problems because, paradoxically, the damage they inflict can be sogreatthatweassumethesourceofsuchhorrormustlieindeeplycomplicatedtroubles.Thisistrueformarriages,careers,addictions,corporations,andevenforworldwidehealthdisasters.ManyAmericansareunawarethatdiarrheakillsamillionchildrenaroundtheworldeachyear.Toput

this number into perspective, that’s the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of children crashing every fourhours.Globalhealth-careexpertsandgovernmentalorganizationshaveattemptedtoreduceitsoccurrencethrough large-scale,costlysolutions, suchasdelivering improvedplumbingsystems to thebeleagueredareas or introducing oral rehydration therapy to themedical facilities that serve these children. Theseeffortsarelaudableanduseful,buttheydemonstrateablindnesstooneverysmallproblemthatleadstodiarrhea:dirtyhands.Inthecountrieswherefatalchildhooddiarrheaismostprevalent,soapisusuallypresent in thehouse,butonly15 to20percentofpeopleuse it beforehandling foodorbabies.Whenpeoplekeeptheirhandsclean,diarrheacasescanbereducedbymorethan40percent.Itiseasiertoteacha person to prevent diarrhea bywashing his or her hands than it is to install new plumbing across acontinentortosupplyatherapyafterthediseasehastakenhold.A happier example can be found inNewYorkCity’s approach to crime. In the 1980s, therewas a

yearlyaverageoftwothousandmurdersandsixhundredthousandfelonies.Inthesubwaysystemalone,riders and workers fell victim to fifteen thousand felonies per year. Frustrated politicians and policeofficialstriedagainandagaintoreducemajorcrimewithboldsteps,raisingthenumberofcopsonthebeat,increasingbudgets,andsoon.Theyassumedthatsincecrimehadattainedsuchoutsizeddimensions,only the splashiest, most costly techniques could deflate the statistics. But, despite great expense andeffort,crimecontinuedtorise.Enter William Bratton, who was hired in 1990 to reduce New York’s subway crime. Bratton’s

philosophywasinfluencedbyalecturehe’dattendedonthe“brokenwindows”theory,firstpostulatedin1982bytwocriminologists,JamesQ.WilsonandGeorgeL.Kelling.Thebrokenwindowstheoryheldthat ifacity—oraneighborhoodora street—toleratedminor infractionsof the law, itwaspracticallyinviting more serious offenses.Wilson and Kelling observed that when kids threw rocks at a vacantbuildingandbrokeonewindowpane,andthatwindowpanewasnotfixed,theremainingwindowsweresoonbrokenaswell.Butiftheinitialbrokenwindowwasrepairedquickly,vandalsstayedawayandtherestof thewindowsremainedintact.Thisscenariowasemblematic,WilsonandKellingbelieved,ofalargertruthaboutcrimes:Peoplearemorewillingtobreakthelawinneighborhoodswheresmallcrimesgo unnoticed or unpunished. If no one in the neighborhood is able to handle a drunkwho is loud anddisorderly,willanyof thecitizensevenattempt to interferewithamuggingorcall thepoliceduringarobbery?WhenBrattonarrivedinNewYorkin1990,hebroughtthiskaizenlikephilosophywithhim.Resisting

whatmusthavebeenextraordinarypressuretoapplyradical,showysolutionstotheproblemofsubwaycrime—aproblemthatplaguedmillionsofresponsiblecitizensastheyrodetoandfromworkeachday—Brattonisolatedsmallproblemsinstead.Hedecidedtofocusonthepettycrimesthaterodedthequalityof

life for transit passengers but did not put them in physical danger. These crimes included urinating inpublic, vagrancy, and turnstile jumping. Imagine Bratton’s bravery in telling cynical and angry NewYorkersthathewasgoingtofocusonturnstilejumpinginsteadofhomicides.Butheheldtohisplan.Insteadofstagingmassivebutinfrequentroundupsofcriminals,Brattonhadhisofficersarrestturnstile

jumpersdayinanddayoutandkeepfifteenortwentyofthematatimehandcuffedinthesubwaystation—whereotherpassengers,nottelevisioncrews,couldseethem.Thishadadramaticeffectnotjustonsmallcrimesbutonmajorfeloniesaswell.Whenpoliceranbackgroundchecksontheturnstilejumpers,theyoftenfoundcriminalswantedforviolentoffenses.Anditalsobecameclearthatwould-bemuggerswereinhibitedbythecrackdown.Apparently,theyweren’twillingtopayfortheprivilegeofridingthesubwayandrobbingpeople.OneofBratton’sdistrict captains,MilesAnsboro, foundhimself solvinganother small problem.He

wantedpassengers tonoticehisofficers’presence and to feel safer, butnoone even lookedupashisuniformedofficerswalkedby.Soheaskedhimselfasmallkaizenquestion:Whatmakespeoplelookupon a subway car? His answerwas: the loudspeaker. Every time a train came into the station, one ofAnsboro’ssergeantshandedacardtotheconductortoreadoverthepublicannouncementsystem:“Yourattentionplease.TheTransitPoliceareconductingasweepofthetrain.Theremaybeamomentarydelaywhile they go through the train to correct all conditions. Thank you for your patience.” The officersgreetedthepassengers,escortedtherowdyandthedrunkenoffthecars,andsettleddownanykidswhowere misbehaving. Small problems, small questions, small actions—and to the city’s collectiveastonishment, therateofmajorcrimeinthesubwaysystemdroppedby50percent in just twenty-sevenmonths. Bratton was promoted to Chief of Police for the City of New York, and in that position heproducedthesameextraordinaryresultsaboveground.(IwillalsonotethatkaizenwasnottheonlystrategyatBratton’scommand.Heprovedhimselfcapable

of radical change as well, dismissing more than 75 percent of the city’s precinct commanders andbeginningasophisticatedcomputeroperationtotargethigh-crimeareas.Thesmallstepsofkaizenandthegiant leaps of innovation are notmutually exclusive; used together, they become a formidableweaponagainst even the most profound, complex, and apparently unsolvable problems. When people are upagainstathornyproblemthey’vebeenunabletoresolve,Igenerallyadvisethemtofocusonkaizenfirst.Oncetheyunderstandsmallsteps,theyfindthatthey’vedevelopedanintuitivesenseforwheninnovationisappropriateandhowtomixthetwo.)Whenwe facepersonal crises, thekaizen strategyof solving small problemsoffers consolation and

practicalassistance.Ifweareinvolvedinalawsuit,orfallill,orfindthattheeconomictidesareleavingourbusinesshighanddry,orourpartnerisfallingoutoflovewithus,wecannotfixourcircumstanceswithonequick,decisivemomentofinnovation.Duringthesecrises,theonlyconcretestepsavailablearesmallones.Whenourlivesareingreatdistress,evenwhilewearefeelingoutofcontrolorinemotionalpain,wecantrytolocatethesmallerproblemswithinthelargerdisaster,andperhapsapplyanyorallofthekaizentechniquestomoveusslowlyinthedirectionofasolution.Butifweareblindtothesmall,manageableproblems,wearemorelikelytoslipintodespair.I encountered this despair face-to-facewhen Imet Becky, a fifty-five-year-oldwomanwho’d been

planninganearlyretirementfromhercorporatejob.She’dhopedtofulfillalifelongdreamtobecomeanartist.AsIcametoknowBecky,sheshowedmeherpaintingsandsculptures.Shewasindeedgifted.

ButwhenBeckyhadrecentlygoneinforaroutinephysical,herdoctordiscoveredalumpinherthroat.Thediagnosis:Beckyhadcancer.Shewasfrightenedandangry.Bythetimeshewasreferredtome,shehadcutoffallcommunicationwithfamilyandfriendsandwascompletelyoverwhelmedbythedemandsof thedoctors, thedisease,and the routinesofherdaily life.Theoncologisthad laidouther treatmentoptions,butmakinganinformedchoiceseemedlikejustanotherburden.Beckywasreluctanttoseeme,saying:“Ijustcan’tdealwithanymoredoctors’appointments.”Shegrudginglyagreedtoletmehelp—butonlyifitwouldtakejustafewminutesaday.IaskedBeckytotellmehergoalforthisperiodofherlife.Weagreedthatherprimarygoalwastobe

ridofthecancer,butsinceneitherofusfeltwecouldcontrolthediseaseprocess,Iaskedhertolisttwomore.Shesaid,“IwanttomakethebestofeachdaythatIhave,andIwanttogetmorechoresdone.”By“chores,” she specified doing all the paperwork for her HMO, keeping up with her office job, andmaintainingherhouseasbestshecould.Herewasaseriesofchallengesthatweresmallrelativetothecancer,buttheymadeatoughtimeevenworse.IknewthatBeckyneededhelpwithherchores.Shehadtoomuchonherplateforevenahealthyperson

tohandle.Beckywasexcellentatgivinghelptoothersbutfearfulofreceivingit,andthemoresheneededhelp,theharderitwastoaskfor.SowetooksomesmallstepstowardhelpingBeckywelcomefriendsback intoher life.Eachmorning,Beckywrote a list of chores.Sheput a star next to each chorewithwhichshe’dliketohaveassistanceanddescribedthespecifichelpshe’dlike.This daily listing of the chores kept Becky from sinking into denial and confusion, and thewishful

thinkingabouttheidealassistancekeptherfocusedonaskingforhelpinasafemanner.Inourfollowingsessions,Ididnotencourageorsuggestthatsheactuallyaskfriendstohelpher,butIdidcomplimentheras the list gotmore andmore creative.The list at firstwasbrief,with items such as “Iwish a friendwould justsay, ‘Youaresobrave’”or“Iwishafriendwoulddomylaundry.”Withinaweek, the listbecamemoredetailedandemotional.“IwishafriendwouldsitwithmewhileIdealonthephonewiththeHMOorfillouttheirpaperwork,”shewrote.“IwishafriendwouldgototheWellnessCommunity[alocalsupportgroupforpeoplecopingwithcancer]andfindoutwhatitislike.IwishafriendwouldholdmewhenIamcrying.”Onherown,Beckyslowlybegantoreconnectwithherparentsandherclosestfriends,andtheseedsof

thewishlistborefruit.Evenwhenhertreatmentssappedherenergy,shegrewcalmerandmoreincontrolofherday-to-daylife.IsawBeckyafewmonthsago,whenthetreatmentswerelongoverandthecancerhadbeeninremissionforseveralyears.Wetalkedaboutherhealthforawhile,andthenshestoppedme.“Thanksforthegiftofkaizen,”shewhispered.

CHAPTERSIX

BestowSmallRewardsWhetheryouwishtotrainyourselforotherstoinstillbetterhabits,smallrewardsaretheperfectencouragement.Notonlyaretheyinexpensiveandconvenient,buttheyalsostimulatetheinternal

motivationrequiredforlastingchange.

Smallrewardsarenotonlysufficientasanincentivetogetajob—especiallyadreadedtask—done,buttheyareoptimal.This is truewhether thereward isusedaspartofacorporation-wide initiativeor inyourpersonallife.Let’s lookat thatmuch-malignedcorporate tool, theemployeesuggestionbox. In thebestofworlds,

suggestion programs functionmuch like TaiichiOhno’s pull cord on the automobile assembly line, asdiscussed in thepreviouschapter:Theyencourageemployees to look forand reportproblems that arevisiblefromtheground.InJapan,employeesuggestionprogramsareawildlypopularkaizentechnique,with nearly three-quarters of employees responding. Yet in the U.S., these suggestion programs—sometimesconsistingofaliteralboxonthewall,sometimesamoreformalaffair—haveadismalrateofparticipation,usuallyachievingnobetterthan25percentinthebestofsituations.InJapan,90percentofemployees’ideasareadopted,butAmericancompaniesimplementonly38percent.Whythedifference?

IntrinsicMotivationThemain distinction betweenAmerican and Japanese suggestion programs is the size of the rewardsgiven to participating employees. In the U.S., employees are usually given large cash rewards inproportion to the money their suggestion saves the company. This is a well-intentioned, evencommonsensicalapproach,butitfailsnearlyeverytime.Itencouragesemployeestofocusonlyonideasthatarebigandgrandenoughtoproducelargefinancialrewards.Inreality,fewofusareabletocomeupwithboldideas,andevenfewercanproducesuggestionsthatactuallywork.Underthissystem,smallerideasthatmaybemorepracticaloruseful—butthatdon’tyieldinstantfinancialpayoffs—areneglected.But in Japan, the value of the average reward is $3.88 (as opposed to the American average of

$458.00). For the best suggestion of the year, Toyota gives a reward called the Presidential Award,bestowedupontherecipientataformalceremony.Thiscovetedrewardisn’tafancywatch,anewcar,orashoppingspree.It’safountainpen.Andit’ssuchaneffectiverewardthatToyotachairmanEijiToyodaboasts,“Ourworkersprovide1.5millionsuggestionsayearand95percentofthemareputtopracticaluse.”Rewards as a valuable psychological tool are nothing new. They’ve been a part of the academic

vocabularysince themid–twentiethcentury,whenbehavioralpsychologistB.F.Skinnerarticulatedhisphilosophy of “positive reinforcement,” away to shape behavior via reward systems.What’s unusualaboutthekaizenapproachtorewardsistheirsize.Japaneseexecutiveslovesmallrewardsnotbecausethey’restingy(althoughkaizendoesencourageus

to value cost savings), but because they utilize a basic tenet of human nature: The larger the externalrewards, thegreater the riskof inhibitingor stunting thenativedrive for excellence.Big, fancyprizesremove what Dr. W. Edwards Deming, one of kaizen’s most passionate advocates, called “intrinsicmotivation.”Dr.Demingunderstoodthatmostpeoplewant tobeproudof theirworkandwant toofferusefulcontributions.Butbigcashprizesinthecorporateworldcansendthemessagethatanemployeeisa cog in the machine who must be whipped into a frenzy by the possibility of personal gain. Largerewards can become the goal in and of themselves, usurping an employee’s natural desire to findstimulation and creativity in the work alone.Moreover, once the large reward is in hand, a person’smotivationtocontinuethenewanddesirablebehaviortendstofadeordisappear.Butsmallrewardsencourageinternalmotivationbecausetheyarereallyaformofrecognitionrather

thanmaterial gain, signaling that the corporation or boss appreciates the employee’s internal desire toimproveandcontribute.SouthwestAirlinescannilybestowsthisrespectbyrewardinggoodperformancewith a five-dollar foodvoucher.Their employees rewardone anotherwithwritten “LoveReports.” Iftheseincentivesremindyouofgrubbycandyheldouttochildren,tryaskingyourco-workersorfriends:“Whatmakesyoufeelappreciated?”Theresultinglistisusuallystuddedwithfreeorlow-costitemssuchashearing thebosssay“thankyou,” receivingacompliment fromasuperior,orhavingsomeonebringthemacupofcoffeewhenthey’reworkinglate.Inprivate life,small rewardsshowgratitudewhilepreserving thenaturalsenseofpleasure ina job

welldone.Iftheyareemployedinafriendshipormarriage,theycanbeusedwithasenseofhumor,so

that both the rewarder and the rewardeemaintain equal footing.Sincemanyof us suffer from jammedschedules and financial strain, it’s a kind of reward itself to know that someone took the time to saythanks.Iknewonecoupleinwhichthehusbandwasathighriskforheartdisease.Hiswifehadattendedhis

checkupandheardthedoctorpleadwithhimtocutdownonfoodslikefrenchfries.Thewifeknewthatthiswouldbedifficult forherhusband, so sheaskedhim ifhe’d likeherhelp.She’dbeenexposed tokaizenduringoneofmytalks,andshewaswiseenoughtorealizethatareallybigenticement,likeanewwatch,wouldleadtoapowerstruggle.She’dhavetherighttobestowthereward—andhewouldhavetowork to earn it. That’s not a great dynamic in a marriage. And once the watch was purchased, shewondered,wouldhehaveanyincentivetocontinuehisgoodhabits?Instead, the wife thought about what small reward would suit her husband. She knew that he was

pressedforleisuretime;theyhadtwosmallchildrentofeedandbatheandputtobedintheevenings,andheoftenbroughtworkhometoboot.Hangingaround,justenjoyinghimself,wasnotpartoftheeveningplan.Sosheinvitedhimto thinkofsomeactivityhe’dlike todobut thathefeltwas tooindulgent.Hedecided that he’d like towatch a little television.And so every time hewentwithout french fries orsimilar foods at dinner, he earned fifteenminuteswith his feet up,watchingwhateverTVprogramheliked. They laughed about their funny little system, but it stuck, and he was able to improve his dietsignificantly.

MANYTHANKS,MATE!What’sthemostcommonreasonpeopleleavetheU.S.Navy?It’snotthenotoriouslylowpayorthelongmonthsatsea.Whensailorsdecide to reenterprivate life, theirbiggest complaint, according to a study reportedbyCaptainD.MichaelAbrashoff inhisbook It’sYourShip, isfeelingunderappreciatedatwork.Tokeeptheirranksfull,manytopnavalofficersarenowconsciouslybestowingsmallrewardsintheformofcomplimentsandpublicrecognition.

“Noactofkindness,nomatterhowsmall,iseverwasted.”

—Aesop,“TheLionandtheMouse”

SmallRewards:WhereDoTheyFitintoYourPlan?The couple above used small rewards as the principal kaizen element in their plan for change, eventhough the husband preferred to make the change—giving up fat-filled foods—all at once, instead ofbreakingtheprocessdownintosmallkaizenactions(forexample,removingonefryfromhisplatebeforeeating).That’sperfectlyfine.Forthishusband-and-wifeteam,onesmallrewardwasenough.Infact,smallrewardshaveanespeciallyusefulplacewhenincrementalstepsjustaren’tpossible.This

isoftentruewhen,say,apregnantwomanmustgiveupsmokingorwhenabossdemandsinstantaneousresultsatwork. I love sharing theexampleofKarenPryor,whowasa trainerofwhalesanddolphinsbeforesheturnedherskillstolandmammalsinherbookDon’tShoottheDog.Atonepoint inPryor’slife,shewasworkingalldayandattendinggraduateschoolatnight.Afteralongdayatwork,shefoundithard tomotivate herself to spend an hour on the subway, three hours in class, and a long hour on thesubway home.But even if she’dwanted to try very small kaizen actions—justwalking to the subwaystation and then going home, or just standing on the platform every evening for aweek or two—theysimplyweren’tpractical.Bythetimeshegrewcomfortablewithherschedule, thesemestermightwellhavebeenover.Instead, Pryor broke her journey down into a series of distinct segments—walking to the subway

station, changing trains, taking the stairs to her classroom. Each time she completed a segment, sheallowedherselfasquareofchocolate.Inthiswayshewastrainingherselftoassociateeachsegmentofthe journeywithpleasure. “Ina fewweeks,” she says, “Iwasable toget all theway toclasswithouteitherthechocolateortheinternalstruggle.”But you can also use small rewards as part of a more complete kaizen program. While giving a

presentationat theCanyonRanch spa inArizona, Imet abusinessmannamedJackStupp.Overa longcareer, Jackhad instinctively—and shrewdly—usedkaizen tobuilduphismultimillion-dollar catalog-sales business step by step.But at age fifty-four, he’d developed severe rheumatoid arthritis andwashospitalizedwithmorethantwentyswollenjoints.Everymomentwasmisery.Confinedtoawheelchairandtakingmultiplepainkillers,Jackwasadvisedundernocircumstancestoconsiderexercising.AsJacktoldmehisstoryatCanyonRanch,Igrewcurious.Heshowednoobviouslimitationsfromhisrheumatoidarthritis;hewasclearlymobileandexercisedeveryday.Howhadheovercomehisdisorder?Heattributedhissuccesstosmallstepsandsmallrewards.Eachmorning,whenheawokeinpain,he’d

tellhimselfthatallhehadtodowasjustgetoutofbed.Whenhewasstandingupright,Jackwouldgivehimselfamentalpatontheback:“Attaboy,Jack!”he’dsay.Thiscompliment,shortbutsincere,washisreward.Thenhe’dsaytohimself:IfIcanjustwalkdownthestreettothegym,I’llenjoyachatwiththestaffthere.Onceonthetreadmill,Jackstartedbywalkingforjusttwominutes,rewardinghimselfwithpraise and encouragement.Minute byminute, and small rewardby small reward, Jack slowlyworkedhimselfintophysicalfitness.BythetimeImethim,hewasinhisseventiesandhadwontheMr.Worldbodybuildingcontestforhisagedivision!Thereareplentyofterrificwaystoincorporaterewardsintoakaizenplan.Oneclientofmineliststhe

choresshedoesnotwanttodo;ifshecompletesthesechores,sherewardsherselfattheendofthedayby

gettinginthehottubfortenminutes.Otherpeoplewhoaretryingtochangeabehavior,suchaslightingupacigarafterdinner,willgetafive-minutebackorfootmassagefromtheirpartnerinstead.Thisnotonlyrewardsthemfornotsmoking;italsohelpstaketheirmindsoffthecigarduringthatvulnerabletime.

KaizenTechniqueThePerfectReward

Thinkhardbeforedecidingonasmallreward.Youwanttherewardtohavethesethreequalities:

Therewardshouldbeappropriatetothegoal.ForKarenPryor,chocolatewasaperfectencouragementtogettoclass—asmall, harmless indulgence. But for the man told by his doctor to cut back on unhealthful foods, chocolate would becounterproductive.

Therewardshouldbeappropriatetotheperson.Ifyou’retryingtoencourageanotherpersontoachieveagoal,rememberthat one person’s reward is another person’s annoyance. For some people, it’s a great boost to receive a complimentevery time they takeapositive step toward theirgoal.Others think that frequentcomplimentsarecondescending.Forcertain clients, especially thosewho are hesitant to contactme outside of our scheduled visits, I use phone calls as areward: Every time they achieve a small success, they call me so that I can congratulate them. Needless to say, thisrewardwouldbemeaninglessforthoseclientswhofeelentitledtocalltheirtherapistsanytimeofthedayornight!

Finding an appropriate reward for another person can be challenging, so youmightwant to try thistechnique:Ifthepersoninquestionisafriendorpartner,ask,“Howdoyouknowyouareloved?”Askhimorhertocomeupwithfourorfiveanswersifpossible.Sincemostpeoplearenotusedtoansweringthis kind of question, allow a few days for mulling it over. At work, you could ask a colleague oremployeeanalternativequestion:“Howdoyouknowyouareappreciated?”Again,givethepersonafewdaysandaskforseveralresponses.Theanswersareoftensmallandinvariablyilluminating.

The reward should be free or inexpensive. You may need to look no farther than your living room. People with all-consumingfamilylivesoftenfindthattenminutesadaywithabookornewspaperisatreat.I’veknownseveralstay-at-homemomswhowouldliketorelaxinfrontofalittledaytimetelevisionbutfeelcompelledtoperformchoresinstead.Iflosingweightisoneoftheirgoals,IusuallysuggesttheygrantthemselvespermissiontowatchTV—aslongastheyareexercisinginsomewaywhileit’son.

Ifyoutendtobeyourownworstcritic,youmighttryanhonestself-complimentasyourreward.Othergood ideas include taking soaks in the tub, taking short walks, playing your favorite piece of music,makingaphonecall to a friend,gettinga shoulderor footmassage fromyourpartner, or takinga fewmomentstodrinkyourmorningcoffeeintheluxuryofbed.

“Mostofusmissoutonlife’sbigprizes.ThePulitzer.TheNobel.Oscars.Tonys.Emmys.Butwe’realleligibleforlife’ssmallpleasures.Apatontheback.Akissbehindtheear.Afour-poundbass.Afullmoon.Anemptyparkingspace.Acracklingfire.Agreatmeal.Aglorioussunset.Hotsoup.Coldbeer.Don’tfretaboutcoppinglife’sgrandrewards.Enjoyitstinydelights.Thereareplentyforallofus.”

—fromanadvertisementforUnitedTechnologiesCorporation

CHAPTERSEVEN

IdentifySmallMomentsThekaizenapproachtoliferequiresaslowerpaceandanappreciationofsmallmoments.This

pleasanttechniquecanleadtocreativebreakthroughsandstrengthenedrelationships,andgiveyouadailyboosttowardexcellence.

One example of kaizen that struck me powerfully is illustrated in the bookPlagues and Peoples byWilliamMcNeill.McNeillmakesadramatic case thatplagueshavedonemore to shape thecourseofhumanhistorythananyothersinglefactor,eventhoughtheyhavebeenvirtuallyignoredinhistorylessons.Butmoretothepoint,buriedinthebookareafewshortparagraphsabouthowtheplagueswerecured.Ihadthought,asperhapsyoudo,thatthewaytocureadiseaseistofocusonthepeoplewhohavethe

disease,subjectthemtowhatevertechnologywehaveorcaninvent,andeventuallystumbleontoacure.Therealityisthatmanyoftheplagueswerecuredbyaverydifferentprocess.Smallpox,forexample,oneof thegreatest killers of all time,was curedby aBritishphysician,Edward Jenner.Henoticed that agroupofwomen—milkmaidsall—didnotgetsmallpox.Atfirst,noonepaidhimanyattention—theyhadknownofthiscoincidenceforyears.Theyhadbiggerthingstoworryabout.ButJenner’sappreciationofthiscommonplacefactledhimtoarevolutionarydiscovery.Hebrilliantlysurmisedthatthesemilkmaidshadearlierbeensickfromcowpox(anoccupationalhazard),andthattheirexposuregavethemwhatwewouldnowcallanimmunitytosmallpox,whichisverysimilartocowpox.Thistheoryledhimtoperfectthetechniqueofvaccination.Otherdiseases,includingcholeraandmalaria,werecuredthesameway—thatis,bylookingatwhodidn’tgetthediseaseandtryingtofigureoutwhy.Jenner’sstorychallengesthepopularbeliefthatchangeandprogressspringfrominstantaneousflashes

of insight.A philosopher, scientist, or artist sits alone in his garret, agonizing, until—Eureka!—divineinspiration strikes.Butmany greatmoments of progress come out of aworkaday attention to the littlethings.I’mtalkingaboutmomentsthatmayseemordinaryoreventiresome,butactuallyholdtheseedsofimportantchange.Payingattentiontosmallmomentsmaysoundeasy,butittakesrespect,imagination,andcuriosity. Here are just a few examples of how small moments have engendered excellence—evenrevolution—inbusiness:

AnAmericanAirlinesflightattendanttookthetimetonoticethatmanyofherpassengersdidnoteattheolivesintheirsalads.Shethoughtthisobservationmightbeusefulandpassedthisobservationupthechainofcommand.Itwaseventuallydiscoveredthattheairlinewaschargedbyitsfoodsupplierforsaladsbasedonthenumberofitemstheycontained.Thecostforasaladwithonetofouritemswasless thanasaladwithfive toeight items.Andtheuneatenolives, it turnedout,were thefifthitemintheAmericanAirlinessalad.Whentheairlinedroppedtheolivesandswitchedtoafour-itemsalad,itsavedfivehundredthousanddollarsayear.Thepresidentof3Moncenoticedaletterfromacustomeraskingforsamplesofthe“mineralgrit”thecompanyused in its sandpaper.Thepresident,WilliamMcKnight,wascuriousabout thisoddrequestandcontactedthecustomertofindoutmore.Theresultinginformationandcollaborationled

towaterproofsandpaperandotherproductsthathelpedmake3Maworld-classorganization.In1892,thepresidentofAmericanExpress,J.C.Fargo,wastravelinginEuropecarryingaletterofcreditsothathecouldobtainadditionalcashshouldheneedit.Atthat time,suchlettersweretheonlywaytoobtaincashwhiletraveling,buttheireffectivenesswaslimited.Fargolaterexplained:“ThemomentIgotoffthebeatenpath,theywerenomoreusefulthansomuchwetwrappingpaper.IfthepresidentofAmericanExpresshadthatsortof trouble, just thinkwhatordinarytravelersface.Somethinghasgottobedoneaboutit.”Whathecreatedoutofhisattentiontoaninconveniencewasthetraveler’scheck—theprecursortothenow-universalcreditcard.ASwissengineernamedGeorgedeMestralwasoutwalkinghisdogwhenhenoticedburrsstickingto the dog’s fur and to his own clothes.DeMestral allowed the tenacious little burrs to intrigueratherthanmerelyirritatehim;hisattentiontothiseverydaymomentledhimtoinventVelcro.DaveGold, the owner of a liquor store, paid extra attention to an effect alreadywell known toretailers:“WheneverI’dputa99centssignonanything,itwasgoneinnotime.Irealizeditwasamagicnumber.Ithought,wouldn’titbefuntohaveastorewhereeverythingwasgoodqualityandeverythingwas99cents?”Goldwentontocreatethe99¢OnlyStoreschain,whichnownumbers332stores.While on vacation with his family, inventor Edwin Land took a picture of his three-year-olddaughter.Sheexpectedtoseethepicturerightthenandthere.Insteadofbrushingoffherimpatienceas childish and unrealistic, Land saw a possibility. Five years later, the first instant camerawasinvented.

What’skeepingyou fromseeingcreativepossibility inolives,mineralgrit,andachild’scomplaint?Even ifyou’renot interested inusingkaizen tostartamultimillion-dollarbusiness,smallmomentscanhelpyousee throughamentalblock.TakeGeorge,apoliceofficerwhohatedhis jobbut justcouldn’tthinkof amore suitable career. I askedhim to findonemoment eachdaywhenhe enjoyedhis policework.Ashewrotedownthesesmallmoments,henoticedapattern.Hefeltmostsatisfiedwhenhetalkedtoprisonersinthesquadcar,askingthemabouttheirproblemsandgivingthemadvice.Heevenlovedtogobacktothejailaftertheprisonerwasbooked—justtocontinuetheconversation!Itdidn’ttakelongforGeorgetoseewhathadbeenrightunderhisnoseforsolong:Hewantedtobecomeacounselor.Georgeisnowtakingpsychologycoursesatnight.Andhispoliceworkismoreinterestingnowthatheseeshe’sgatheringexperiencetowardhisnewcareer.Whenyou’reimplementingaplanforchangebutfindyourselfbored,restless,andstuck,lookaround

forhiddenmomentsofdelight.Peoplewhoaremostsuccessfulatimprovingtheirhealthhabitsarethosewhocantransformexerciseoreatingwellintoasourceofexcitementandpride.Myclientshavetaughtmethatthisholdstrueforothergoalsaswell.Sodon’tassumethathappinesswillarrivewithyoursize6jeans(oryournewlyrobustmarriage,oryourorganizedcloset).Instead,focusonthemomentsofchangethatbringyoupleasure. Iknowit sounds tough,butmostpeopleareable tocomeupwithat leastonemoment they’veenjoyed.“Well,onmywalk todayI remembered justhowprettymyneighborhood is,”peoplewillsay.Or“Iwaseatinganappletodayandrememberedworkingintheorchardformyuncle.Ihadsomuchfunthatsummer!”

“Thetruecreatormayberecognizedbyhisabilitytoalwaysfindabouthim,inthecommonest

andhumblestthing,itemsworthyofnote.”

—IgorStravinsky

KaizenTechniqueCultivatingAwarenessofSmallMoments

It takescuriosityandanopenmindtoseethepromiseofsmallmoments.Bycultivatingthesequalities,you’llimproveyourchancesofrecognizingcreativepotential—wheneverithappenstospringupinyourpath.Here’saseriesofstepstohelpyourmindstayopen,playful,andalert tosmallmoments,eveninemotionallychargedsituations.

1. Lookforapersonwhohastheoppositeopinionfromyouonhot-buttonsocialpolicyissues,suchasabortion,guncontrol,orschoolvouchers.Itishelpfulifthispersonisastranger—say,someonesittingnexttoyouonanairplane—ratherthanaclosefriendorfamilymember.

2. Engage this person in a conversation in which all you do is ask questions with only one agenda: to discover andunderstandthereasonsforhisorherpointofview.

3. Trynottoargue,persuade,orsoundjudgmental.

4. Youwill knowyouare succeedingwhenyou feel thepersonbecomingmoreandmore relaxedand chatty ashe or sheperceivesyourinterestandrespect.

Relationships:ASeriesofSmallMomentsKaizen forms the foundation of strong relationships.Moment bymoment, we discover each other andbuildtrust.WhenhewasaprofessorofpsychologyattheUniversityofWashington,Dr.JohnGottmanconducteda

study in which volunteer couples each moved into a special condominium that was a laboratory forobservingtheirbehavior.The“natural”interactionsofthesecoupleswereobservedastheywentthroughtheirdailyroutines;thesubjectswerealsoperiodicallyhookeduptomonitorstorecordanybiologicalchangesastheydiscussedareasofconflictorothermatters.Thisisanunorthodoxsetupforascientificstudy, to be sure, but what makes us take Gottman seriously are his remarkable results. With thesemeasures,hehasbeenabletopredict—with93percentaccuracy—whetheracouplewouldbehappilymarried,ormiserable,orevendivorcedwithinfouryears.Oneofthestudy’smajorfindingswasthatinthesuccessfulrelationships,positiveattentionoutweighed

negativeonadailybasisbyafactoroffivetoone.Thispositiveattentionwasn’taboutdramaticactionslike throwing over-the-top birthday parties or purchasing a dream home. It took the form of smallgestures,suchas:

using a pleased tone of voice when receiving a phone call from the partner, as opposed to anexasperatedtoneorarushedpacethatimpliedthepartner’scallwasinterruptingimportanttasksinquiringaboutdentistappointmentsorotherdetailsoftheotherperson’sdayputtingdowntheremotecontrol,newspaper,ortelephonewhentheotherpartnerwalkedthroughthedoorarrivinghomeatthepromisedtime—oratleastcallingiftherewasadelay

Thesesmallmomentsturnedouttobemorepredictiveofaloving,trustingrelationshipthanwerethemore innovative steps of romantic vacations and expensive presents. Possibly, that’s because smallmomentsprovideconsistenttendingandnurturing.

“Tobereallygreatinlittlethings,tobetrulynobleandheroicintheinsipiddetailsofeverydaylife,isavirtuesorareastobeworthyofcanonization.”

—HarrietBeecherStowe

“Doyourlittlebitofgoodwhereyouare;it’sthoselittlebitsofgoodputtogetherthatoverwhelmtheworld.”

—DesmondTutu

Anotherapplicationofkaizentorelationshipsisallowingourselvestobeinterestedinthesmalldetailsofourpartner’slife.Insteadofexpectingourmatestoentertainuswithdramaticgesturesandstories,wecantrytoappreciatetheireverydayqualitiesandactions.Whenpeopletellmethattheyareboredintheircurrent relationships, I suggest that they trykaizen.Youmaywish todo this aswell.Trainyourself to

focusonthesmall,positiveaspectsofyourpartner.Insteadoffocusingonthebigflaws,orwaitingforahorse-drawncarriage rideor trip toParis,appreciatehimorher forsmallgestures,apleasing toneofvoice,orakindtouch.Onemistakemanypeoplemakeduring thisprocess is topraise theirpartnersonly for their actions.

“You’re suchagoodcook,”we say,or “youdidagreat job trimming thehedges.”But ifyourpartnerreceivescomplimentsonlyfortheservicesheprovides,hemaybegintofeellikeanemployee.Instead,try to identify one moment each day during which you can praise your partner’s personality orappearance.Try“Ilovethewayyourhairlooksinthemorning,”or“Ilovehowexcitedyougetontheway to themovies.”Acknowledging thesesmallmoments reassuresyourpartner that she is lovedasaperson,notjustasahomemakerorbreadwinner.

“Turningtowardyourspouseinthelittlewaysisalsothekeytolong-lastingromance.Manypeoplethinkthatthesecrettoreconnectingwiththeirpartnerisacandlelightdinneroraby-the-seavacation.Buttherealsecretistoturntowardeachotherinlittlewayseveryday.”

—JohnGottman

Focusingonsmallmomentsisbotheasyandhardtodo.Iamremindedhoweasyit iswhenIwatchchildren play and learn. They are absolutely focused in themoment, so able to take pleasure and beabsorbed in their activities and their friends. As their brains develop, two other capacities come onboard.Oneistheabilitytorecallthepast,andtheotheristheabilitytoanticipatethefuture.Thesewerecrucial additions toour survival tool kit as a species.The ability to remember inwhichdirectionourenemieswereseenandanticipatewhatproblemscouldbeencounteredwiththemwascrucial.Butthesetwonewskillsusuallymeanweallspendabittoomuchtimedwellinginthepastandworryingaboutthefuture. Through kaizen, we can regain more of that precious quality of childhood: the ability to takepleasureinthemoment,tobecomefascinatedwiththosearoundusandwhateverwearedoing.

KaizenTip

Mostofusspendsomuchtimedwellingonthepastoranticipatingthefuturethatwemisssmallmoments.Wheneveryoufindyourselflostinworryorregret,trythis:

1. Askyourself:DoIneedtolearntochangeanythingbasedonthisworryorregretofmine?2. If theanswer isyes, then takeastep toward thatchange. If theanswer isno(andoften it is), scan theroomforanobjector

personthatgivesyouthestrongestsenseofpleasure.Focusyourthoughtsonthisitemforthirtyseconds.Thisprocesstrainsyourbraintoliveinthemoment.

CHAPTEREIGHT

KaizenforLifeAsyouexperiencesuccessinapplyingkaizentocleargoalslikeweightlossorcareeradvancement,remembertoholdontoitsessence:anoptimisticbeliefinourpotentialforcontinuousimprovement.

I hope I’ve convinced you that kaizen is a powerfulmethod for achieving clear, stand-alone goals orfixing troublesome behaviors. The beauty and the challenge of kaizen is that it requires faith. Notnecessarilyreligiousfaith,orarigidandunthinkingcommitment,butabeliefinthepowerofyourbodyandbraintocarryyouwhereyouneedtogo.Bytakingsmallsteps,yousetyourmentalcompassinanewdirection,allowingyourmindtodotherest.This faithoften takes theformofagentle,patientattitude in thefaceofchallenges. Itdoesn’tmatter

whether thosechallengesareseeminglyinsurmountableor tediouslymundane.Ifyouarehavingtroublecommitting to a rigorous health-improvement plan, begin by flossing a tooth or two, or washing yourhandscarefullybeforeonemeal.Ifyouwanttofeelhappierandmorepeaceful,startinyourcar,givingthedriversinfrontofyouplentyofspaceandconsideration.Ifyouwanttohavemoreloveinyourlife,performasmall, lovingacteachdayforafriend,acquaintance,orstranger.Ifyourdesireistounleashyour creative potential, try asking a new question of yourself each day. Await the answers with bothanticipationandtrust.Instead of aggressively forcing yourself into a boot-camp mentality about change, give your mind

permissiontomaketheleapsonitsownschedule,initsowntime.Although kaizen is a potent force for career advancement, weight loss, improved health, and other

goals,itismoreprofoundthansimplyatoolforcrossingthefinishline.Trytoseekaizenasaprocessthatisneverdone.Don’tputitinadrawer,forgotten,onceyourgoalhasbeenreached.Kaizeninvitesusto see life as an opportunity for continuous improvement, for ever-higher standards and expandingpotential.WhenkaizenwasfirstadoptedontheeveofAmerica’sentryintoWorldWarII,theintentwasto enhance manufacturing quality. At that time in the U.S., manufacturing wasn’t a broken industry; itsuccessfully turned out high-quality goods at a very respectable speed. Kaizen was used when theimpendingwarmadeitnecessaryforthissystem—whichalreadyworked—toworkevenbetter.Justasarecord-settingmarathonrunnerwillcontinuetosearchoutwaystoshaveanothersecondoff

hisorherbesttime,youcanseekoutstrategiestoconstantlysharpenyourlife’sgame.Ifyoutakeanextramomenttoshowexcitementaboutayoungperson’sartisticorintellectualefforts,youmayhelpthatchilddiscoverthejoyoflearning.Ifyouspendaminuteortwoeachdaywritingakindnotetotuckintoalovedone’sbriefcaseorachild’slunchbox,youmaysaveyourselftheheartachethatcomeswhenrelationshipsgrowcoolfromalackofnurturanceanddailycare.Ifyouwishtomaintainstandardsofphysicalhealththatarealreadyhigh,havefunwiththesmallopportunitiestotakeonemoresetofstairsoreliminateafewmorejunkcalories.If you really want to play, consider how theworldmight be different ifmore of us conducted our

social,business,andromanticliveswiththebeliefthatsmallstepsmatter,thateventheshortestcontact

with another person is inherently important. Kaizen offers the possibility that through small acts ofkindness, and even small moments of compassion and curiosity, we can change ourselves—and,eventually,humanity.Wecanfocusonbeinggenerousindailythoughtsandactions,sothatwedon’thoardourkindnessforsomeimportantpersonorevent,butspenditfreelywhenourchildrenangerusorwhenan employee deserves a small compliment. We can respect ourselves by taking small steps towardimprovingourhealthandrelationships;wecanrespectothersbyaskingthemsmallquestions.Thisisnoteasytodo,andonlyyoucandeterminetheplaceofkaizeninyourworld.Butasyouincorporatekaizenintoyourroutinesanddiscoveritspower,youwillhavebeguntoansweraprofoundquestion:Whatmoreimportanttaskdoesthislifeholdthantodrawoutthepossibilityineachmoment?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thejourneythatledtothisbookinvolvedthewisdom,kindness,andsupportofmanypeople:GaryFrostandDanBaker,Ph.D.,whogavemethehonorofbeingaspeakeratCanyonRancheverymonthforthelast four years; Roslyn Siegel, who heard me speak about kaizen at Canyon Ranch and nurtured andguided theproposal;WendyLipkind,whocollaboratedwithRoslynandbrought thisbook toWorkmanPublishing;andmyeditors,JenniferGriffin,RichardRosen,andErinKlabunde,whoguidedtheevolutionofthemanuscript.TheideasinthisbooktookrootinaclassroomwithDr.W.EdwardDeming,whofirstshonealighton

theconceptofkaizenforme.ThewordsinthisbookarethegiftofLeighAnnHirschman,myco-writer,whosehumorand talentarean inspiration tome,andwhohelpedmebring thepowerofkaizen to thewrittenpage.Alongtheway,theloveoffriendsandfamilywasinvaluable.Myspiritualteacher,JoeZazzu,helped

guidemeeachstepoftheway.Otherswhoarethe“windinmysails”includeBenandJohnandLoriandJoeSikorra,SteveDeitelbaum,andMarcLevitt.

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

RobertMaurer,Ph.D.,isaclinicalpsychologistonthefacultyoftheUCLASchoolofMedicineandtheUniversity of Washington School of Medicine. He is the founder of the Science of Excellence, aconsulting firm, and travels extensively presenting seminars and consulting on kaizen to diverseorganizations, including corporations, hospital staffs, universities—even the U.S. Navy. He lives inSpokane, Washington. For additional information on kaizen, please visit Dr. Maurer’s website,scienceofexcellence.com,oryoucanemailhimatscienceofexcellence@verizon.net.

Copyright©2004,2014byRobertMaurer

Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybereproduced—mechanically,electronically,orbyanyothermeans,includingphotocopying—withoutwrittenpermissionofthepublisher.PublishedsimultaneouslyinCanadabyThomasAllen&Son,Limited.

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