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Who Moved My Cheese?
(CASE STUDY)
By
Bradley Scott Brennan
MANAGEMENT PROJECT
In "Who moved my cheese there are 4 little
characters that ran through a maze looking for cheese to nourish them &
make them happy. Two were mice named "Sniff" & "Scurry" and two were
little people named "Hem" & "Haw".
Throughout the story the characters
wrote sayings on the wall as they looked for more cheese and they read: :
Having Cheese Makes You Happy.: The More Important Your Cheese Is To
You, The More You Want To Hold Onto It.: If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct: What Would You
Do If You Weren't Afraid?: Smell The Cheese Often So You Know Whe 12212w2211m n It Is
Getting Old.: Movement In A New Direction Helps You Find New Cheese.:
When You Move Beyond Your Fear, You Feel Free.: Imagining Myself
Enjoying New Cheese Before I Find It, Leads Me To It.: The Quicker You
Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Find New Cheese.: It Is Safer To
Search In The Maze Than Remain In The Cheese less Situation.: Old
Beliefs Do Not Lead You To New Cheese.: When You See That You Can Find
And Enjoy New Cheese, You Change Course. And: Noticing Small Changes Early Helps You Adapt To The Bigger
Changes That Are To Come.
In this paper one will see how the above nuggets of wisdom from the writings on the wall were observed or experienced in my real life work situations.
Having
Cheese Makes You Happy
"Every morning, the mice & the little people dressed in their running gear & headed over to Cheese Station C where they found their own kind of cheese. It was a large store of Cheese that Hem & Haw eventually moved their homes to be closer to it & built a social life around it. To make themselves feel more at home, Hem & Haw decorated the walls with sayings. One read: Having Cheese Makes You Happy
The word "Cheese" in, "Who moved my cheese?"
is a metaphor for what we want to have in life, whether it is a great job, a
beautiful wife, a lot of money, an enormous house, freedom, great health,
recognition, spiritual enlightenment, or even an activity like weight training
or tennis. We all have our own idea of
what "Cheese" is, and we try to get it because we believe it will make us happy.
We often become attached to it after we get it and if it's taken away or we
lose it, it can be a very terrible experience for us. One of the problems I have observed in my
career about "Having Cheese Makes You
Happy" is when people only look
at 'cheese' only as power, position or money. This then conditions them to only seek those things and once they have
obtained them they can not function well after they lose them when they change
jobs, quit or retire.
For example, one of my coworkers (Ian) only thought about making money and he perused only his work because he wanted as much of it as he could get, but one day this changed when his grandmother passed away. Ian was very close to his grandmother, but he did not go and see her when she was sick because he was working over the weekend to get ahead on some up coming financial deals he was working on.
The
More Important Your Cheese Is To You, The More You Want To Hold Onto It.
"One morning, Sniff & Scurry arrived at Cheese Station C & discovered there was no cheese. They weren't surprised. Since they had noticed the supply of cheese had been getting smaller every day, they were prepared for the inevitable & knew instinctively what to do. They were quickly off in search of New Cheese. Later that same day, Hem & Haw arrived. "What! No Cheese? Who moved my Cheese? It's not fair!" Hem yelled. They went home that night hungry & discouraged. But before they left, Haw wrote on the wall: The More Important Your Cheese Is To You, The More You Want To Hold Onto It." (#2)
While I was working as a waiter during university I observed one of our assistant kitchen managers trying desperately to hold onto his job (hold onto his cheese). I was curious as to why he was trying to hold onto his position so fiercely, since his job was actually the same job as he had been doing before, without the title and for higher pay, since before he was assistant manager her worked 40 hours per week at $10.00 per hour and after becoming assistant manager he worked 60 hours per week for the same money as the assistant manager. I could not at the time understand why he so desperately tried to improve as an assistant manager to keep the new title and same pay for twenty more hours of work, instead of just going back to a cook.
If
You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct
"Haw decided to leave Cheese Station C while Hem was more comfortable staying in the cheeseless Station C. Haw announced, "It's MAZE time!" and wrote: If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct" (#3).
While I was working for my University bookstore I noticed that the manager of the store 'Bill' could not and would not use computers. He was around fifty-five years old and he often proclaimed to his immediate supervisor 'Gail' that he had not had to use computers for fifty-five years so why should he start now. Even though Bill knew that the new cash registers were going to be installed next year and they where touch screen and were going to be connected to the computerized inventory and accounting network. Gail mentioned to Bill several times that he could start taking computer classes for free at our university and that they would help him to adjust to the new system that was going to be installed in the following year. He chose not to and later the next year he was transferred to another area within the university to a lower position.
What
Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?
"Meanwhile, Sniff & Scurry went farther into the maze until they found Cheese Station N. They found what they had been looking for: a great supply of New Cheese. It was the biggest store of cheese the mice had ever seen. Haw on the other hand become more anxious & wondered if he really wanted to go out into the Maze. He wrote a saying on the wall ahead of him & stared at it for some time: What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?"(#4)
Whilst working at Tony Roma's Restaurant while I was in University I happened to become friends with one of the buss boys. His name was 'Tony' and he had been a busboy for six months while he was going to community college. He seemed quite affable and diligent and made a good impression on people, but he came off as a bit shy and soft spoken. Tony enjoyed working at the restaurant, but needed to make more money than he was currently making. He had asked to be moved up to server, but was told that he was the best busboy at the restaurant and that they couldn't move him up to server for six more months. Tony had been offered a job as a server at another restaurant, but did not take the job because he didn't know anyone at the new restaurant and because he was not sure how much money he could make there since the restaurant was not as nice as the one he was currently working at.
Smell The
Cheese Often So You Know Whe 12212w2211m n It Is Getting Old.
"Haw now realized that the change probably would not have taken him by surprise if he had been watching what was happening all along and if he had anticipated change. He stopped for a rest & wrote on the wall of the Maze: Smell The Cheese Often So You Know Whe 12212w2211m n It Is Getting Old." (#5)
During my first year of teaching here in The Republic of South Korea I realized that the school I was working for was consistently losing students due to the financial crisis during that time from 1997-1998. There were two foreign teachers at that time Darius and myself. I could see that Darius was just hired and did not seem to be able to teach his classes well and his students were complaining about his teaching method. I realized at the current rate of students dropping that our school would not be able to afford two foreign teachers for much longer, so therefore I decided to ask for a new contract for a lot less hours and a small pay cut. This way I was able to teach more private classes that paid better than my school and my school had a little less burden in paying me. Darius on the other hand asked for a raise and more hours. He was let go by the owner because of the financial crisis and because he failed to improve his rapport with his students. Consequently I was given the exact terms of my new demands in my contract as long as I promised to continue working at my school for the next year.
Movement In A
New Direction Helps You Find New Cheese.
"Haw wondered if Hem had moved on, or if he was still paralyzed by his own fears. Then, Haw remembered the times when he had felt his best in the Maze. It was when he was moving along. He wrote: Movement In A New Direction Helps You Find New Cheese." (#6)
While I have been teaching here in Korea I started the SSMBA program and during my studies I realized that I did not want to continue in teaching for the rest of my professional career as I had previously planned, since I have a B.A.E. (bachelors of education). I have felt very comfortable in my current position and have been scared to venture into something less familiar. After starting the SSMBA I thought about trying to make my own company, but have been too afraid to take the risk of not having steady and predictable income. I had debated to myself for months about weather to leave my comfortable job that has a very predictable but modest income or try to start a business.
When You Move Beyond Your Fear, You Feel Free.
"As Haw started running down the dark corridor, he began to smile. Haw didn't realize it yet, but he was discovering what nourished his soul. He was letting go & trusting what lay ahead for him, even though he did not know exactly what it was. To his surprise, Haw started to enjoy himself more & more. He stopped to write again on the wall: When You Move Beyond Your Fear, You Feel Free." (#7)
While
I was doing my student teaching at
Imagining
Myself Enjoying New Cheese Before I Find It, Leads Me To It.
"To make things even better, Haw started to paint a picture in his mind again. He saw himself in great realistic detail, sitting in the middle of a pile of all his favorite cheeses-from Cheddar to Brie! He saw himself eating the many cheeses he liked, & he enjoyed what he saw. The more clearly he saw the image of himself enjoying New Cheese, the more real & believable it became. He wrote: Imagining Myself Enjoying New Cheese Before I Find It, Leads Me To It." (#8)
While
I was teaching at a company in
The
Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Find New Cheese.
"Haw wondered why he had always thought that a change would lead to something worse. Now he realized that change could lead to something better. Then he raced through the Maze with greater strength & agility until he found bits of New Cheese. He entered the Cheese Station but it was empty. Someone had already been there. He stopped & wrote on the wall: The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Find New Cheese." (#9)
After graduating from university I started selling cars because one of my friends (Dean) was a sales manager there. He had let me work there on weekends and I was able to sell a car or two on each of the days that I had worked there while I was a student and since I had done well there while I was a student I decided to give it a try for a while after I graduated. While I was working there the management decided to implement a new wage scheme to motivate the sales team to perform higher. The problem with the new scheme was that several of the salesmen were worried that they were going to get paid less because they were going to have to start closing their deals and if they couldn't close their deals then they wouldn't get a sale and then that meant no commission, however if they now closed their deal they would get their sales commission and they would also get the same percentage for closing their own deal, which meant double the percent as the old system. This system was trying to cut out a sales manager and instead make every salesman a salesman/closer. The person who was against the new sales scheme the most was a guy named Phil and my friend Dean had to figure out a way to make Phil comfortable with the new plan and to exceed at it. Consequently, Dean asked me for advice about how to handle Phil's situation.
It
Is Safer To Search In The Maze Than Remain In The Cheese less Situation.
"Haw made his way back to Cheese Station C to offer Hem bits of New Cheese but was turned down. Hem wanted his own Cheese back. Haw just shook his head in disappointment but this does not stop him from finding New Cheese. He smiled as he realized: It Is Safer To Search In The Maze Than Remain In The Cheese less Situation." (#10)
While
I was working at a kindergarten in
Old Beliefs Do Not Lead You To New Cheese.
"Haw realized again, that what you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine. The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists. He realizes it was natural for change to continually occur, whether you expect it or not. Change could surprise you only if you didn't expect it & weren't looking for it. When he realized he had changed his beliefs, he paused to write on the wall: Old Beliefs Do Not Lead You To New Cheese." (#11)
One of my students (Mr. Yoo) at the company I work for told me several times that he enjoyed being a salary-man even thought the pay was low and the hours long compared to his friends that owned businesses. He was happy in the knowledge that as a salary-man he was safer than his friends who owned their own businesses. He was laid off about six months ago. I saw him again last week and he told me what had happened to him since he was laid off from his job.
When You See That You Can Find And Enjoy New
Cheese, You Change Course.
"Haw now realized that his new beliefs were encouraging him to behave in a new way. He was behaving differently from the way he had when he had kept returning to the same cheeseless station. It all depends on what you choose to believe. He wrote on the wall: When You See That You Can Find And Enjoy New Cheese, You Change Course." (#12)
Mr. Yoo began to tell me that his thinking had changed since the last time we had discussed the positives and negatives of being self employed to being a salary-man. I could tell that he definitely seemed different and he seemed to me to be so much more relaxed and a lot more sure of his future that the weeks leading up to his layoff.
Noticing Small Changes Early Helps You Adapt
To The Bigger Changes That Are To Come.
"Haw just hoped he was heading in the right direction. He thought about the possibility that Hem would read The Handwriting on the Wall & find his way. He wrote on the wall what he had been thinking about for some time: Noticing Small Changes Early Helps You Adapt To The Bigger Changes That Are To Come." (#13)
CONCLUSION
"He continued on through the Maze with greater strength & speed. He proceeded along a corridor that was new to him, rounded a corner, & found New Cheese at Cheese Station N where he saw the greatest supply of Cheese he had ever seen. Sniff & Scurry welcomed him.
"Hooray for Change!" Haw wrote down a summary of what he had learned on the largest wall of
Cheese Station N & smiled as he looked at what he had learned:"
THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL
Change Happens
Anticipate Change
Monitor Change
Adapt To Change Quickly
Change
Enjoy Change!
Be Ready To Change Quickly & Enjoy It Again.
CONCLUSION
"WRITINGS
ON THE WALL"
Having Cheese Makes You Happy
The More Important Your Cheese Is To You, The
More You Want To Hold Onto It.
If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct
What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?
Smell
The Cheese Often So You Know Whe 12212w2211m n It Is Getting Old.
Movement In A New Direction Helps You Find New
Cheese.
Last
year my friend and classmate and I formed a company called Brennan/McCallion Consulting and have ventured into a few different
areas of business. We have started to
try to export items from
When You Move Beyond Your Fear, You Feel Free.
Imagining Myself Enjoying New Cheese Before I
Find It, Leads Me To It.
The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The
Sooner You Find New Cheese.
It Is Safer To Search In The Maze Than Remain
In The Cheese less Situation.
Old Beliefs Do Not Lead You To New Cheese.
When You See That You Can Find And Enjoy New
Cheese, You Change Course.
Noticing Small Changes Early Helps You Adapt
To The Bigger Changes That Are To Come.
WORKS CITED
PAGE
#1 "Who moved my cheese?' by DR SPENCER JOHNSON.
#2 "Who moved my cheese?' by DR SPENCER JOHNSON.
#3 "Who moved my cheese?' by DR SPENCER JOHNSON.
#4 "Who moved my cheese?' by DR SPENCER JOHNSON.
#5 "Who moved my cheese?' by DR SPENCER JOHNSON.
#6 "Who moved my cheese?' by DR SPENCER JOHNSON.
#7 "Who moved my cheese?' by DR SPENCER JOHNSON.
#8 "Who moved my cheese?' by DR SPENCER JOHNSON.
#9 "Who moved my cheese?' by DR SPENCER JOHNSON.
#10 "Who moved my cheese?' by DR SPENCER JOHNSON.
#11 "Who moved my cheese?' by DR SPENCER JOHNSON.
#12 "Who moved my cheese?' by DR SPENCER JOHNSON"
#13 "Who moved my cheese?' by DR SPENCER JOHNSON.
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