Who Moved My Cheese? is a simple parable that reveals profound truths. It is an amusing and enlightening story of four characters who live in a “Maze” and look for “Cheese” to nourish them and make them happy.
Two are mice named Sniff and Scurry. And two are “Little people” — beings the size of mice who look and act a lot like people. Their names are Hem and Haw.
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The fable captures well that moment after we have lost a job or a relationship and we believe it is the end of the world. All the good things were in the previous situation, and all the future holds is fear. Yet Johnson’s message is, that instead of seeing change as the end of something, we must learn to see it as a beginning. We have all been told this, but sometimes motivation is lacking. To make himself accept reality, Haw writes this on the wall of the maze: “If you do not change, you can become extinct.”
For life not to be wasted, it demands a level of risk and adventure. If you are willing to live this way, change loses its horror. In fact, the advancing person purposely creates change because the world is not currently how they would like it. What the little men, Hem and Haw, discover is that breaking through your fears makes you free. Those who continually seek security, ironically, are wracked by the possibility that they may lose it.
While the book addresses the fact of change in all aspects of our lives, given how many offices it circulates in it would be fair to say that its main message relates to work. Most employees are employees because they prefer the security of a set wage under the apparent protection of a large enterprise. For others, the chief benefit may be that for most of the day they do not have to really think; they ‘complete tasks.’ But such dependence restricts personal growth, in the same way, those medieval serfs, while given a roof over their heads on the estate, often never strayed more than a few miles beyond it and could never expect to be truly independent people.
1. Spencer Johnson thinks there is some similarity to all the characters in all of us. How do you relate to these characters?
2. Is a predominant character that you see yourself most associated with?
3. After watching the movie:
Can you think of a similar situation where you were involved?
What was it?
How did you deal with it?
Would you have done something different now that you have watched the video and know a little bit about Leading Change?
4. Personal change:
Do you see a need to change in yourself?
What kind of change?
Why do you need to change?
How is this going to help you in your life moving forward?
5. Leadership:
Using what you have learned here, how would you help others to change?
How does the video impact your leadership?
How does your change(s) affect your leadership?
6. Please feel free to add your thought(s) and reaction(s) to the video.
