Change is often seen by staff members as frightening and undesirable. We’ve all heard someone sarcastically ask, “What have the geniuses in senior management come up with this time?” Then we usually hear something like “If the old way was good enough to build this organization into what it is now, why should we change?”
Dr. Stephen Covey, author of the highly praised and very useful books “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and “First Things First” likes to counter that argument with a simple demonstration. He makes a fist with his left hand and says “If this is today’s challenge”, (now he presses his right fist against the left one) this is today’s solution. Then he raises his left fist to a higher position representing tomorrow’s challenge and says that today’s solution (the right fist hasn’t moved) doesn’t meet it.
Dr. Spencer Johnson wrote a beautiful business parable in 1998, a book called “Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life”. It is the story of two mice named Sniff and Scurry and two little humans named Hem and Haw. For them “cheese” is whatever makes them happy: material wealth, independence, travel, respect of others, etc.
The book continues to be loved today by some and hated by others who describe it as childish and manipulative. I personally like it. It describes a refusal of some to see the obvious, expecting what brought us the things we want in life yesterday to continue to bring them today and tomorrow. Furthermore, the story shows our tendency to get stuck looking for someone to blame rather than to fix the problem as well as a fear by many of the unknown.
At the end of the story, we get the key lessons:
Change Happens
They Keep Moving the Cheese
Anticipate Change
Get Ready for the Cheese to Move
Monitor Change
Smell the Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old
Adapt To Change Quickly
The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, the Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese
Change!
Move With the Cheese
Enjoy Change!
Savor the Adventure and Enjoy the Taste Of New Cheese!
Be Ready To Change Quickly and Enjoy It Again
They Keep Moving the Cheese.
An 11-minute cartoon film of the story has been made by Dr. Johnson’s organization which can be viewed online here:
So what do you think? Helpful or hurtful to the cause of supporting people to prepare for the changes the future will bring? Leave your comment below. Below the “Dilbert of the Week” link you will either find a “Post a Comment” box or you can click on the word “comments” to open that box.
-Herb Nestler