10 slide summaries: Who moved my cheese?

Are you worried about to how handle change in your personal life or in your organisation? The simple parable in this book gives you clear messages for how to deal with change.

1. www.fresh ideas .es Book: Who Moved My Cheese ? Author : Dr Spencer Johnson Category : Self-help and Change Management Summary : Accept change and move with it . Anticipate it and enjoy it . Rating:

2. There are four characters in a maze . The four characters are: Sniff and Scurry , two mice that represent the simple parts of our personality . Hem and Haw , two little people that represent the complex and “human” parts of our personality . Sniff smells change early . Scurry is quick to act . Hem resist change as he feels it will bring something worse . Haw resists at first but then learns to adapt as he discovers that change can lead to something better . 2 www.fresh ideas .es

3. The Maze represents your community , your organisation , the relationship you are in. At the beginning of the story there is a piece of cheese that the four characters eat . The cheese in the Maze represents what makes us happy – money , stability , good job etc. 3 www.fresh ideas .es

4. The mice check the cheese every day to see if there have been any changes and keep their running shoes around their neck in case they have to move again . The little people settle down around the cheese and become complacent and self satisfied with their cheese . 4 www.fresh ideas .es

5. One day they wake up to find that the cheese is gone . The mice immediately put on their running shoes and go off in search of new cheese . The Little People stay there in shock, not believing this terrible turn of events . 5 www.fresh ideas .es

6. Hem insists on staying where they are, saying that ‘ life is unfair ’ and they should be compensated for this loss of cheese . He is never able to abandon the place where his favourite cheese was and stays where he is , even if it means becoming extinct . Haw at first shuts the change out , not wanting to accept that things have changed . 6 www.fresh ideas .es

7. At first Haw is frightened of going back into the maze again , looking for new cheese . After a while , however , he realises that looking for new cheese is better than staying in an old place that has no cheese . He imagines himself finding and enjoying new cheese and that pushes him on . 7 www.fresh ideas .es

8. Eventually , and after almost giving up, he finds new cheese in a part of the maze where he had never been before . Sniff and Scurry are already there , enjoying the cheese . This time he enjoys the cheese but continues to go out every day to discover new parts of the maze and he checks the cheese every day for signs of change . 8 www.fresh ideas .es

9. The lessons that Haw takes away from the loss of the cheese are: Change happens and we must move with it . We should anticipate change and be ready for things to change . We should monitor our current situation so we know when things are starting not to work . 9 www.fresh ideas .es

10. We should adapt to change quickly and let go of the old ways of doing things , or the things themselves . We must change ! We should enjoy the change and treat it as an adventure ! 10 www.fresh ideas .es