Who moved my cheese free essay sample

â€Å"Who moved my cheese? † is an allegorical story of how change is bound to happen in the life of every individual, especially in the work/business and personal life of every person. The story highlights 7 major steps in dealing with this change. The story itself is about two mice sniff and scurry and two humans, Hem and Haw, known as ‘little people’ – however they are still the same size as the mice. They lived in a maze with different sections. Their only purpose in the maze was to go in search of their favorite scarce food cheese. Now the maze represents the human environment that everyone lives in and the cheese represents the scarce resources we go in search of, for success or happiness in life. The various outlines in the maze represent the routes and strategies everyone employs in their quest for success and happiness. In the beginning of the story, the two mice – Sniff and Scurry paired together each day in search of cheese, whilst the little people – Hem and Haw did the same. We will write a custom essay sample on Who moved my cheese or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Because of the complex nature of the maze, the two groups are not very much aware of what the other is doing. So every day, very early in the morning they two groups put on their jogging suits and running shoes and went in search of cheese, using different routes. Whilst Sniff and Scurry relied on their simple rodent brain and instincts to find their way to the cheese, Hem and Haw on the other hand believed in their human ability to solve complex situations to make the discovery. One day the two groups finally found the scarce cheese they had been searching for in one of the stations marked cheese Station C. The two groups were each unaware of the others activities. Early each morning the two groups still went for their favorite cheese dressed in their jogging suits and running shoes. However it was not long before Sniff and Scurry stopped taking along their jogging suits and running shoes but only went there at their own pace in leisurely fashion to have their favorite cheese. Hem and Haw on the other hand, continued the same routine every morning, they only took off the running shoes and put them around their neck and enjoyed their cheese. Sniff and Scurry after a while with their mice brain, figured out that the cheese at some point in time will finally run out hence they started using other routes to find a new one as back up, whilst enjoying the cheese available but bearing in mind that the cheese is running out in Cheese Station C. Hem and Haw on the other hand had become comfortable, regarded the cheese as their property and did not think that it will ever run out, even though they had no idea how the cheese ended up in Cheese Station C. Then finally one day, the mice got to Cheese Station C to discover that the cheese was all gone, with their jogging suits and their running shoes in place, they continued from there to hunt for a new location for available cheese. When the humans got to Cheese Station C, and upon discovering the empty station, they were both disappointed and in shock. Hem was of the view that someone had moved their cheese so he encouraged them to keep coming back every day. He thought that they had been treated unfairly and needed compensation for the trouble, he also believed that they needed to stay put in Cheese Station C and work harder at looking for the cheese. Above all he also wanted to investigate the disappearance of the cheese in Cheese Station C. After several days of going back to Cheese Station C and after several attempts of Haw suggesting to Hem to start searching in a new place for new cheese, Haw finally made a decision to move on and step out in search of new cheese. He came to terms with the finished cheese and decided to go step out in search of new cheese. Haw on the other hand was still in denial and was afraid to step out in search of new cheese. Meanwhile, Sniff and Scurry on the other kept searching and searching till they discovered a new Cheese Station N and it was the biggest cheese discovery in their lifetime. Haw then steps out through the dark alleys of the maze in search of a new cheese station and left Hem behind. Haw journeyed in search of cheese and initially did not make it outright, but he persevered till he finally found what he was looking for. Enough cheese in Cheese Station N, the same discovery Sniff and Scurry had made. Whist on his journey to the new discoveries, Haw decided to write down some life lessons as he journeyed along. The lessons and short sayings he wrote on the walls form the basis for the 7 lessons for life in an ever changing scene of life. For the purposes of this course, the 7 lessons will be limited to Business. Change Happens – They Keep Moving the Cheese The first lesson in business is that change is bound to happen. There will never be a permanent good, perfect or smooth condition. The business world is always changing and new challenges will always come up. Have a general idea of how the business trend works. Anticipate change – Get Ready for The Cheese to Move By knowing that change is bound to happen, the next thing to do is to expect that some change is on the way. By so doing you will be prepared should anything happen, so that as a business person no one is overtaken by events. It means planning and putting away resources for a rainy day as well. Monitor Change – Smell the Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old It will be necessary to get update on the market trends, monitor competitors, and get to know what the competitors are doing differently. Look for new opportunities and the business cannot rest on its oasis. Capture the biggest market share and maintain it, by never being complacent. Brain storm and come up with new ways or idea of doing things when the old methods are ineffective or when times change and it cannot be relied upon. Adapt to Change Quickly – The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, the Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese. The decision maker(s) cannot be oblivious, blind to the current state of the business nor can they be in denial about the changes in the business. An assessment of what went wrong will be very necessary to know the current position and its current state. Then a projection into the future of where the business intends to go to can be made, for the way forward. Change – Move with the Change Implementation of the necessary plans would have to be put in place, which is the new idea(s) that has been derived from the brainstorming and monitoring stage would at this stage would be used to realize success. The business cannot be stuck; it will have to move forward hence old ways of doing things cannot be applied anymore in the situation. Enjoy Change – Savor The Adventure And Enjoy the Taste of New Cheese! With the right implementation, things are bound to change and some positive results will be achieved. At this stage the business does not act like it is still experiencing down times. It will be necessary to take some time off reduce the speed and enjoy the new found success. Though still bearing in mind that it is an adventure so the unexpected can happen again. Be Ready to Change Quickly and enjoy it Again – They Keep Moving the Cheese. Change once again is bound to happen so the organization would experience some changes and new challenges will always come up. However having in mind that change will happen is not the only thing that the business should be aware of, but being able to quickly put in place the right strategy when the change happens is very crucial. In conclusion, â€Å"Who Moved My Cheese† is a book about life and the business world where there is bound to be changes, because it is a cycle and a repetition of events. The major lesson is about being able to survive the business world by being vigilant and not allowing challenging events and changing trends to snuff out the business. However, with a vigilant attitude that forecasts and anticipates change, control and preempts situations, before they happen, any business will face challenges but will continue to stay in business and will grow from there.