...Who Moved My Cheese? By Spencer Johnson The book Who Moved My Cheese? Takes place in a maze, with two mice named Sniff and Scurry and then we have “little people” with the names Hem and Haw. While being in this maze to survive you have to find cheese. Well, in the beginning of the book the cheese shows up in the same place for quite a while and then all of a sudden the cheese just stops showing up at that location. Sniff and scurry realized that the cheese was gone and had to go find another way to get cheese. While, Hem and Haw just think it’s behind the wall they start to tear down the wall to only find.. nothing behind it. Hem and Haw just think that eventually the cheese will come back. Eventually, Haw got tired and hungry and got up and started to search for new cheese. Change Happens- They Keep Moving The Cheese Change happens whether you like it or not and it can always be moving. It’s never a certainty that it will always be where it has been. Anticipate Change- Get Ready For The Cheese To Move Sniff and Scurry anticipated change and they ended up finding a gold mine of cheese, but they had to go out and look for it and find it on their own. Hem and Haw just thought the cheese would always be there and they wouldn’t have to work for it, they were not ready for change. Monitor Change- Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old Sniff and Scurry didn’t just stay in one place, they went out and saw what the maze had to offer them. Unlike,...
Words: 458 - Pages: 2
...A. Roberts 02/21/2013 Introduction: Who Moved My Cheese? Is a simple story of four characters that live in a maze and are constantly looking for cheese. Two of the four characters are Hem and Haw, who are little people about the size of mice, they are complex people just like humans. They rely on their emotions, and experience in life to make achievements, but also like humans they can become very comfortable and be oblivious to what is happening around them. The other two characters Sniff and Scurry are mice. They rely more on instinct and their senses to conduct everyday life. Although they are simple minded and not very smart, they do not get hung up emotionally when things work against them. They have the power of adaptation, which allows them to continually maintain a productive life no matter how things change around them. They expect change and are ready and prepared to embrace it, whenever it may occur. "THE CHEESE" represents different things to different people. It is a metaphor for what keeps you going, and what makes you happy. To some people "THE CHEESE" is money, to others it is their job, and to some it is just being able to wake up and be happy that you have a good life, and enjoy living it. Change and the Resistance to Change: As the story begins, one day, the mice (Sniff and Scurry) and the little people (Hem and Haw) find a huge mound of cheese in the maze. The little people feel that the mound of cheese is so large they will never have to find more...
Words: 2399 - Pages: 10
...Who Moved My Cheese? This is a compelling story involving four different characters who look at changes in different ways. While the story discusses Sniff, Scurry and Hem, I consider Haw to be the main character that the story revolves around. The story is about change, and forces one to think about which character from the story they are like. Who Moved My Cheese? is a story about change and how people acknowledge or deny changes that occur in their life. Some are like Sniff; they can smell change coming and are ready for it. Others may be like Scurry; once change happens, they run around to adapt to the change, but sometimes get lost with it. Even more are like Hem and Haw; they become comfortable in their routines and do not notice when change is happening or needs to happen. Hem refused to acknowledge the change and blamed others for it. He felt he was entitled to his ‘cheese’ and did not believe it was gone. While Haw did the same for a while, he eventually began to look at the situation and decided that he needed to change and not let his fears keeps him from doing anything. Being able to leave his familiar territory, Haw went out in search of ‘new cheese’ despite his fears. He took control of his situation and with his new found confidence, despite his hardships, moved in a new direction. He imagined himself with his ‘new cheese’ and the more real it became. When you change what you believe in, you change what you can do. I can incorporate this lesson into not...
Words: 469 - Pages: 2
...and great place to work. While utilizing existing expertise, safely provide value added products and services that exceed customer expectations. There is a lot of positive direction in those two statements. Our leadership is driven to provide the best and safest products that we can. When the company first started its merger in 2008, there were several changes announced in a short period of time. Some of these changes were people losing their jobs and others were department restructuring. The people involved in either change had some important movements coming their way. The company was merging over an eight state area, making the option of relocation or department movement a little more difficult. This related to “Who moved my cheese” explains the empty cheese location. These people would no longer have their jobs and had to make the decision to accept the change and move on. When thinking of leadership, this change that was about to happen to...
Words: 822 - Pages: 4
...Who Moved My Cheese Book Review Davenport University HRMG 314 Robert Schultz April 14, 2013 Introduction Who moved my Cheese is a book about a team of two mice and a team of two miniature executives who each run through a maze in search of cheese. One of the corridors in the maze had an abundance of cheese. All goes well until somebody moved the cheese. Authors Ken Blanchard and Dr. Spencer Johnson have a unique way of showing us an important message that can radically alter the way we cope with change. Cheese is a metaphor for what you want in life, a good job, a loving relationship, money or a possession, health or peace of mind (Mission, 2009 slide 2). The maze is where you look for what you want. Most people are fearful of change because they don't believe they have any control over how or when it happens to them. Since change happens either to the individual or by the individual, authors Ken Blanchard and Dr. Spencer Johnson shows us that what matters most is the attitude we have about change. The Characters The four imaginary characters in the story are Sniff, Scurry, Hem & Haw. Sniff and Scurry are mice; Hem & Haw are two mini people. When the four imaginary characters notice that their cheese is declining, which was always there, they have different attitudes on what to do about it. The mice, Sniff and Scurry, deal with change rather simplistically. Being animals, the mice are more adaptable to change and react to the loss of...
Words: 1036 - Pages: 5
...“Who Moved My Cheese” is a book about amazing ways to deal with changes that occurs in the lives and workplaces of both men and women .The book is written by Dr. Stephen Johnson. Dr. Johnson graduated from The University of Southern California with a B.A in Psychology, and also received his M.D degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Dr. Johnson has written eleven international bestselling books, and is often referred as “the best there is at taking complex subjects and presenting simple solutions that work”. Dr. Johnson quotes “Look at what happened in the past, learn something valuable from it, and use what you learn to improve the present’’. Who Moved My Cheese is an amusing and enlightening story of four characters that lived in a maze, looking for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. The characters are Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw. Hem and Haw “are little people who are the size of mice who look and act a lot like people. Sniff and Scurry are two little mice. Cheese is use metaphorically, which can be anything you treasure in life, and for some it will just be something there are used to in life. “Cheese” can be a job, a relationship, an organization, money, health, peace of mind, or even the world we live in. Each character in the story treasures the cheese, however each character has a slight different approach to life and their individual approach defines what happens to them when the cheese runs out. Some people are content with what they have...
Words: 2021 - Pages: 9
...Introduction Who Moved My Cheese is a well-articulated business fable about how to deal with change in organizations, personal life, and in various situations involving changing paradigms. There are four characters identified in the fable and are described in the below figure. It’s important to note that both Sniff and Scurry are mice in the story and Hem and Haw represent two little people. This paper is being written with the objective of identifying the character in the fable which is least like me (or who least represents my views of change) and discuss his point of view. The character that I will select for this brief analysis is Hem. Application Analysis Hem’s character in the fable describes a typical person in an organization that has gotten comfortable. As the story points out, cheese represents that something or idea of something that we all search for that brings a level of satisfaction, completeness, or joy to us. Both Hem and Haw race through this maze, which represents where we go to look to find our own cheese, and finds cheese at Cheese Station C. After some time, there is a noticeable shrinking of supplies and Sniff and Scurry sees the change and anticipates it and adapts to it fairly quickly. Hem and Haw don’t and both spend considerable time wondering where the cheese went and how to bring it back. In some instances they were both determined to wait for its return. After some time, Haw decides that waiting is not the answer. Someone moved the cheese...
Words: 817 - Pages: 4
...Who Moved My Cheese? Ever read a story that relates to your personal life? I just recently read the story Who Moved My Cheese? , By Spencer Johnson. I’m not much of a reader, but this story really made me think. This story makes you think about the way you live your life and how you deal with change in your life. The author could have easily just given the message in a few paragraphs, but he gave the messages in a story involving two mice and two little people stuck in a maze. They all are in search of “cheese”. The word cheese is another way of saying your goals in life and your security of how you live. I thought it made me think a little deeper since he gave the message the way he did. The story made me think of a specific topic I am dealing with in my life right now. It makes me think of me moving away for college. Recently I transferred schools. I originally went to The University of Northwestern Ohio, thinking I wanted to learn mechanics and have a career as a High performance auto mechanic. After a little over half a year of going to school there I decided that wasn’t what I wanted to do. So I transferred to IPFW to get a business degree. I have been out of ordinary classes like English, math, and science for some time now. The only classes I was taking at UNOH were mechanics classes. So coming to IPFW and jumping into math classes and general education classes were quite overwhelming needless to say, since I haven’t been in this type of school atmosphere since...
Words: 817 - Pages: 4
...Who moved my Cheese I mostly identify with Hem and Haw, they are two little people. They are happy at first doing what comes naturally and eating what is in front of them. As time goes on the cheese begins to lessen and they eventually have no cheese, but they wait to see if more cheese will appear. When no cheese appears they eventually go out into the maze looking for more but they are afraid to move far from the place where the original cheese was. I feel I most identify with Hem and Haw because they are afraid to change but know that if they want to eat they will have to change. I was afraid at first to come back to school because I am in my twenties and not used to the studying. At first coming back to school was very hard for me because I hadn’t been in school since high school. I thought it would be hard to balance my everyday life out with having a child and work and then adding school into the mix. The book informs the reader to anticipate change, adapt and enjoy change. It underlines the fact that we should always anticipate change. There is no doubt that change is a constant in our lives, however, very few individuals take their time to anticipate it , or even plan on how to overcome the tribulations or opportunities that change might bring their way. Throughout the book, I also learn that the most important ingredient in dealing with changes is attitude. A lot of individuals fail to achieve their goals because they don't embrace change and think of...
Words: 586 - Pages: 3
...xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx Professor xxxxx September 14, 2014 Who Moved My Cheese During everyone’s life, there are changes that are bound to happen. Whether it be starting a new job, moving away, or going to school. Change can be exciting, but it can also be very frightening. The beauty and curse about change, is that you don’t know what is going to happen next. The book Who Moved My Cheese illustrates this concept very well, and I learned many things from this story that I can apply towards myself. I have recently had two new changes in my life. I have moved away from home and I have started college. Both of these changes are interconnected, since I moved away for college, but that doesn’t make them any easier. At first I was nervous about this new change, and I still am a little bit. Everything was essentially handed to me at home and high school was never a challenge for me. Now I have to remember to go grocery shopping, do dishes, pay bills, and keep up with school work at the same time. However, I knew this was something that I had to do, and it was, deep down, something I really wanted to do. After reading this story I think one of the biggest lessons that I could have utilized for myself, for this change, was the preparation. Hem and Haw were not ready to move on when their cheese ran out and I was not ready either. They kept going back to the station each day with the mindset that the cheese would be there forever, while I kept going home each day with the mindset...
Words: 725 - Pages: 3
...I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Who Moved My Cheese?” book by Spencer Johnson. Johnson does an excellent job of simplifying the complexities of the change process through the use of four fictional characters. I believe the author intentionally chose to use two mice and two “little people” in the parable about change. The mice, Sniff and Scurry, deal with change rather simplistically. Being animals, the mice are more adaptable to change and react to the loss of the “cheese” instinctively. They “keep their running shoes around their neck”, waste no time analyzing the cause of their loss, and immediately go in search of a new cheese. On the other hand, the “little people”, Hem and Haw, are about the size of the mice but possess human traits. Such traits as intelligence and emotions complicate their responses to change. Hem and Haw react emotionally to the loss of the “cheese” and waste valuable time analyzing their loss instead of going in search of a new “cheese”. Haw eventually moves beyond his emotions and uses his intellect to successfully face and overcome the sudden change. However, Hem’s paralyzing fear of change prevents him from successfully overcoming the loss of the “cheese” and eventually leads to his untimely death. It is through the characters’ responses to change or the “moving of the cheese” that many leadership qualities can be identified. I have chosen to identify the qualities in reference to their implications for an company such as a team leader. Like Sniff, the...
Words: 990 - Pages: 4
...WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? © Dr. Spencer.Johnson PARTS OF ALL OF US The Simple and The Complex The four imaginary characters depicted in this story -the mice: "Sniff" and "Scurry", and the little people: "Hem" and "Haw" -are intended to represent the simple and the complex parts of ourselves, regardless of our age, gender, race, or nationality. Sometimes we may act like Sniff Who sniffs out change early, or Scurry Who scurries into action, or Hem Who denies and resists change as he fears it will lead to something worse, or Haw Who learns to adapt in time when he sees changing leads to something better! Whatever parts of us we choose to use, we all share something in common: a need to find our way in the maze and succeed in changing times. The Story Behind the Story by Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D. I am thrilled to be telling you "the story behind the story" of "Who Moved My Cheese?" because it means the book has now been written, and is available for all of us to read, enjoy and share with others. This is something I've wanted to see happen ever since I first heard Spencer Johnson tell his great "Cheese" story, years ago, before we wrote our book "The One Minute Manager" together. I remember thinking then how good the story was and how helpful it would be to me from that moment on. "Who Moved My Cheese? " is a story about change that takes place in a Maze where four amusing characters look for "Cheese" -- cheese being a metaphor for what we want to have in life, whether it is...
Words: 8377 - Pages: 34
...Who Moved My Cheese? 1. Provide a thorough description of the four (4) characters, including their characteristics and attributes? Which characters display positive attributes? There are four imaginary characters depicted in the story: two mice, named “Sniff” and Scurry,” and the littlepeople, named “Hem” and “Haw.” They, as the book states, “are intended to represent the simple and the complex parts of ourselves, regardless of our age, gender, race, or nationality.” The two mice, Sniff and Scurry, were very straightforward with their decision-making and did not overthink the situations they were in. They would rely mainly on instincts to influence their decisions. Things were very basic to them, if they saw the need to make a change, they would do it, not sit around and analyze their next moves. Sniff liked to try and “sniff” out change early, before it was upon him. Scurry was one to “scurry” into action, racing ahead of everyone to get a jumpstart. Sometimes they would make mistakes or get lost in the maze, but after a while they would always find their way. Hem and Haw, on the other hand, were more complex creatures, relying mainly on their beliefs and emotions to drive their actions. They felt the need to think about, and sometimes overthink, their decisions. Hem denies and resists change because he fears it will lead to something worse than what he had before. Haw is hesitant to change at first, but learns to adapt in time when he sees that change can lead to bigger...
Words: 1293 - Pages: 6
...characters in Who Moved My Cheese? two of which are mice, Sniff and Scurry and two are little people, Hem and Haw. The two groups are in a maze and go searching for cheese one day and eventually come upon Cheese Station C. Hem and Haw become wasteful and arrogant and slowly deplete the abundant supply of cheese they once had. Sniff and Scurry predicted that this would happen and have mentally prepared themselves to search for more cheese. Meanwhile, Hem and Haw have become dependent on the cheese and are surprised when they go to Cheese Station C and there is no cheese left. Haw eventually proposed an idea to Hem that they should go search for a new supply of cheese. However, Hem feels victimized and does not want to search for the cheese (he is also scared of the unknown in the maze). While Hem and Haw debate back-and-forth Sniff and Scurry have adventured out and found Cheese Station N. Eventually, Hem and Haw are affected by their lack of cheese even becoming irrational searching behind the walls looking for cheese and begin to blame each other for their current debacle. * Haw soon overcomes his fear and enters the maze to his friend’s dismay. Before he leaves he writes on the wall “If you do not change, you can become extinct.” Haw then enters the maze and begins to find bites of cheese on the ground but soon realizes that he has waited so long that some of the cheese has gone bad. Haw finds an empty cheese station and realizes the cheese has not been...
Words: 723 - Pages: 3
...RECOMMENDATIONS (NAOMI) After a deep discussion with my group members regarding the story, we would like to recommend that Hem and Haw should identify their own ability and work smart to solve the problems that occur. For example, when Hem and Haw found the cheese Station C, they could have save some cheese for their future. From our real life we can say that, we should save some portion from our salary for future use. Secondly, Hem and Haw should have identified the changes in the cheese quantity and left behind. When Station C was out of cheese Sniff and Scurry accepted the changes and they continued to look for new cheese Station. Meanwhile, Hem and Haw stayed in Station C and were finding who moved their cheese. In real life we should move on when problem strikes us, we should not stick on the same situation blaming each other. Thirdly, they have to be brave enough to face the situation. From the stories we can see that Hem and Haw were so afraid to make a move when their cheese Station C was out of supply. It takes so long for Haw to move out from the situation whereas Hem didn’t take any move because of his afraid. When a student finishes his/her SPM they must be brave enough to choose to continue their studies through STPM or higher education. Other than that, they must be prepared for difficult situation. When Haw moved from Station C he went through many difficult situation, he even fall in a pit but he rose from the pit and continued his journey. All the students should...
Words: 335 - Pages: 2
