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A Discussion

Later That Same Day

When Michael finished telling the story, he looked around the room and saw his former classmates smiling at him.

Several thanked him and said they got a good deal out of the story.

Nathan asked the group, “What would you think of getting together later and maybe discussing it?”

Most of them said they would like to talk about it, and so they arranged to meet later for a drink before dinner.

That evening, as they gathered in a hotel lounge, they began to kid each other about finding their “Cheese” and seeing themselves in the Maze.

Then Angela asked the group good-naturedly, “So, who were you in the story? Sniff, Scurry, Hem or Haw?”

Carlos answered, “Well, I was thinking about that this afternoon. I clearly remember a time before I had my sporting goods business, when I had a rough encounter with change.

“I wasn’t Sniff—I didn’t sniff out the situation and see the change early. And I certainly wasn’t Scurry—I didn’t go into action immediately.

“I was more like Hem, who wanted to stay in familiar territory. The truth is, I didn’t want to deal with the change. I didn’t even want to see it.”

Michael, who felt like no time had passed since he and Carlos were close friends in school, asked, “What are we talking about here, buddy?”

Carlos said, “An unexpected change of jobs.”

Michael laughed. “You were fired?”

“Wel , let’s just say I didn’t want to go out looking for New Cheese. I thought I had a good reason why change shouldn’t happen to me. So, I was pretty upset at the time.”

Some of their former classmates who had been quiet in the beginning felt more comfortable now and spoke up, including Frank, who had gone into the military.

“Hem reminds me of a friend of mine,” Frank said. “His department was closing down, but he didn’t want to see it. They kept relocating his people.

We all tried to talk to him about the many other opportunities that existed in the company for those who wanted to be flexible, but he didn’t think he had to change. He was the only one who was surprised when his department closed.

Now he’s having a hard time adjusting to the change he didn’t think should happen.”

Jessica said, “I didn’t think it should happen to me either, but my ‘Cheese’ has been moved more than once, especially in my personal life, but we can get to that later.”

Many in the group laughed, except Nathan.

“Maybe that’s the whole point,” Nathan said.

“Change happens to all of us.”

He added, “I wish my family had heard the Cheese story before this.

Unfortunately we didn’t want to see the changes coming in our business, and now it’s too late—we’re having to close many of our stores.”

That surprised many in the group, because they thought Nathan was lucky to be in a secure business he could depend on, year after year.

“What happened?” Jessica wanted to know.

“Our chain of small stores suddenly became old fashioned when the mega-store came to town with its huge inventory and low prices. We just couldn’t compete with that.

“I can see now that instead of being like Sniff and Scurry, we were like Hem.

We stayed where we were and didn’t change. We tried to ignore what was happening and now we are in trouble. We could have taken a couple of lessons from Haw—because we certainly couldn’t laugh at ourselves and change what we were doing.”

Laura, who had become a successful business-woman, had been listening, but had said very little until now. “I thought about the story this afternoon too,”

she said. “I wondered how I could be more like Haw and see what I’m doing wrong, laugh at myself, change and do better.”

She said, “I’m curious. How many here are afraid of change?” No one responded so she suggested, “How about a show of hands?”

Only one hand went up. “Well, it looks like we’ve got one honest person in our group!” she said. And then continued, “Maybe you’l like this next question better. How many here think other people are afraid of change?”

Practically everyone raised their hands. Then they all started laughing.

“What does that tell us?”

“Denial,” Nathan answered.

“Sure,” Michael admitted. “Sometimes we’re not even aware that we’re afraid.

I know I wasn’t. When I first heard the story, I loved the question, ‘What would you do if you weren’t afraid?’”

Then Jessica added, “Wel , what I got from the story is that change is happening everywhere and that I wil do better when I can adjust to it quickly.”

“I remember years ago when our company was selling our encyclopedia as a set of more than twenty books. One person tried to tell us that we should put our whole encyclopedia on a single computer disk and sell it for a fraction of the cost. It would be easier to update, would cost us so much less to manufacture, and so many more people could afford it. But we all resisted.”

“Why did you resist?” Nathan asked.

“Because, we believed then that the backbone of our business was our large sales force, who called on people door-to-door. Keeping our sales force depended on the big commissions they earned from the high price of our product. We had been doing this successfully for a long time and thought it would go on forever.”

Laura said, “Maybe that’s what it meant in the story about Hem and Haw’s arrogance of success.

They didn’t notice they needed to change what had once been working.”

Nathan said, “So you thought your old Cheese was your only Cheese.”

“Yes, and we wanted to hang on to it.

“When I think back on what happened to us, I see that it’s not just that they ‘moved the Cheese’ but that the ‘Cheese’ has a life of its own and eventually runs out.

“Anyway, we didn’t change. But a competitor did and our sales fell badly.

We’ve been going through a difficult time. Now, another big technological change is happening in the industry and no one at the company seems to want to deal with it. It doesn’t look good. I think I could be out of a job soon.”

“It’s MAZE time!” Carlos called out. Everyone laughed, including Jessica.

Carlos turned to Jessica and said, “It’s good that you can laugh at yourself.”

Frank offered, “That’s what / got out of the story. I tend to take myself too seriously. I noticed how Haw changed when he could finally laugh at himself and at what he was doing. No wonder he was called Haw.”

The group groaned at the obvious play on words.

Angela asked, “Do you think that Hem ever changed and found New Cheese?”

Elaine said, “I think he did.”

“I don’t,” Cory said. “Some people never change and they pay a price for it. I see people like Hem in my medical practice. They feel entitled to their ‘Cheese.’ They feel like victims when ifs taken away and blame others. They get sicker than people who let go and move on.”

Then Nathan said quietly, as though he was talking to himself, “I guess the question is, ‘What do we need to let go of and what do we need to move on to?’”

No one said anything for a while.

“I must admit,” Nathan said, “I saw what was happening with stores like ours in other parts of the country, but I hoped it wouldn’t affect us. I guess it’s a lot better to initiate change while you can than it is to try to react and adjust to it. Maybe we should move our own Cheese.”

“What do you mean?” Frank asked.

Nathan answered, “I can’t help but wonder where we would be today if we had sold the real estate under all our old stores and built one great modern store to compete with the best of them.”

Laura said, “Maybe that’s what Haw meant when he wrote on the wall ‘Savor the adventure and move with the Cheese.’”

Frank said, “I think some things shouldn’t change. For example, I want to hold on to my basic values. But I realize now that I would be better off if I had moved with the ‘Cheese’ a lot sooner in my life.”

“Wel , Michael, it was a nice little story,” Richard, the class skeptic, said, “but how did you actually put it into use in your company?”

The group didn’t know it yet, but Richard was experiencing some changes himself. Recently separated from his wife, he was now trying to balance his career with raising his teenagers.

Michael replied, “You know, I thought my job was just to manage the daily problems as they came up when what I should have been doing was looking ahead and paying attention to where we were going.

“And boy did I manage those problems—twenty-four hours a day. I wasn’t a lot of fun to be around. I was in a rat race, and I couldn’t get out.”

Laura said, “So you were managing when you needed to be leading.”

“Exactly,” Michael said. “Then when I heard the story of Who Moved My Cheese?, I realized my job was to paint a picture of ‘New Cheese’ that we would all want to pursue, so we could enjoy changing and succeeding, whether it was at work or in life.”

Nathan asked, “What did you do at work?”

“Wel , when I asked people in our company who they were in the Story, I saw we had every one of the four characters in our organization. I came to see that the Sniffs, Scurrys, Hems and Haws each needed to be treated differently.

“Our Sniffs could sniff out changes in the marketplace, so they helped us update our corporate vision. They were encouraged to identify how the changes could result in new products and services our customers would want.

The Sniffs loved it and told us they enjoyed working in a place that recognized change and adapted in time.

“Our Scurrys liked to get things done, so they were encouraged to take actions, based on the new corporate vision. They just needed to be monitored so they didn’t scurry off in the wrong direction.

They were then rewarded for actions that brought us New Cheese. They liked working in a company that valued action and results.”

“What about the Hems and Haws?” Angela asked.

“Unfortunately, the Hems were the anchors that slowed us down,” Michael answered. “They were either too comfortable or too afraid to change.

Some of our Hems changed only when they saw the sensible vision we painted that showed them how changing would work to their advantage.

“Our Hems told us they wanted to work in a place that was safe, so the change needed to make sense to them and increase their sense of security.

When they realized the real danger of not changing, some of them changed and did well. The vision helped us turn many of our Hems into Haws.”

“What did you do with the Hems who didn’t change?” Frank wanted to know.

“We had to let them go,” Michael said sadly.

“We wanted to keep all our employees, but we knew if our business didn’t change quickly enough, we would all be in trouble.”

Then he said, “The good news is that while our Haws were initially hesitant, they were openminded enough to learn something new, act differently and adapt in time to help us succeed.

“They came to expect change and actively look for it. Because they understood human nature, they helped us paint a realistic vision of New Cheese that made good sense to practically everyone.

“They told us they wanted to work in an organization that gave people the confidence and tools to change. And they helped us keep our sense of humor as we went after our New Cheese.”

Richard commented, “You got all that from a little story?”

Michael smiled. “It wasn’t the story, but what we did differently based on what we took from it.”

Angela admitted, “I’m a little bit like Hem, so for me, the most powerful part of the story was when Haw laughed at his fear and went on to paint a picture in his mind where he saw himself enjoying ‘New Cheese.’ It made going into the Maze less fearful and more enjoyable. And he eventually got a better deal.

That’s what I want to do more often.”

Frank grinned. “So even Hems can sometimes see the advantage of changing.”

Carlos laughed, “Like the advantage of keeping their jobs.”

Angela added, “Or even getting a good raise.”

Richard, who had been frowning during the discussion, said, “My manager’s been telling me our company needs to change. I think what she’s really telling me is that / need to, but I haven’t wanted to hear it. I guess I never really knew what the ‘New Cheese’ was that she was trying to move us to. Or how I could gain from it.”

A slight smile crossed Richard’s face as he said, “I must admit I like this idea of seeing ‘New Cheese’ and imagining yourself enjoying it. It lightens everything up. When you see how it can make things better, you get more interested in making the change happen.

“Maybe I could use this in my personal life,” he added. “My children seem to think that nothing in their lives should ever change. I guess they’re acting like Hem—they’re angry. They’re probably afraid of what the future holds. Maybe I haven’t painted a realistic picture of ‘New Cheese’ for them. Probably because I don’t see it myself.”

The group was quiet as several people thought about their own lives.

“Wel ,” Jessica said, “most people here have been talking about jobs, but as I listened to the story, I also thought about my personal life. I think my current relationship is ‘Old Cheese’ that has some pretty serious mold on it.”

Cory laughed in agreement. “Me too. I probably need to let go of a bad relationship.”

Angela countered, “Or, perhaps the ‘Old Cheese’ is just old behavior. What we really need to let go of is the behavior that is the cause of our bad relationships. And then move on to a better way of thinking and acting.”

“Ouch!” Cory reacted. “Good point. The New Cheese is a new relationship with the same person.”

Richard said, “I’m beginning to think there is more to this than I thought. I like the idea of letting go of old behavior instead of letting go of the relationship.

Repeating the same behavior will just get you the same results.

“As far as work goes, maybe instead of changing jobs, I should be changing the way I am doing my job. I’d probably have a better position by now if I did.”

Then Becky, who lived in another city but had returned for the reunion, said, “As I was listening to the story and to everyone’s comments here, I’ve had to laugh at myself. I’ve been like Hem for so long, hemming and hawing and afraid of change. I didn’t realize how many other people did this as well. I’m afraid I’ve passed it on to my children without even knowing it.

“As I think about it, I realize change really can lead you to a new and better place, although you’re afraid it won’t at the time.

“I remember a time when our son was a sophomore in high school. My husband’s job required us to move from Il inois to Vermont and our son was upset because he had to leave his friends. He was a star swimmer and the high school in Vermont had no swim team. So, he was angry with us for making him move.

“As it turned out, he fell in love with the Vermont mountains, took up ski ng, skied on his college team and now lives happily in Colorado.

“If we had all enjoyed this Cheese story together, over a cup of hot chocolate, we could have saved our family a lot of stress.”

Jessica said, “I’m going home to tell my family this story. I’l ask my children who they think I am—Sniff, Scurry, Hem or Haw—and who they feel they are.

We could talk about what we feel our family’s Old Cheese is and what our New Cheese could be”

“That’s a good idea,” Richard said, surprising everyone—even himself.

Frank then commented, “I think I’m going to be more like Haw and move with the Cheese and enjoy it! And I’m going to pass this story along to my friends who are worried about leaving the military and what the change might mean to them. It could lead to some interesting discussions.”

Michael said, “Wel , that’s how we improved our business. We had several discussions about what we got from the Cheese story and how we could apply it to our situation. It was great because we had language that was fun for us to use to talk about how we were dealing with change. It was very effective, especially as it spread deeper into the company.”

Nathan asked, “What do you mean by ‘deeper’?”

“Wel , the further we went into our organization, the more people we found who felt they had less power. They were understandably more afraid of what the change imposed from above might do to them. So they resisted change.

“In short, a change imposed is a change opposed.

“But when the Cheese Story was shared with literally everyone in our organization, it helped us change the way we looked at change. It helped everyone laugh, or at least smile, at their old fears and want to move on.

“I only wished I’d heard the Cheese story sooner,” Michael added.

“How come?” Carlos asked.

“Because by the time we got around to addressing the changes, our business had already fallen off so badly that we had to let people go, as I said earlier, including some good friends. It was hard on al of us. However, those who stayed and most of those who left said the Cheese story helped them see things differently and eventually cope better.

“Those who had to go out and look for a new job said it was hard at first but recalling the story was a great help to them.”

Angela asked, “What helped them most?”

Michael replied, “After they got past their fear, they told me the best thing was realizing that there was New Cheese out there just waiting to be found!

“They said holding a picture of New Cheese in their minds—seeing themselves doing well in a new job—made them feel better, and helped them do better in job interviews. Several got better jobs.”

Laura asked, “What about the people who remained in your company?”

“Wel “ Michael said, “instead of complaining about the changes that were happening, people now said, ‘They just moved our Cheese. Let’s look for the New Cheese.’ It saved a lot of time and reduced stress.

“Before long, the people who had been resisting saw the advantage of changing. They even helped bring about change.”

Cory said, “Why do you think they changed?”

“They changed after the peer pressure in our company changed.”

He asked, “What happens in most organizations you’ve been in when a change is announced by top management? Do most people say the change is a great idea or a bad idea?”

“A bad idea,” Frank answered.

“Yes” Michael agreed. “Why?”

Carlos said, “Because people want things to stay the same and they think the change wil be bad for them. When one person says the change is a bad idea, others say the same.”

“Yes, they may not real y feel that way,” Michael said, “but they agree in order to fit in. That’s the sort of peer pressure that fights change in any organization.”

Becky asked, “So how were things different after people heard the Cheese story?”

Michael said simply, “The peer pressure changed. No one wanted to look like Hem!”

Everyone laughed.

“They wanted to sniff out the changes ahead of time and scurry into action, rather than get hemmed in and be left behind.”

Nathan said, “That’s a good point. No one in our company would want to look like Hem. They might even change. Why didn’t you tell us this story at our last reunion? This could work.”

Michael said, “It does work.”

“It works best, of course, when everyone in your organization knows the story—whether it is in a large corporation, a small business, or your family —because an organization can only change when enough people in it change.”

Then he offered one last thought. “When we saw how well it worked for us, we passed the story along to people we wanted to do business with, knowing they were also dealing with change. We suggested we might be their ‘New Cheese’ that is, better partners for them to succeed with. It led to new business.”

That gave Jessica several ideas and reminded her that she had some early sales calls in the morning. She looked at her watch and said, “Wel , it’s time for me to leave this Cheese Station and find some New Cheese.”

The group laughed and began saying their goodbyes. Many of them wanted to continue the conversation but needed to leave. As they left, they thanked Michael again.

He said, “I’m very glad you found the story so useful and I hope that you will have the opportunity to share it with others soon.”