Just read "Who Moved My Cheese" and I am busy looking at all the different areas of my life. For the benefit of anyone who hasn't read it, it is a very short story by Dr Spencer Johnson. It's about 4 characters - Two mice named Sniff and Scurry and two little people called Hem and Haw. The characters, who are not in competition with one another, live in a maze and depend on cheese. Sniff sniffs out new cheese, Scurry leaps into action, Haw eventually adapts, but Hem demands the return of the old cheese even though it no longer exists.
Although these characters exist in all of us, each is more prominent in different areas of our life.
If I had to identify myself then I suppose the dominant person in me must be the mouse named Scurry. It is suggested that fear holds us back but I'm sure it is the fear of vegetating or being left behind that prevents Hem from getting much of a look in with me. Poor old Hem.
11 comments:
I think if someone has moved your cheese without your consent it amounts to theft. Probably some sort of legal action or an ASBO is appropiate here.
Cheese is a nice book, I gave it to each of my staff not too long ago along with a copy of FISH and Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.
Lobster. Cheese either gets eaten up or it goes stale. It is not normally stolen. :-)
Ady - I haven't read either of the two books you mentioned but I will have a look at the reviews.
Today the story is cheese, Jesus !!!
So it is food stuff, well for me, cheese is yummy. I will be surprised if it is not stolen by them.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a lovely book, I too recommend it.
I had never heard of “Who stole my cheese” before, so I visited their website, very interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing, Kat :)
I used to have an IT manager; everyone dreaded when he took a plane ride because that is when he would read books like this (and six-sigma, and 'habits of succesful people' and god knows how many of these books there are) and invariably after landing he would've changed his 'vision' (read: I do what the latest book tells me) and so the IT dept. would be burdened with new procedures and wild plans and generally a lot of work flow disruption.
Over two years of working with him I've come to hate these books.
Michiel, I wonder if you used to work for me *grin*.
Hi Michiel, I think that if you are going to force a change in the way other people live or work you have got to give them a better reason than "You've just read a book". Sounds like this manager was implementing things on a whim.
Best to take what you like or what is really useful or relevant from a book and disregard the rest.
Honestly, most IT managers I've met don't know their head from their ass and were a liability on the work floor, wether they wasted money on these management books or not.
While I don't think that a manager needs to know all the low-level in-depth techie stuff I would expect some affinity with and knowledge of the material at hand. Sadly, most had neither.
Now that I'm stepping up to the plate myself I hope I can implement the lessons learned and not drive my techies nuts.
Michiel - Yes, I have met managers like that. Perhaps it is all about balance.
Post a Comment