Who Moved My Cheese?

Kenneth Blanchard, PhD, explains that, before he and Johnson wrote The One Minute Manager, Johnson told him a story about “Cheese,” or what people want in life, and how to get it. Ever since, Blanchard has wished that the story be made available to the general public. Who Moved My Cheese? is the result.

Blanchard mentions Charlie Jones, an NBC-TV sportscaster who covered track and field at the Olympics and learned later that he’d been moved to swimming and diving. Jones was angry until he heard the Cheese story; thereafter, he learned to deal effectively with change, improved his skills, and did so well that he was inducted into the Broadcaster division of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

During a time of upheaval at Ken Blanchard Companies, Blanchard handed out copies of Cheese, and employees thanked him profusely, saying the book greatly reduced their stress.

The book contains three sections: “A Gathering,” where people at a class reunion describe their challenges in dealing with change; “The Story of Who Moved My Cheese?”, a parable about how the simple part of the mind deals better with change than does the complex part; and “A Discussion,” in which people describe what the parable means to them and how they’ll apply its lessons.

The book contains a motto: “Move with the Cheese!” (20).

A group of classmates at a reunion gather to discuss their lives since school. They agree that times have changed and that change can be scary. One of them, Michael, admits that the company he works for ran into some trouble and nearly failed. He read “The Story,” and it “changed the way I looked at change—from losing something to gaining something—and it showed me how to do it” (22). At first, Michael found it overly simplistic; then, he realized that, though its advice seems obvious, he’d never bothered to try it.

He passed the story around to others at work, and most who read it found it worthwhile; meanwhile, the business improved. Some, though, including one executive, insisted they already understood the story’s advice and wondered why it made any difference. Others pointed out that the executive reminded them of one of the story’s four characters—the one who never changes.

The classmates ask Michael to tell them the story, and he agrees.

Michael begins the story.

In a faraway world, four characters live in a Maze. Two are mice, Sniff and Scurry, and two are Littlepeople, very small humans named Hem and Haw. Each day, they all set out in search of cheese—the nice, hard kind for the mice, and the more complicated Cheese for the humans. The mice search randomly until Sniff smells cheese, and Scurry runs toward it. The humans use theories, beliefs and emotions in their search, a method much more complicated and prone to problems.

Before long, both teams find cheese in the same area, “Cheese Station C” (27-28). Thereafter, each day they leave their tiny homes and head for the cheese they’ve found. The mice run to the station, and, once there, inspect the place to make note of any changes. They keep their running shoes close. The humans, though, hang up their shoes, put on slippers, and enjoy themselves. They move their homes closer and begin to think of the Cheese as belonging to them and that they deserve it. They become proud and arrogant.

One day, the mice’s cheese runs out. They’d seen it coming, and immediately they begin a new search through the Maze for more cheese. On the same day, Hem and Haw discover, to their surprise, that their Cheese has also disappeared. Hem, angry, yells, “Who moved my Cheese?” Then he screams, “It’s not fair!” (33-34). For a while, Haw just stands there in shock. They finally decide to look around the station to be sure the Cheese isn’t there anymore.

Hem and Haw can’t decide what to do. Haw worries that tomorrow the Cheese will still be gone. They conclude that this situation isn’t fair or just or appropriate. As they return home for the night, hungry, Haw scribbles on a wall: “The More Important Your Cheese Is To You The More You Want To Hold On To It” (36-37).

The next day, they return to Cheese Station C, but the cheese is still gone. Hem decides it’s not their fault, since it was their Cheese, that someone is responsible, and that he and Haw deserve compensation. Haw wonders where the mice have gone, but Hem scoffs and declares that humans are smarter and can figure out this problem. Haw suggests that they go look for more Cheese, but Hem declines, saying he’ll figure something out.

Meanwhile, the mice venture deeper into the Maze than ever before and find, to their delight, the largest supply of cheese they’ve ever seen. It’s at Cheese Station N. Back at Station C, Hem and Haw are still arguing. Haw suggests that it’d be worthwhile to explore more of the Maze, but Hem says it’s dangerous out there and that he’s getting too old for such things.

For several days, they return to Cheese Station C, but they just feel hungrier and more irritable each time. Finally, Hem and Haw use a hammer and chisel to dig into a wall in search of the missing Cheese. They find nothing. Still they dig, making the hole bigger; “Haw was beginning to realize the difference between activity and productivity” (42).

Haw realizes that his fear keeps him from looking elsewhere for Cheese. He rummages through stored items to find his running shoes, which he and Hem had put away when they assumed the Cheese supply at the station would be endless. Haw sees that, when a good thing comes to an end, it’s time to venture out and find more. Hem, though, is angry and won’t hear of it. Haw shrugs and writes on the wall for Hem to read: “If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct” (46-47).

Haw ventures out and immediately feels the tug of safety behind him. Wondering about his fear, he writes on a wall, “What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?” (48-49).

Weakened by hunger from waiting too long, Haw at first finds only bits of Cheese, and he begins to feel doubt. The Maze is confusing and seems to have changed since the last time he explored it. Still, it isn’t so bad to be doing something purposeful.

He remembers that the Cheese didn’t suddenly disappear; instead, it ran low as Hem and Haw consumed it. As the supply dwindled and aged, it also became stale. Haw had been aware of this but ignored it. In the future, he’ll avoid complacency and will prepare for the upheaval that’s sure to happen. He’ll trust his instincts and stay alert for changes. As a reminder, he writes on a wall: “Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old” (52-53).

Haw finds a Cheese Station, but it’s empty. Discouraged and weak, he falls prey to his fears. Remembering that he felt his best when on the move, he writes another reminder on a wall: “Movement In A New Direction Helps You Find New Cheese” (54-55).

Trusting himself, he runs forward along the Maze. This makes him feel good, despite his hunger. Soon, he’s envisioning his life filled once again with all kinds of good Cheese. He writes: “Imagining Yourself Enjoying Your New Cheese Leads You To It” (58-59).

Haw finds a lot of Cheese bits near another Cheese Station, and he eats and collects these, but the Station itself is empty. Realizing he might have found the station full if he’d searched sooner, he writes: “The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Find New Cheese” (60-61).

He returns to Cheese Station C, where he offers some Cheese to Hem, who politely refuses it, saying he’d rather have his old Cheese back. Sadly, Haw returns alone to his search, but he really enjoys how his newfound confidence feels. He concludes, “It Is Safer To Search In The Maze, Than Remain In A Cheeseless Situation” (62-63). Already, the quest has provided him with energy-restoring bits of Cheese.

Haw sees now that his old beliefs were holding him back. His new beliefs already have changed his behavior and given him the ability to find new opportunities. As he explores deeper within the Maze, he hopes Hem will find his wall notes and use them as a guide.

Rounding a new corner of the Maze, Haw discovers Cheese Station N, where there’s an enormous supply of Cheese, more than he’s ever seen. Sniff and Scurry greet him. He eats his fill and realizes he’s now grateful for change. He also understands that what first got him going on the search was his ability to laugh at his old, foolish ideas. He learned from Sniff and Scurry to keep things simple, and he used his human mind to envision himself in a much better situation.

Haw hopes Hem is no longer “hemmed in” by his negative beliefs and has read some of his notes, “The Handwriting On The Wall” (73). He knows, though, that he can’t make Hem come out to search; Hem must make his own path to new Cheese. Meanwhile, Haw vows to keep an eye out for changes to his new Cheese, explore the Maze for more sources, and keep his running shoes handy.

The classmates enjoy Michael’s story and meet later to discuss it. One of them, Angela, asks the others which of The Story’s characters—Sniff, Scurry, Hem, or Haw—they saw as themselves. Carlos recognized himself in Hem because, early in Carlos’s career, he got fired from a job, resented this intrusion on his expectations, and for a time refused to look for a new job. Others in the group seconded Carlos, seeing similar things happening either to them directly or to their friends, relatives, and businesses.

Laura, a successful businesswoman, asks how many in the group are afraid of change. One hand goes up. She then asks how many believe other people are afraid of change; nearly all the hands go up. The group agrees that people not only become afraid but deny that feeling and immobilize themselves.

Another problem is arrogance. One member’s company, which sold printed encyclopedias door-to-door, resisted digitizing their product, thinking their business model would last forever. Now, they struggle to keep up with the market.

The group disagrees on whether Hem will ever go out and find his own Cheese. Cory, a physician, notices in his practice that patients who get stuck in resentment tend to become sicker than those who “move on.”

Nathan, whose family owned small stores hit hard by big-box competitors, wonders if they should have chosen to “move our own Cheese” (83). If his family had gotten out of their small stores and built a large “modern store,” perhaps they’d have done much better.

Storyteller Michael tried to manage his company one problem at a time instead of leading the company into the future. His real job “was to paint a picture of ‘New Cheese’ that we would all want to pursue” (85). Michael saw that his firm had all four types of characters from The Story—Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw—and that each had a different role to play at work.

Sniffs looked out for marketplace changes and devised updates to the corporate vision. Scurries acted quickly to bring back “Cheese.” Hems needed to feel safe, and some learned that change was safer than standing still, while others refused to budge and were let go. Haws, at first reluctant, learned to embrace change and supported processes that made adapting to new situations easier to do. They also brought a sense of humor to projects.

Richard, the most skeptical member of the group, now admits that he can see how his children resist changes that can be good for them. Angela says The Story works, not just for workplace issues, but also for relationships. Cory agrees, thinking he should get out of a musty old relationship, but Angela counters that it might simply be old behaviors that need to be replaced, not the people themselves. Richard agrees, saying he might do better simply to change how he does his job rather than changing jobs altogether.

Becky recalls how, when her husband’s work moved from Illinois to Vermont, their son deeply resented moving from his old high school, where his friends and beloved swim team were, to a new school with no swimming program. In Vermont, though, he discovered a love for skiing, and everything worked out well.

Jessica plans to talk to her family about its old Cheese and the possibilities for new and better Cheese. Some of the others plan similar conversations centered around the Cheese story to share with their own work and family groups. Michael’s company fell on such hard times that it suffered layoffs, but everyone in the company discussed the Cheese story, and their attitudes improved. Even those laid off reported that the story helped them in their job search; some got hired at better jobs. Those who stayed worked better together because no one wanted to be the “Hem” of the group.

Michael’s company shared the Cheese story with potential business partners in the hope that they, too, would take it to heart and come to regard Michael’s firm as their “New Cheese.”

As the classmates take their leave, Michael tells them he hopes they will soon share the Cheese story with others.