Who Moved My Cheese?

“Who Moved My Cheese?”

“Who Moved My Cheese?” is an interesting yet simple book written by Dr. Spencer Johnson. This parable takes a curious look into change, our reaction to it, and the different personalities that we hold within ourselves when dealing with it. The book was a quick read, but was amusingly applied to my career and life as well.
This reading assignment is a mandatory read ordered by the Warrant Officer Instructor Branch. At first glance, you wonder exactly what they are preparing you for with reading assignments that include “Who Moved My Cheese?” and “The Life of Pi(e).” Some actually snicker that we are here to learn how to cook rather than to target! Once you delve into the book, however, you realize that the school house is introducing you to a solution to the problems we all face.
Each of the students in this class is leaving their “old, comfortable, cheese” behind. Every Soldier within our ranks is experiencing major changes not only in their daily activities, but in their and others expectations as well. No longer will we be known as the executor of plans and orders. Forevermore, we will be known as the planner of operations and targeting cycles. Each of us has many years invested in our old manners of thinking, some as many as 28 years!
So how are we to adapt and overcome this drastic change? That’s where this reading assignment comes in. It allows us passage into four characters: Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw; each of whom has their own way of dealing with change. Amazingly, it is easy to align yourself, and others you know, with certain characters in the book. I personally found traits of each character within myself; though, I aligned more so with Haw. This book opens your eye to the fact that change will inevitably occur within our lifetimes. We may choose to ignore its presence or identify the early warning signs and prepare for our new direction. Regardless of which personality you...