➧ Leadership Lessons from Who Moved My Cheese?
The essence of Who Moved My Cheese? is about how people handle (or do not handle) change. It is a part of life and knowing how to cope is a necessary life and leadership skill.
The key to successful leadership is realizing that change is inevitable and actually a good thing. Employees will come and go, clients will come and go, and projects will come and go. The only way to ensure that a company survives is a leader who adheres to a clearly formulated and consistent vision. As it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day as a leader it is important to ensure that everyone is moving towards a long-term goal – no matter what change is thrown at you on the way towards it.
The sooner a leader understands that positivity and not anxiety is the key to dealing with change the sooner he can instill this belief in his employees.
➧ Here are my notes from the book in the form of some cheese bites:
Remember that old beliefs do not lead you to new cheese: Being complacent leads to extinction. Embracing change and being flexible as a boss leads to survival.Don’t over-analyze or over-complicate things: Keep the true and tried mantra of K.I.S.S. in mind. Too many leaders take too long to convey a simple message.Go past fear and enjoy the journey of finding new cheese: Embrace the thrill of the hunt, be curious, and push the envelope. This is your job as a leader.Let go of old behavior instead of letting go of the situation: A different viewpoint can often help a situation more than a change of scenery.If you don’t change you’ll become extinct: It’s ok to Pivot as needed, or else you’ll be caught without any options.Consider what you might do if you weren’t afraid: This is a key takeaway as fear holds you back and prevents you from moving forward.Smell the cheese often so you know when it’s getting old: In life and in business timing is everything.Move beyond the fear and feel free:Don’t be afraid to be leader and take the first step.Imagine yourself enjoying the new cheese even before you find it: It’s important to visualize an end goal as it will speed up reality.Let go of old cheese quicker so you can find new cheese sooner: When it’s time to let go, be sure to let go.Notice little changes early and help yourself adapt to bigger changes later:While practice really can make things perfect , it is even more important to keep an eye out for early signs of change.
