Victor or Victim?

Have you read the book Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson? It’s one of my favourite reads and it’s super relevant to our current reality. The story follows a group of two mice and a group of two little people. Every day they go into the maze (which is an analogy for the market) to find cheese. For many many years, there is a reliable big supply of cheese at “Cheese Station C”. So day in and day out the mice and the little people go to Cheese Station C to get their fill. And they get complacent.

Then, one day, the cheese is gone apart from a few tiny scraps. The next day, the cheese isn’t there either. Nor the day after that, or the day after that. After a few days, the mice scurry off in search of new cheese. The little people stick around hoping that the old cheese would show up again. They get angry and start complaining “who moved my cheese!” They think that they are entitled to the cheese and look for people to blame. They don't change their strategy and they go hungry.

For many of us in business today, our cheese has been moved. In this new economy, I think everyone in business has two choices: We can either be like the little people and resist change (and go hungry), or we can be like the mice and adapt to change. Those that adapt to change will find a way to succeed. Those that resist change may fall victim to the new economy.

I’m interested in your thoughts: What is your company’s attitude to change? What changes do you need to make that you have been resisting?

Mark Windust is an influential Thought Leader in the areas of Sales Strategy, Sales Leadership and Sales Performance. Since launching his consulting practice in 2007, Mark has worked with 1000's of business leaders, salespeople and entrepreneurs’ to help them transform their sales results.