Who Moved My Cheese?

Throughout the text, Johnson uses the ineffective mindsets of Hem and Haw to illustrate the idea that a sense of entitlement hinders constructive action. Most notably, Hem believes that he deserves his cheese and reacts with indignation when it disappears, demanding compensation rather than seeking workable solutions. Haw, on the other hand, gradually recognizes the futility of waiting for circumstances to change and moves to explore the metaphorical “maze” of life paths in search of new resources. In the discussion section of the text, the figures of the students then apply this lesson to professional settings, critiquing those who assume that job security is guaranteed or expect their lives to follow a predictable script. As Hem’s attitude demonstrates, feeling a sense of entitlement to a particular outcome often prevents people from seeking out new opportunities. For example, industries like taxi services suffered when they clung to legacy models instead of adapting to more innovative rideshare technologies. Similarly, Johnson implies that embracing change on an individual level might involve adjusting expectations around relationships, roles, or identity to reflect current realities.

Haw’s journey toward new cheese is designed to show that positive visualizations can be used to overcome fears and inhibitions. By imagining himself enjoying new cheese, he becomes more willing to venture into unknown parts of the maze. As Haw’s visualizations encourage him to venture out and find a few bits of cheese (e.g., his first inklings of success), Johnson uses this scenario to show that imagining success can reduce anxiety and create momentum. This approach aligns with well-documented practices in sports psychology and performance coaching, where visualizing success helps athletes and leaders to increase their confidence and focus. Similar tactics include using vision boards, mental rehearsal, or journaling to cultivate an optimistic attitude toward future possibilities. Many of Johnson’s strategies can easily be applied to personal challenges like navigating a career transition, as someone in this situation might visualize thriving in a new role or finding satisfaction in relocating to a new city. These practices do not guarantee outcomes, but they are intended to help people bridge the gap between paralysis and purposeful action.

The book contrasts the behavior of the mice—who immediately move on in search of more cheese—with the dismayed paralysis of Hem and Haw. The simplicity of the mice’s pragmatic response serves as a metaphor for taking swift, uncomplicated action to overcome uncertainties. As Hem and Haw actively resist the idea of braving the maze to search for new resources, their hesitation reflects the human tendency to analyze, rationalize, and delay. Johnson also implies that organizations exhibit similar behaviors and can overcome this issue by creating more agile decision-making processes, encouraging experimentation, and prioritizing improvement rather than perfection. On a personal level, individual employees can overcome job scarcity by acknowledging their discomfort and taking small but constructive steps toward a bolder goal. The goal is not to ignore complexity, but to reduce psychological barriers to movement. People who “scurry” forward are more likely to find their next opportunity than those who remain stuck in contemplation.

Sniff and Scurry anticipate the depletion of their cheese because they continue to observe their environment rather than taking its available resources for granted. While they actively anticipate future problems, Hem and Haw become complacent and assume that their cheese supply is permanent. This metaphor aptly applies to a business setting, and Johnson implicitly urges leaders to monitor the real-world equivalent of “cheese”: customer trends, employee morale, and competitor innovation. Likewise, individual employees should pay attention to signs of burnout, strained relationships, or declining health before such issues escalate. The whimsical lesson to “smell the cheese often” equates to constantly reassessing current conditions for signs of crisis: a much more effective approach than waiting until sudden change drastically limits the available options.