I recently re-read Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. I read it when it first came out about 15 years ago. If you haven’t read it recently, you should read it again. And if you have’t read it before, pick it up, you can read the whole thing in less than 20 minutes. Yes, it’s cheesy (pun intended) and the overall analogy is a bit in-your-face, but I still learned something from it reading it again.
I think parts of this book will mean something different for you depending on the challenges you’re currently dealing with. The message that in particular stuck out for me this time is this:
Smell the Cheese Often So You Know When It’s Getting Old”
Not to ruin it for you, but in the story the people were so comfortable with their success that they didn’t notice both that their supply of cheese was dwindling, but also the cheese they had was getting old and less tasty.
On this Monday, think about your cheese. Is it getting stinky?
- Is there a product your customers buy less enthusiastically today than they used to?
- Is your pricing structure still as effective as it used to be?
- Are you keeping up with the competition? Are the new guys doing it better than you?
- Are you measuring what you need to measure to ensure your clients are as satisfied as they used to be?
- Does your brand stand for the same standards it used to? Are those good standards? Should they change?
- Are you reaching new, younger buyers or the same tired market you’ve relied on for years?
Food for thought. And, enough with the food puns. Happy Monday!
About Monday Matters: Monday morning is a great time to think about some big picture strategy. You’re hopefully rested from the weekend and ready to come out swinging. Don’t waste this glorious freshness on your in-box. Before you get into your tactical to-do list for the week, take this moment to pause and think about strategy. I will post a thought to get you started most Mondays.
Photo credit: Mark McLaughlin via Flickr Commons