Educational Leadership

1. Travis Dion Brock EDU 610 L02.A
“Who Moved My Cheese”
Prepared by Jim Messina, Ph.D.

2. Why Is Change So Hard?

Four personalities that will assist
change

Proactive Is a Must

Foresight to recognize change

3. Life is a Maze of Change
&Growth!!!

4. The First Agents of
Change: Sniff & Scurry
SNIFF – Understand that He must
change early
SCURRY – Moves quickly into action
 Two mice were ready and active to make
change happen when they entered the maze
 The environment was never comfortable to
them
 The unknown Was OK to be explored
 False assumptions were not a thing to them

5. The Second Set of Agents
of Change: Hem & Haw
HEM – Does not want change because it can lead
to a worse position
HAW – Adapts to change because it can lead to
something greater in life for him
 Two intelligent little people who have the ability to
rationalize what they want
 The human tendencies allowed for them become
comfortable & complacent
“Having cheese makes you happy.”

6. Hem & Haw’s Are Stuck
 The two little peoples arrogance clouded
their judgment – The cheese was their
Status & Security
 The two were unprepared for the changes
that were coming their way
“The more important your
cheese is to you the more you
want to hold on to it.”

7. Hem & Haw’s Flaws
• Hem & Haw spent much of their time
blaming & over-analyzing each other
• Activity was confused with productivity
“If you do not change, you
can become extinct.”

8. Haw Woke Up!
 Action taken by Haw – Realized that
yesterdays Cheese was not coming back
– New cheese is a must –
IT’S MOVE ON TIME!!!
 Haw was terrified however he managed it
– He knew fear can be a good thing

9. Haw Woke Up!
 Haw’s imagination over came his fears
 Haw understood change wasn’t bad
– He took control of his destiny
“What would you do if you weren’t
afraid?”

10. Haw Moved Forward!
 Haw made small advancements which was
better than being in a “Cheese-less situation”
 He looked back at the situation realizing all
along change was going on around him –
The cheese old, depleted & stale
 Haw was been blinded by complacency &
arrogance
“Smell the cheese often so you know
when it is getting old.”

11. Haw Committed to
Change!
 Realizing if he had moved sooner it would
have been easier to find the cheese
 From now on Haw stayed more alert
 Haw didn’t let himself get comfortable
again
“Movement in a new direction helps you
find new cheese.”

12. Haw Let Go of His Fears!
 Haw felt like giving up as he was still
weighed down by fearful beliefs
 Haw finally was able to move past his
fears and he was free of the past
 He breathed new energy and he was full
of life
“When you move beyond your fear,
you feel free.”

13. Haw Imagined the Change!
 Haw imagined finding the cheese to help
overcome his fears
 He revisited Hem & realized what he
enjoyed was not the cheese, rather it was
the process of becoming stronger mentally
“Imagining myself enjoying new cheese
even before I find it, leads me to it.”

14. Haw Let Go of Old Beliefs!
 Haw began understanding that new
beliefs were creating new behaviors
“When you change what you believe,
you change what you do.”
“The quicker you let go of old cheese,
the sooner you find new cheese.”

15. Haw Took Risk to Change!
 Haw realized he was afraid of was only
afraid of what he imagined and not reality
 He became excited about finding new
cheese
“It is safer to search in the maze than
remain in a cheese-less situation.”

16. Haw woke up to
Reality as it is!
 Haw now realized he would have been
in better shape if he had dealt with
change sooner.
“When you see that you can find and
enjoy new cheese, you change
course.”

17. Haw succeeds in Finding
New Cheese by Changing!
 Haw found that taking risks and getting out
of his comfort zone created an abundance
of cheese that would not have been
possible if he stayed in his comfort zone
“Noticing small changes early helps you
adapt to the bigger changes that are to
come.”

18. CHANGE IS GOOD!!!

19. What was the Cheese in
this Story?
 Cheese is a metaphor for what you
want in life

SPITRITUAL PEACE WITH GOD

MONEY

HEALTH

GOOD CAREER

20. What is the Maze in this
Story?
 The Maze is where you look for what
you want in your:

Work

Family

Community

21. The Importance to be a
Scurry or a Sniff?

22. Importance of being a Sniff
or a Scurry
 Keep life simple, do not over analyze
 Be flexible & open-minded to progression
 Adapt to change easier and faster
 See little changes so YOU are ready for larger ones
 Be ahead of business cycle
 Remember - Tomorrow is not promised to anyone –
especially us
 Use the past to plan the future
 Imagine what YOU want

23. Change from a Personal &
Business Perspective
 Change is happening constantly – YOU are
either moving with it or being passed by
 It keeps YOU young & active
 Change is about learning & growing
 YOU will be able to ride the business cycle
longer if YOU are adaptable
 Change is about controlling YOUR fear

24. The Handwriting on the
Wall
 Change Happens
 They Keep Moving the Cheese
 Anticipate Change
 Get Ready for the Cheese to Move
 Monitor Change
 Smell the Cheese Often so You Know When it is
Getting Old
 Adapt to Change Quickly
 The Quicker You Let Go of Old Cheese, the
Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese

25. The Handwriting on the
Wall
 Change
 Move With the Cheese
 Enjoy Change!
 Savor the Adventure & Enjoy the Taste Of
New Cheese!
 Be Ready to Change Quickly & Enjoy It Again
& Again
 They Keep Moving the Cheese

26. “Move With the Cheese
And Enjoy It!”

27. Summary
 Four personalities of handling change & the
importance of being proactive
 Recognize change & welcome it!
 Be aware of the change that may be coming
our way in the future?

28. References
 Spencer Johnson, M.D. (1998). Who
Moved My Cheese? New York: Penguin
Putnam.