Change... I think it’s safe to say we have all experienced huge change in recent times but, how have we dealt with it?

Change is traumatic. Whether we are ready for it or not. Even change we have longed for is traumatic. A new home, a new job, even starting a family. We all have to process the change and will experience the feeling of ‘mourning the loss’ of what we once had. How beautiful our tiny garden was in our old house, how we miss our lovely work colleagues and how our lives were much less complicated without children!!! These are all natural reactions, the most important part is that we don’t stay in the ‘mourning’ stage for long, we move on, accept and appreciate the new.

‘Smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old’ is a quote from a brilliant book; ‘Who Moved My Cheese.

The book is about two mice and two small people trying to navigate their way through a maze which in the story is a metaphor for life. They are all searching for the cheese, which represents the thing you are striving for, money, a job, family etc. Challenge is thrown in their way and naturally, each of the characters in the book approaches the challenge in a different way. It’s a book that brings to life how we all behave differently when going through change. There is a great moment in the book when you identify which character you are and how you current react to change. The best bit about this book is that it gives us tools, in the form of short lessons on how to improve our reaction to change.

These are my favourite lessons:

The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese

...The ‘old’ may have been appealing and comfortable but, when you let go of the old, you might realise that there is something better to be had anyway. Perhaps you didn’t see it before because you weren’t looking for it.

Smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old

.....Essentially, check your comfortable environment regularly, can you anticipate change coming? This could help you prepare. Take a step back and review regularly.

It is safer to search in the maze, than remain in a cheeseless situation

....Going off searching for change might feel uncomfortable or even worrying but the fear you let build up in your mind is almost always worse than the situation that exists. Once you start looking for it, the journey itself may be more enjoyable than you imagined.

If you haven’t already read the book, or read it recently, hopefully this has sparked your interest. Dr Spencer Johnsons book is available here. This is just a short piece of the content that we explore in more detail within our management and leadership apprenticeship programmes. For more information contact info@leadersfortomorrow.co.uk.