Who Moved My Cheese? Why Growth and Adaptability in Business Matter More Than Ever

Growth and Adaptability in Business: Lessons from Who Moved My Cheese?

If you’ve ever read Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, you know it’s a simple yet powerful story about change. The book’s message is timeless: change is inevitable, and our success depends on how we respond to it.

Recently, I was reminded of this lesson through a real-life situation with a vendor our organization works with. For over a decade, probably close to fifteen years, his system has stayed the same. No upgrades. No improvements. No effort to make it more user-friendly.

Each time we requested enhancements to better serve our members, we were met with resistance and criticism. Instead of embracing growth and adaptability in business, he insisted that his outdated interface was “just fine.”

But here’s the truth: growth requires movement, and adaptability fuels relevance.

Just like in Who Moved My Cheese?, those who cling to the old way of doing things eventually get left behind. The characters who thrived were the ones who adapted quickly and moved forward with confidence.

This might sound like a simple concept, almost a “duh” moment, but it’s fascinating how many people in today’s business world still resist change. We see it all the time: leaders, partners, or vendors clinging to outdated systems and wondering why things aren’t working anymore. It’s as if they’re still running around asking, “Who moved my cheese?” when the answer has been right in front of them the whole time.

It’s really quite fascinating, and a little unbelievable, that in a world moving so quickly, so many still struggle to embrace growth and adaptability in business.

After years of trying to collaborate and improve things, our organization finally decided to move on. We’re switching vendors, a business relationship that lasted nearly fifteen years, all because he refused to evolve and provide modern customer service.

This situation is a living example of why growth and adaptability in business aren’t optional, they’re essential. You can’t stop change, but you can decide how to respond to it.

Embrace Change Before You’re Forced To

Change can be uncomfortable, but resisting it is far more costly. The best leaders, partners, and vendors are those who stay adaptable and humble enough to grow.

Like the book says, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”

Maybe the answer is simple: stay curious, stay flexible, and keep moving your cheese.