I'm reading this book 'Who Moved My Cheese?' and I like it. I have friends who are the mice (which I think if funny) and I think I've been Hem for too long and now want to be Haw.
Has anyone read this book and what did you think of it?
Who Moved My Cheese?
by mrsjones5 29 Replies latest jw friends
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TardNFeatheredJW
I have that book, too. It was given to everyone in my department at work. I read it. Unfortunately, the cheese moved to China and Mexico, so now several starving mice are looking for new cheese. I was lucky, my cheese hunting skills are very sharp.
I did read it, and I thought it was okay. This was about 12 years ago, so now that you mention it, I think I'll give it another read.
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mrsjones5
lol, I like it. It's a simple story that kinds smacks ya in the head cuz you think "I should know better!"
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JeffT
I read it a long time ago. I think its a great book, if used correctly. Then I went to work for a boss who had read it, and was always talking to us about running down tunnels with no cheese.
Problem was, he was the one moving the cheese.
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NewChapter
I read it. I hated it. But let me tell you why.
As a writer, I get to meet a lot of other writers. I know one person that writes quite a bit under contract. Corporations will tell him exactly what they are looking for, and he will write the book. It is then used to indoctrinate employees with ideas and to encourage them to be a certain type of worker. On the surface, it seems wonderful and empowering. Underneath, it is an attempt for an employer to control thinking and attitude.
As for my fellow writer, he read some of his work aloud. Very "cheese" like. Simplistic, almost childlike. A lesson, a fable. I could barely stand it. It has already been translated into 12 languages. Clearly, I'm the minority. I worked for a corporation that had a lot of influence over the businesses in the mall connected to it's world headquarters. I would go to the bookstore on almost every break. Cheese was always conveniently situated at eye level visible on walking in. I do believe my corp. was responsible, at least in part, for such placement. I'm not into conspiracies, but marketing is not lost on me.
That is why I hate business fables. I know the writers of business fables aren't interested in helping you to be happier. They are simply selling a product. It is also why I hate the WT.
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mrsjones5
Kinda negative but ensightful. Thank you NewChapter.
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TardNFeatheredJW
Corporations will tell him exactly what they are looking for, and he will write the book. It is then used to indoctrinate employees with ideas and to encourage them to be a certain type of worker. On the surface, it seems wonderful and empowering. Underneath, it is an attempt for an employer to control thinking and attitude.
Sound familiar? I once read a magazine like that. I think it was called Watchtower or Awake or some other lame drivel.
As for book placement in stores, publishers pay extra for position in a bookstore.
Like I said, it's been 12 years since I read the book, but yeah... Good point about it being written for a specific purpose at the direction of a corporation. Social engineering at its finest.
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NewChapter
I read it. Unfortunately, the cheese moved to China and Mexico, so now several starving mice are looking for new cheese.
Yeah, corporations will often pass this book out just before they reorganize things. It primes workers to go peacefully into that good night. Most of my opinion is based on reading these books and discussion with that author who made one, but here is an article that is probably a bit more thought out and articulate than I am on this subject.
If your boss gives you this book, it might be a good idea to freshen up the resume.
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TardNFeatheredJW
Holy crap. He (ratboss) refers to the book "The One-minute Manager" which was given to me when I took a class in management. I wonder if we worked in the same company?
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jgnat
Cheese saved my sanity when working for a very large employer. A project I had volunteered for was shelved and I was assigned a misfit, boring job. I read the book, and took charge of my career again. I started looking for opportunities and shortly thereafter, was promoted to a position much more suited to my skills. Big, impersonal employers can't be trusted to have your best interests at heart because they cannot know you.
If you liked Cheese, I bet you would like:
Catch!: A Fishmonger's Guide to Greatness by Cyndi Crother