From the CEO: What "Who Moved My Cheese" Taught Me About Change

A Leadership Lesson on Change, Comfort, and Adaptation

Who Moved My Cheese? is a simple story with an enduring lesson: change is inevitable—and how we respond to it often determines whether we grow or get left behind.

One of the most impactful leadership books I’ve ever read is also one of the shortest.

No jargon. No frameworks. No ego.

Just a simple story about change — and how people respond when it shows up unannounced.

Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson stuck with me because it captures something I’ve seen over and over again in real business environments: change doesn’t hurt nearly as much as resisting it does.

Change Happens Whether You Approve It or Not

In business, markets shift. Technology evolves. Client expectations change. Teams grow. Systems that once worked start to strain.

None of that asks for permission.

What separates strong organizations from struggling ones isn’t whether change happens — it’s how quickly they recognize it and respond.

The longer you pretend nothing has changed, the harder the adjustment becomes.

Comfort Is Not the Same as Stability

One of the most important lessons in the book is how easily comfort can be mistaken for security.

I’ve watched businesses and leaders cling to familiar processes simply because they worked once. The problem is that what used to work can quietly become the thing holding you back.

Growth demands movement. Standing still feels safe, but it rarely is.

Adaptation Is a Leadership Skill

Change doesn’t just affect systems. It affects people.

As leaders, we don’t just navigate change ourselves — we set the tone for how our teams experience it. If leadership treats change as a threat, the organization follows. If leadership treats it as an opportunity to learn, improve, and refine, that mindset spreads just as quickly.

The lesson is simple: adaptation is contagious.

The Cheese Always Moves Again

This may be the most overlooked takeaway.

Even when you adapt successfully — even when things are working — change isn’t done. Another shift will come. Another adjustment will be required. That’s not failure. That’s business.

The goal isn’t to chase stability. The goal is to build organizations and teams that can move confidently when the maze changes.

For Business Owners

If you’re feeling frustrated, stuck, or nostalgic for “how things used to be,” it may be worth asking a simple question:

Has the cheese moved? And if it has — are you moving with it?

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For those who prefer a visual summary, there is a widely available animated video adaptation of Who Moved My Cheese? on YouTube that reinforces the core lesson of adapting to change.

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This article is part of our “From the CEO” series — reflections on leadership, growth, and the decisions that shape how we build at KILEY.