| Ok, I read it, me and at least a million other | | | | and mess around with our very affordable (upper |
| people, maybe even you. Who Moved My | | | | twenties to mid-thirties) cents a gallon price for |
| Cheese? by Spencer Johnson is a wildly successful | | | | gasoline.It was just about then that the US |
| little book about change in life and in business. It's | | | | automobile makers really started to run around |
| a parable about two mice and two little people | | | | trying to figure out not only who moved their |
| whose cheese is no longer in the usual place and | | | | cheese but also who threw a large portion of it |
| how they handle the enormous adjustments it | | | | away. In the mean time, the Japanese and |
| brings.Hmmm........interesting. How many of us have | | | | Germans were having our cheese and eating it |
| had our cheese moved right in the middle of | | | | too.Incredible, out of what seemed to be |
| enjoying it? Well, if you have than you know that | | | | nowhere, a change occurred that altered the way |
| perhaps you should have seen it coming. Change | | | | we buy one of our most basic "needs" forever. |
| can be a lot easier to deal with if you take time | | | | Why? Because someone didn't wait for their |
| to check out the landscape on a continuous basis | | | | "cheese to be moved" but decided to create |
| before the change actually occurs.Years ago, | | | | something totally out of the "cheese box" (a |
| American automobile manufacturers had this | | | | phrase from a bye-gone era) and put a plan in |
| country all to themselves. I'm sure, as the | | | | place to follow their strategy through.While "Who |
| corporate organizations they were, they had no | | | | Moved My Cheese" was a delightful story, we all |
| inkling that over the horizon the Japanese and | | | | know that successful business is more about |
| Germans were getting ready to take over a | | | | creating change then reacting to it. Too often by |
| major share of the market. Certainly, some | | | | the time the reaction happens, it's too late at |
| individuals within the "Big Three" knew something | | | | worst or brings far less than the return you |
| was up, but the entities as a whole felt that they | | | | desired at best.The competition that exists in |
| were secure.If only the Americans would have | | | | today's market can be overwhelming. The edge |
| taken the time to understand that their cheese | | | | goes to the people who analyze the market on a |
| could be moved in the future, and not have | | | | continuous basis, plan for a future that may not |
| waited for the event to happen (as all our little | | | | be evident, have brainstorming sessions, think |
| friends in the book did).We now know that | | | | creatively, stay open minded and non-judgmental, |
| General Motors, Ford and Chrysler had their heads | | | | put strategies and implementation procedures |
| handed to them by the overseas competition and | | | | together, and look over the horizon to see who's |
| the market has never been the same.Geez (or | | | | coming.It wasn't that long ago that we drove |
| should I say Cheese), what the heck happened?It | | | | DeSotos and Hudsons, used mimeograph |
| was an amazing phenomenon to watch. If you | | | | machines and actually mailed all our |
| are old enough to remember, when the first | | | | correspondence, even the urgent stuff, spoke |
| Japanese cars were imported here decades ago, | | | | only over "regular" phones, and the only screens |
| they looked somewhat like Nash Metropolitans (a | | | | we looked at were the ones on our TVs and in |
| small car of substance, made by a small US | | | | the movie theaters.Waiting for change in business |
| manufacturer) without the substance. I recall | | | | can and often is deadly. Do not wait for your |
| thinking how much they reminded me of the toy | | | | cheese to be moved. Don't even worry about the |
| cars I played with when I was a little boy, that | | | | cheese. Spend some time inventing a cheese |
| were also made in Japan, and wondering if they | | | | alternative! Make sure it tastes great. Test it on a |
| were held together by the same method, a slot in | | | | couple of focus groups. Give it a great name, with |
| which a tab of metal was inserted and then bent | | | | a super package. Set up a comprehensive |
| over to hold the pieces in place. I'm sure the | | | | distribution network. Put a dynamite promotion |
| American auto giants weren't threatened at all.We | | | | together. Place some targeted advertising, |
| drove along getting our ten to twelve miles per | | | | marketing and PR. And catch the cheese industry |
| gallon and were quite content. Of course we didn't | | | | sleeping!All this food talk is making me hungry.Let |
| know any better!What were the American car | | | | me see....maybe I'll have some cereal, with soy |
| designers thinking? Were they all asleep at the | | | | milk of course!Dan Goldberg, MBA, is President of |
| wheel?It didn't take long for our Japanese and | | | | Dan Goldberg Consulting L.L.C. a training, coaching |
| German friends to see that they had an opening. | | | | and business development firm located in the |
| And they went for it with a passion that wasn't | | | | Philadelphia, PA area. He is the founder and former |
| happening in Detroit. Hey, they definitely were not | | | | owner of "For Eyes" the highly successful |
| going to wait for their cheese to be moved. They | | | | international optical company and an internationally |
| were too busy planning to move ours!They | | | | recognized keynote speaker. Dan is the author of |
| started by studying the American market. They | | | | the book "Stand Back A Second, Just don't fall |
| made changes to their cars more rapidly than the | | | | off the edge," and of "The Six Steps To Solid |
| Americans manufacturers did. They created a | | | | Sales Success" and "The Seven Elements Of |
| look that we hadn't seen before and promoted it | | | | Successful Management" programs. He is |
| in new ways. And on top of all that, their cars got | | | | Executive-In-Residence at Kutztown University |
| gas mileage that the general public didn't know | | | | and has been the subject of stories in |
| existed. Wait a second.....you mean we can get | | | | Newsweek, Business Week, Playboy, Successful |
| more than twelve miles to the gallon?! And it's | | | | Business, Investor's Business Daily, major |
| good lookin' too!From the original Volkswagen | | | | newspapers in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, |
| Beetle to the Datsun 280Z, Americans, especially | | | | D.C., Boston, Baltimore, Miami, San Francisco, |
| on the East and West Coasts, were starting to | | | | Oakland, St. Louis, Chicago, Los Angeles and many |
| fall in love with their imports. And then the stuff | | | | other national and local publications. In addition, Dan |
| hit the fan! OPEC and their oil company buddies | | | | has appeared on Good Morning America and other |
| decided to have some fun in the early seventies | | | | national and local television and radio programs. |