Lessons From The First Book My First Mentor Gave Me. Who Moved My Cheese? Why Adapting Faster Is the Ultimate Career Advantage
Kintsugi Co. | Article Series – High-Agency Thinking & Career Growth
At some point in your career, your “cheese” will be moved.
Your market shifts
Your product changes
Your sales slow down
Your routine stops working
A leader you relied on leaves
A new standard is set—and you’re expected to rise
Most people panic.
The ones who win? They move.
That’s the core message of Who Moved My Cheese?—a simple but powerful story about four characters navigating change in a maze, each responding differently when their cheese disappears.
And it’s one of the best mental models you can use to get ahead—especially inside a company like Kintsugi Co., where speed, ownership, and adaptability are part of our DNA.
Let’s break down what the cheese really means—and what career lessons you need to take from this timeless book.
1. The Cheese Will Move. Expect It.
In the story, the characters “Hem” and “Haw” are surprised when the cheese disappears. They thought it would always be there.
The other characters—“Sniff” and “Scurry”—immediately start looking for new cheese.
Lesson: Change is not the enemy. Surprise is.
Your success depends on how quickly you adjust—not how tightly you hold onto old routines.
At Kintsugi, we don’t fear shifts in expectations. We embrace them.
Because we’re not married to comfort—we’re loyal to growth.
2. Comfort Zones Kill Growth
“Hem” stays frozen. He believes the cheese will come back. He wastes time waiting.
“Haw” eventually decides to move—but only after wasting valuable time and energy stuck in denial.
This is what most people do in their careers.
They:
Wait for someone else to fix the problem
Hope for the old system to return
Resent the fact that they now have to work differently
But here’s the reality:
Your environment doesn’t owe you stability. You owe yourself adaptability.
If you want to lead, grow, and outperform—you have to develop the habit of moving first, not reacting late.
3. What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
The characters who succeed in the book don’t just move—they update their mindset.
They leave behind old habits, old assumptions, and old paths that no longer serve them.
“Smell the cheese often so you know when it’s getting old.” – Spencer Johnson
In your career:
That might mean updating your approach to sales
Learning new tech instead of resisting it
Leveling up your communication
Or embracing higher expectations instead of fearing them
At Kintsugi Co., the people who rise are those who evolve by choice, not by force.
4. Movement Builds Momentum
The most powerful moment in the story is when “Haw” finally laughs, realizing how much time he wasted—and how easy it was to start moving once he just let go of the fear.
That’s the key to your growth:
Don’t overthink. Start walking.
Don’t wait for clarity. Build it through action.
Don’t need all the answers to begin. Begin to get the answers.
Movement is power.
5. The Cheese Isn’t Coming Back. Find New Cheese.
One of the harshest—but most useful—truths in the book is this:
The old cheese isn’t returning.
The faster you accept that, the faster you grow.
This applies to:
Old comp plans
Old roles
Old ways of prospecting
Old team structures
Even old mindsets
If something’s changed, ask:
“What does the new maze require of me?”
Then adapt to that—faster than everyone else.
Final Thought: Don’t Be Hem. Be the One Who Moves First.
Everyone experiences change.
Only a few benefit from it.
At Kintsugi Co., we’re not just building top performers.
We’re building people who run toward growth—even when it’s uncomfortable.
So when the cheese moves, ask yourself:
Will I freeze or move?
Complain or create?
Wait or win?
Because in a company moving this fast, the ones who rise are the ones who move first and forward.
Want to build this into a leadership training or morning meeting series?
Let’s turn this mindset into action—so your team doesn’t just keep up… they lead the way.