Friday, January 22, 2010

Book reviews, tips, etc..

So I am starting a blog to use as a tool for my studies and thoughts. Though I hope to cover many things, I will mostly use it as a note taking service for myself.

Book: Who Moved my Cheese?



This book is a very small piece that you can finish in about an hour. I read it on the plane from Monterrey, Mexico to San Francisco, USA (Stop in D.F.). It entails the story of 4 mice. These mice do what mice always do and that is eat cheese and scurry. In the beginning they are all in a maze together, and wear little tennis shoes to run quickly around for cheese. Two of the mice are named Scurry and Sniff, the other two are some funny names about Hesitance and Sloth (way off, I know).

Anyway, these characters all want cheese and the book itself is a tale of how sometimes you find cheese in the world. Loads of cheese, and, God help us, it gets moved. The first two mice, Scratch and Sniff (again, off), everyday run as fast as they can to their cheese which has been in the same spot it always has been (oh joy). Only one day it's GONE! Shock of the century. They quickly grab their shoes from their necks, throw them on, and are off to search the maze. The other two mice sloooowly get to the spot, only to find the same predicament. Dear Lord, the cheese is gone. Why?? Will it return? Oh it must.


This story really did remind me of some people. Namely people in management who like things the way they are. These people are complacent because they think that what has worked will work again, and again. Much like the housing boom that was thought to, again and again, raise the value of homes by 30%+ year after year. When the market started to go bad, some people quickly moved out of the way, got their shoes and were off to doing other things (shorting the banks I presume). Others still felt it was just all wrong, and that the cheese was rightfully coming back. They sat and sat until they got so weak from not eating that they were scared to go out and get into the maze to look for more of that cheese.

Now I should mention that the Author made it clear that cheese does not NECESSARILY mean money, but instead what people strive for…it’s different for everyone after all. I liked the story, and I felt a bit at ease about how I have reacted to the changing global world that we live in. I've learned Cantonese when some would have shied away from not only doing business with China but also saying that they want no part with Communist countries. (Human rights problems are another topic, for another post.) I think it is clear that the momentum for finding the new global cheese is not with the U.S. markets (for we are heavily laden in debt, unable to get up to find new ideas and products) but with emerging markets unburdened by consumers who think going 0-10% down on a house with an adjustable rate is okay.

I say read this book, but better yet, share it, discuss it, and ask yourself which kind of mouse am I.