For Those Who Refuse to Live as Mice in Someone Else's Maze

Malhorta works a bit of magic in this book by looking at the WWMC lessons through the lenses of self-reliance, innovation and perseverance. His message is an uplifting one -- stop letting others define your life and stop living within the artificial boundaries set by others for you. Where WWMC was a pean to accepting the change around you, IMYC suggests that we have the (admittedly risky) option to simply create our own maze or ignore altogether that mazes even exist. It's a miniature manifesto for motivated mice.

I agree with another reviewer who noted that this may be great for Harvard MBAs. Of course, they are likely to go over or through the maze wall (however, one could ponder the point of getting out of one maze and into another, particularly if the other is filled with broom-wielding humans). The rest of us are better advised to make the best of our own maze and deal with change as it occurs. The author's general dismissal of all mice other than the three "world-changers" is about what I would expect given the elitist world which surrounds him. If you want an uplifting book to motivate people regarding life's journey, I would go with "oh the places you'll go" by Dr. Seuss.

How many of us have read the book, “Who Moved My cheese ?” ? Almost everyone, isn’t it ? It is hard to find a corporate employee who has not read this book, isn’t it ? Published in 1998, Dr. Spencer Johnson’s Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life has sold more than 26 million copies continues to be one of the best-selling business books ever. This 96 page book that involves the mice “Sniff & Scurry” and the little people “Hem & Haw” speaks about change being the constant thing in our lives. Sniff,Scurry, Hem and Haw live in a maze and want to have cheese to sustain themselves. How do they hunt for cheese? What happens after they find the first cheese station? What attitudes do they develop there? How would they realize that change is constant ? All these concepts are very well told in that book. Needless to say, Sniff,Scurry,Hem and Haw represent us, the humans, the maze represents our work environment and cheese is what we get to sustain ourselves. Our fears, resenting attitudes, arrogant behaviors and the apprehensions regarding change are all portrayed very well in the plot. The book asks us to be prepared for the change. It drives home the point “If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct“. It undoubtedly is one of the greatest business books of our times and the learnings we get out of it are of great value.

Now, consider this. We all know that Sniff , Scurry, Hem and Haw are adapting to change and are looking for new cheese in the maze. They indeed are adapting quite well. However, what if the maze is controlled by others. What if the cheese is being moved by some one who controls the maze ? What if the person is constantly moving the cheese just to play with the inhabitants of the maze? or, he/she is moving the cheese just to fulfill their his/her interests or at the worst to derive some sadistic pleasure ?

What should the inhabitants of the maze do in such circumstances? Are the inhabitants doomed to live a life where running after cheese in some else’s maze the only aim of life? Wouldn’t it be great if we can break from the maze and explore the world outside? Then, can we survive outside that maze. Well,we never thought of all these dimensions to this problem, did we ?

Most of us would have taken the maze for granted, however, Deepak Malhotra took another path . With all his interesting questions he challenges the very assumptions of the maze and cheese in his book “I moved your cheese”. He asks us to think beyond the maze, he asks us to stop living as cheese-scouting-mice in someone else’s maze. Similar to Spencer Johnson, Deepak too uses mice to drive home his point.He uses 3 mice to tell his story. Who are those 3 mice ? What are they searching for? How will they interact? How will they stumble on the great truths ? You will get answers to all these questions once you read the book.

I liked the way Deepak takes us towards the point he wants to make. The questions, the quest for the answers and the way the answers evolve are all awesome. In my opinion, the best part of the book is that this book is not against “Who moved my cheese? “, this book brings out a dimension that the former did not address. Thus, this in a way enhances the knowledge of the reader. This is what makes it a must read.

Taking on an established line of thought and proposing something new is always a risky proposition. Deepak Malhotra did that in a beautiful manner. He asks us to think beyond the obvious and makes us do it in a simple and succinct way . Do read the book, it definitely adds a new dimension to your thought process.

Happy Reading

Let's see--use a twist on a best-selling book (that wasn't all that original itself) from a few years back, skew the premise a little, and market the heck out of it to create a new bestseller. Kinda like those audio re-mixes you hear, which are really pathetic excuses for lack of originality.

Has everyone had a lobotomy? Don't people care that real original thought seems to be taking a hiatus?

However, my kudos to this author for his ability to use his position and prestige to create more cheese for himself. Pretty impressive!

Another reviewer has well captured the essence of this book which is for the highly motivated entrepreneur or wannabe.
WMMC was written for the average person stuck in the corporate maze and subject to the whims of VPs and the winds to modern competitive forces sweeping through industry. IMYC does not address this reality because the author lives in the ivory tower of HBS, nor would it serve his purpose to even if he does realize it. Mr. Malhotra has played a bit of cat and mouse game himself, playing "ID which entrepreneur you think this mouse is, and which do you want to identify with and emulate". The admixture of entrepreneurism and with "mouse mysticism" (levitating, breaking through walls...?) became too much for me and I ended the reading by being somewhat disgusted with this semi-clever but transparent attempt by the author to vault himself into the pantheon of gurus, of a new sort, a combined Deepak Chopra mystic + HBS professor. Mostly, I was disgusted with myself for picking up this book for $14.95 and thinking it might be a good build on WMMC. Instead it's really a pep rally for entrepreneurs, which is fine for the relatively few of them vs. the population. There are other inspirational books which are less mysterious and more instructive. And a better value.

This book is short and to the point with a very nice storyline piggybacking or countering "Who Moved My Cheese."

Everyday people and especially employees need to read motivational stories like this so that they can break through the wall of the workplace maze.

With so many rules and regulations in most workplaces people tend to believe they have no room for creativity and they spend their entire working day trying to please a Hitler-like boss. All that worrying and fear stifles mobility, creativity, and prevents people from being all they can be.

I Moved Your Cheese will give you ideas on how to think outside the maze. Your thinking is very likely to spread to others who are only focused on chasing organizational cheddar in the maze called the work place.

You will be inspired by mice like Max, Zed, and Big who are game changers proving the "maze" is a diversion hijacked by people. Read this book to find out what that means.

I have to admit that I was inspired to read this book simply because of the title! I am fairly new to the idea of taking control of your own destiny rather than allowing circumstances to weigh you down and I found the concept of this book by Deepak Malhorra really interesting. I loved the simply way in which it was written and the writing style wasn't too technical for the average person. I did however feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information. Previously I read Achieve Anything In Just One Year: Be Inspired Daily to Live Your Dreams and Accomplish Your Goals which introduces a similar concept in very small bitesize chunks which were easier for the novice!

This book engagingly counters the all too common "follow the herd" culture. In every sphere we encounter people and organizations running their own mazes without mustering up the courage to ask "Why?" Worldwide, parents and education systems teach people to uncritically accept society's yardsticks for "success" and run after them, taking it for granted that this is the path to "happiness". In a highly readable fable format, the book suggests that we stop to think a little bit more.

At the business school where I teach, and indeed at numerous others, it is taken as Gospel truth that being accredited by AACSB is the main goal and Dean after Dean focuses all the organization's resources and energy to achieve and maintain accreditation. Never mind that everyone knows and accepts that this accreditation is mostly a charade and that schools just scramble to put together enough documentation in the last minute to satisfy accreditation committees, without any serious commitment to the standards. It is another matter that the accreditation process is itself deeply flawed and routinely misses glaring omissions by schools. Student learning, real contribution to scholarship and the larger role of the school in society are all thrown by the wayside; the highly misleading surrogate measure of accreditation is our "cheese". In talking with several sitting and aspiring business school Deans, I have been shocked to see that chasing after accreditation and maintaining it is taken as the "obvious" main task of a Dean. It does not even occur to most to look beyond - even when prompted!

I'll take a rat any day. At least it can learn the maze!

At 45 minutes to read the story, this book is a quick read. Add another 15 minutes to skim the discussion questions, about the author, and other fluff and you're still looking at only an hour of your time. It's clear and well-written and had almost no typos.

Thanks to the professional quality and very quick read, I don't feel robbed of that hour, but I wouldn't recommend the book to anyone else. It's too simple and nothing new. It all boils down to encouragement that you hold your destiny in your own hands. You can break out of the maze, whether it's through ingenuity and the helping hands of others, by the power of positive thinking, or by brute force. Nothing ground breaking there.

I waited a few days after reading the book to see if the mental images it conjures turned out to be an inspiration, but they didn't. Yes, I will remember the story for a while because of the actions of the three star mice, but picturing a mouse being boosted up over a wall, or one walking through walls, or another breaking through a wall gets me nowhere. Not a horrible use of time, but not particularly productive either, so I've got to give it a middle-of-the-road review. I wouldn't buy it; check your library as I did.

I loved reading 'Who Moved My Cheese' and so I thought this book 'I Moved Your Cheese' would be a great follow up. It's a fast read with is great. And I liked the idea of the story - kinda - but not sure if it was executed quite right. The one mouse breaking away from the pack and being the maverick - meh! It's been done a lot. I read a lot of self-help books that I use to keep me inspired and flowing with ideas I can use as a small business owner and vocal coach. I'm always looking for inspiration for myself and also that I can pass on to others. I'd pass on Who Moved My Cheese, but would I recommend 'I Moved Your Cheese' to my voice students? I don't think I would because this book didn't quite do it for me. Not sure why. [...]

Malhotra and his 3 friends challenge the status quo in our lives and teach us to stop and consider: Will you be controlled by the forces around you, or will you stop, wonder, and even challenge why things are the way they are? Then what will you do? For those feeling caught in the "rat race" or like a mouse in a maze, this book is a call to stop for a moment and think. Is this your final destiny, your lot that you can adapt to but never escape? Shall you blindly forge ahead according to the supposed rules that everyone else is trained to follow? Is responding to changes that are forced upon us that we cannot control, the best we mere mice can hope to achieve? Or can we actually choose to change the game? The simple truth in IMYC just might be the impetus you need to change your course - a journey that begins by questioning if it is even possible. Just maybe you can decide to change the game, but you will have to have the courage to move someone else's cheese. Enjoy!

I enjoyed this read thoroughly, as an alternative to "The Good Book" (WMMC). The message: Do not allow yourself to be placed in the ever-changing maze.

A former VP preached about "Who Moved My Cheese"... right before the first mass layoff. Four layoffs later, I joined my fellow former co-workers, in the maze.

It did not take long to discover that I did not need to stay in that maze. Like Max, Zed, and Big, from IMYC, you must find your oun way out. Through the wall, over it, break it down. You might deside another way. Regardless, you do not have to stay in the maze.

Get deep with Deepak in this philosophical and liberating book. The "maze is in the mouse" is a genius insight about people putting constrains on what they can achieve by their own negative thought process. The entrenched mazes inside people put them into outside mazes ("the mouse is in the maze"), which leads to lack of accomplishment and life satisfaction, and also to creating artificial mazes for other people. Questions at the end are great for individual reflection, and arriving at unexpected deeply personal insights. The book reads very easily. Although it is about 100 pages long in large print, it has 1000 pages of content.

Written by an award winning Harvard Business School Professor, this book contains a deeper sense of wisdom.

My observations are:

1. It does not take too long to read, (which is an advantage in today's busy world).

2. I feel that the concept mentioned in the book can improve the quality of one's personal life, as well as enhance one's professional life at work.

3. In my opinion, everyone can learn something from this book, and it is suitable for all ages

Happy reading!

A very powerful read. As an entrepreneur, I felt the book spoke to me. When I read the title I thought "finally, someone is addressing Spencer Johnson's harmful advice head on!" This book takes its title from Johnson's best selling book (20 million copies!) which basically gave the advice to accept things as they are, don't ask questions, don't try to do things on your own.
Prof. Malhotra's book delivers a completely different and powerful message---expand your viewpoint, create your own path, have the willingness and confidence to do things differently. The book is a quick read and offers discussion questions----it's a great book to share with colleagues for discussion. I am going to buy the book for my YPO Forum and discuss the book with them. I read (and re-read several times!), Prof. Malhotra's previous book "Negotiation Genius," which is an outstanding book and resource. "I Moved Your Cheese," and "Negotiation Genius," are entirely different books, however the author's approach is similar---think differently, control your destiny, break through barriers.
I will give this book to my children and to aspiring entrepreneurs. I loved this book.

A very powerful read. As an entrepreneur, I felt the book spoke to me. When I read the title I thought "finally, someone is addressing Spencer Johnson's harmful advice head on!" This book takes its title from Johnson's best selling book (20 million copies!) which basically gave the advice to accept things as they are, don't ask questions, don't try to do things on your own.
Prof. Malhotra's book delivers a completely different and powerful message---expand your viewpoint, create your own path, have the willingness and confidence to do things differently. The book is a quick read and offers discussion questions----it's a great book to share with colleagues for discussion. I am going to buy the book for my YPO Forum and discuss the book with them. I read (and re-read several times!), Prof. Malhotra's previous book "Negotiation Genius," which is an outstanding book and resource. "I Moved Your Cheese," and "Negotiation Genius," are entirely different books, however the author's approach is similar---think differently, control your destiny, break through barriers.
I will give this book to my children and to aspiring entrepreneurs. I loved this book.

I bought this book because I thought it would be something I could pass on to my daughter as words of wisdom. As I started reading I thought it would fit that purpose, telling a parable with a message. As it turns out, the story ends abruptly without any message and leaves the reader with only one thought - which is they won't get back that 45 minutes spent reading that book.

It seems that there are many different messages to take away from this book. That is why it is such an interesting read. It does not tell you what to do but rather provokes you to think. Think about your environment, yourself, what has made you successful and what might hold you back. We are all in our maze, will we stay there? I loved it.

This book is a very fast read with a simple message that often seems so complex. It teaches you to have an open mind. In business and life, we are all subjected to many varying points of view. We must look past our own narrow view of the world and the way we were trained to see things. It is important to listen to others and understand other ways of looking at "the maze." I think that all three mice teach us valuable lessons on the way we can approach our understanding of the world and others around us.

I enjoyed this book because of the simplicity that Dr. Malhotra uses to discuss concepts that people fail to grasp in life. Basically this book is a good motivational tool for students and non-students alike. We get caught up in the daily routine of life and talk ourselves out of questioning why we are doing it. Most of us have great ideas all the time but don't follow through on it. This book reminds the reader to strive for more. Renita Abboy

This book is for those who continue to question life and search for more of something they know is possible and quite possibly not for those who believe their glass is already full. Believing the glass is full, is comforting and easy and safe. A belief that works for many. Stepping out of our comfort zone and having a belief and faith in ourselves that we can fill our own glass is tribute to the amazing power of thought which leads to action.

I enjoyed this book; it really made me think about how I looked at life. I've been having doubts about things I want to accomplish in life and this book gave me a reality check. It's a short book but definitely worth the read.

This sequel by a different author is a much better parable than the original. I pre-ordered the book and waited for months in anticipation. Even with those expectations, the book over-delivered for me. The parable was spellbinding. I had to put it down after a few chapters to reflect on the principle of cheese being the only goal for a mouse and to prolong the pleasure from a very great book. The insights I gained for myself, my organization, my view of the world, and the purpose of life were terrific. What a rich parable. I am a huge parable fan.

This was a much better story than Spencer Johnson's 1998 "Who Moved My Cheese" with an almost identical format. This version, "I Moved Your Cheese" was easier to follow and had 10x the power of its predecessor. Very well done. I hope this book gets to every one of the 20 million+ who read Who Moved my Cheese. I can't wait for the rest of the series.

Rare is there a book that transcends all the crap we hear and gives straight and direct answers that are meaningful to our lives. It is true that bad things happen to us and much of it is beyond our direct control, but all too often we can take control of our we react to it and how we react dictates how we live our lives. In his second book, Deepak Malhotra demonstrates that we don't need to settle for what we are given, instead we need to force our way to get what we aim for.

Malhotra's work is thoughtful and should be read by all who are seeking to reach a higher level in their professional & personal work though self development. The metaphor is a striking lesson on life at many stages which will inspire immediate reflection. This book is a quick read but will continue to impact you long after you put it down. I'm recommending it to many friends & colleagues for a satisfying and introspective experience.

Although, it is a book that can be read quickly, about 2 hrs, gives a powerful message. I could got easily Into the story. It offers a way to think about the volatility on our own lives. Yes, it is good to be flexible and go with the flow. But it is also important to use critical thinking skills to understand what is making this volatility and adjust our own plans so you are in charge of our own destiny.

Here is what I liked about this book. We live in a world where the level of volatility is high and trending up. This book offers a way to think about this volatility for your own life. Yes, it is good to be flexible and go with the flow. But it is also important to use critical thinking skills to understand what is making this volatility and adjust your own plans so you are in charge of your own destiny. Best of all you can read it in 1-2 hours.

As an aside my 9 year old picked it up and thought it was great. Accessible with a real moral to the story.

I read this book in an hour but the message it leaves you with, and the questions it asks will consume many more. I recommend this to anyone that has done the same job for many years and worked with the same people for many years. You will be motivated to take a deeper look at the job you think you are doing and how you could be doing it better.

This book was an eye opening for me. After reading through this book I realized so many of my mazes that i was governed and limited by. I started piercing through my own beliefs, my limits, my own default settings just to see if i have blindly trusted. This book is a definitive read for all walks of people in all countries because it makes you question to yourself first and than to others.

This book comes highly recommended by the women I date. One gave it to me, and another was very happy to see it on my shelf. Not really sure why women like it. I found it to be okay, over all. Maybe there's something deeper that I'm missing here.

Good message and great beginning, but lost its focus at the end. Certainly the overall message that one should not simply accept current constraints as unalterable givens is an excellent one. It was, however, an overall disappointment compared to Johnson's book.

Who Moved My Cheese is more inspiring than this book. The story in this book is not so easy to follow and not as fun and inspiring as Who Moved My Cheese. What then happen to Max, Zed and Big? Are they really happier now? I am not sure..because they still look confused..
Who Moved My Cheese is a lot better. It is short, simple and full of inspiration.

I rarely have the pleasure of picking up a book that I can't put down until I'm finished. I had that experience with this book. I think it really got me thinking about the mazes that I face in my life, and whether these are creations of others, or my own limiting thoughts. I highly recommend this fun read!

I Moved Your Cheese is a must reading book for everyone that wants to improve negotiation, management and adaptive leadership abilities. Although the author is a Negotiation Specialist, this book is not just about Negotiation, but also about business, management, people, behavior and much more.

I moved your cheese is a good springboard to start thinking about each person's personal, professional or business environment, our perceived goals for fulfillment vs what real fulfillment should be. Very intriguing read.

It was the last few days of a gruelling OPM Session and by that time fatigue to reading had set in....but once i read the first page of this book, Max, Big and Zed didnt let me go till i read the last page!! Great one Prof!!! Regds Sanjith Shetty

Deepak questions the base of ourselves, and the society, in a very inspiring way!
You get a lot of Value for something you can read in just a couple of hours!(You will think for a lot more than two)
Congratulations Deepak.

This is a wonderful quick read that brings home such a powerful, freeing message...that everything we do stems from our thoughts. Thank you, Zed, for making this so easy to understand. Yes, we can walk through walls if we just put our minds to it. I am wondering what walls are in my world that I can walk through...hmmm.

I had the amazing opportunity to have attended Deepaks' classes while at Harvard business school. This is an Excellent read for those who Lead not Follow. The style is simplistic, bu the message is phenomenal.

Prof Deepak Malhotra has shown he's more than just a fantastic Negotiation expert at Harvard Business School, but also a masterful storyteller, who reminds us to stop feeling trapped, to push boundaries and take our lives into our own hands. Incredibly thought provoking for such a short, fun book.

Deepak puts forth not just a renewed look at the way we look at lives, and the way we respond to situations, through this book, he is transforming the readers thinking towards breaking through our self imposed maze(s). "I moved your Cheese" is interesting and easy read - enjoyed it.

What we all have deep inside us (Why) but is suppressed by the way we are conditioned, is well articulated.

Congratulations!

I Moved Your Cheese initiates a self assessment of the routines we get caught up in, the assumptions that underlie them and limits we place on ourselves--all through a quick and engaging story of a community of mice. Despite the author being a Harvard professor, you won't find dull academic jargon in this book---rather a fun read that very effectively makes you reflect while laughing a few times along the way.

An excellent read. I got through the whole book in one sitting and never thought of putting it down. The story itself is very entertaining and keeps you hooked. Then, before you know it, you are pondering some pretty big questions about life. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I am pretty sure I will be using this as a gift idea pretty soon.

The author did a magnificent job providing a clear and concise response to the Spencer Johnson's "Who Moved My Cheese?". Personally, I favor the approach of Big, Zed and Max in seizing control of their own destiny. There are many simple lessons which can be easily applied to real world situations.

Notably, this book is written by an acclaimed Harvard professor with a long track record of teaching world-beater MBAs. In this connection, "I Moved Your Cheese" is excellent for those with an independent bent and a long-term view. It doesn't replace or vitiate "WMMC," though. For those in lower or middle management, staff or administrative positions, or those in pending or imminent risk of being displaced or eliminated, WMMC is a better paradigm for understanding and leveraging the concept of change. In the abstract, it's great to suffuse oneself with an attitude of a world beater (as espoused in "IMYC"), but in these perilous times where the world indeed IS a maze, WMMC is more practical and comforting. If you are extraordinarily talented and/or are well-positioned in a cushy job and/or have a Harvard MBA, then by all means read and adopt the mentality advocated by this book--you will continue to go far and may be the CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation some day. If, on the other hand, you work for a company and are one of the humble, hard-working millions whose lives have been disrupted by the ongoing recession/contraction and whose very economic existence hangs by a thread, you'll find WMMC more worth your while. IMYC will probably give you a temporary mood boost...but WMMC will give you the nimble and adaptive attitude necessary to survive in these perilous times. Just my opinion. As Sun Tzu said, "invincibility lies in oneself...vincibility lies in one's opponent." In other words, play good defense, anticipate change, and move when opportunity presents itself--just as WMMC teaches.