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Stop Complaining, Embrace Change!
I recently attended Catersource and came across a great article by John Mireless. John is a wedding photographer who wrote about how ‘the cheese has moved’ and I thought many of our members could benefit from his insight. I modified it a bit to fit our industry – with John’s permission.
There's a book that most of us have seen or read called "Who Moved My Cheese?" Here's a synopsis on Wikipedia for those who either aren't familiar with it or haven't read it in awhile. The book is a little trite, overused and over-simplifies life's challenges. But the metaphor of two mice that have lost their food source applies to the catering and the special event market 100%.
The lousy economy and increased competition have hit many event professionals hard. In their quest for solutions many are calling for "professionals to band together to advertise the benefits of hiring professionals" (as opposed to the unprofessional ones?). Then there's the nonstop whining that I hear about price conscious brides.
Man, does this sound like a lot of the people I talk to everyday! There is so much victimization and complaining going on.
I'm sorry, but the cheese has moved. It's not ever coming back to where it was before. Sure, the cheese was fairly easy to find and very tasty for a long time - so we got complacent. But now it's moved and not so easy to find.
In response to current challenges, the answers that I hear are "somebody else needs to move the cheese back to us" (some organization needs to advertise on our behalf) and "the cheese is dumb - why won't they hire me?" (When are these brides going to wise up and increase their budgets?) This mode of thinking gives someone else the power over our destinies and leaves us the victims. Sorry, but that's just wrong.
If You Do Not Change You Can Become Extinct. No one is going to save you but you. In order thrive (find the stupid cheese), you must change!
The same old work, style of doing business, marketing maybe even haircut is not going to work going forward. And even if it is now, it probably won't tomorrow. There is a sea change that is washing over all of us.
Here are the central tenets in the land where cheese moves:
Change Happens
They Keep Moving The Cheese
Anticipate Change
Get Ready For The Cheese To Move
Monitor Change
Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old
Adapt To Change Quickly
The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese
Change
Move With The Cheese
Enjoy Change!
Savor The Adventure And Enjoy The Taste Of New Cheese!
Be Ready To Change Quickly And Enjoy It Again & Again
They Keep Moving The Cheese.
I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say many times again: The only thing that we can control is ourselves. I can't change the world, the market, the technology, but I can change what I do and how I face the challenges of the world.
We all have it within ourselves to succeed in this - or any - economy. First, we need to acknowledge that the world has changed. Then we must take individual responsibility for our success. Instead of complaining about newbies and cheap brides, I'd love to see experienced pros flourish in their work through new ideas and shared inspiration. Either embrace change or go home hungry. Trying to fight change or grumbling about all the perceived shortcomings of the new competition is unproductive and only harms you.
Let's move forward in a positive fashion. Complaining, while it's cathartic, is a waste of energy. There are only so many hours in the day - best to direct them to positive outlets and taking care of the important business of finding the new cheese. The folks who succeed today and in the future will be those who embrace the challenges of the market and throw their passion into their work. Let that be you!
Todd Lloyd
Todd@LinenHero.com
Executive Team Hero
Chair Covers & Linens
2010 President, National Association of Catering Executives Greater Detroit
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