Who Moved My Job

3 dogs can teach you a lesson in professionalism

Feeling out of place at office when new employees get the boss' thumbs up, is but natural. FYI flips through Who Moved My Job, a book that explores how jobs and companies are changing and how you must too, by telling the story of three dogs who once lived on a farm

Mark Kobayashi-Hillary, author of Who Moved My Job, is a British writer focused on globalisation and corporate sourcing strategy. In this latest book, he tells the story of three dogs who live on a farm and are trained to herd sheep. Life is all fun and games till one day the farmer replaces them with younger dogs, and they are sent off to a dog home.

In the city, they feel like fish out of water, till an older and wiser dog teaches them the tricks of the trade adapting to the environment in the best way they can. The book talks about migration and what happens when you move to a new country for a job. Well, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, says the author. FYI leafs through the title to bring you some excerpts that will get you ready to embrace change.


Seema Hingoranny, Corporate trainer
Urban professionals have to understand that change is important. It's also vital to never let go of your self-confidence or to compare yourself with others. Instead, try and add to your own knowledge pool. Be aggressive and let your thoughts be known. Older professionals should steer clear of the temptation of emulating young ones. Use your experience to guide them. No knowledge is ever outdated. Otherwise, why would the wise say, "Learn from the past"?

Excerpt 1: Chapter 1
The Collies were happy on the farm. Each day, they worked hard for their rewards, but they enjoyed the work. It was fun working with the farmer and being an integral part of the team that kept the farm running. They needed the shelter and food that the farmer offered, along with the continued work, but they knew that the farmer needed them more.

Lesson to learn: The Collies loved their job, but they were making one big mistake they began to believe they were indispensible. Love your job, but never get so comfortable that you stop updating your skills.

Excerpt 2: Chapter 2
The new dogs joined the Border Collies on Manor farm. Each morning, when the farmer whistled from the farmhouse, all six dogs would race to come to his side. "Something is wrong...," said Winston to the other two Collies. "Look, I have been observing them (the new dogs) over the last few weeks. Have you noticed that their behaviour has changed especially since they became more confident about the way the English sheep behave. They are always up and out of the barn before us. They go and wait outside the farmhouse, ready to come out and start work without calling. They keep on working the herd even after the farmer says it's time to finish and go home for the day. They don't even ask for how much food and bones the farmer usually leaves for us. In fact, I can't see that they do anything other than trying to please the farmer."

Lesson to learn: Always remember that there will be constant competition. People will work harder and longer than you, and sometimes not expect anything in return. This is why skilled labour is often replaced with cheaper labour.

Excerpt 3: Chapter 4
"Humans can't see the farm and what it does because for them, a lamb is just something they buy at a shop. It's the same for you now. You can't see that the skills you learned on the farm may be valuable to some humans in the city. You need to look inside yourself...you need a new career, a new purpose. Isn't there some way of being able to get the food and shelter you need just by doing the thing you love?"
Lesson to learn: Know that your skills can be tweaked to fit an environment or a need. Always be ready to adapt. Never give up.

Excerpt 4: Chapter 6
Winston said to the others: "You know when the farmer introduced the other dogs and we trained them, I couldn't understand that anything was changing. Then, it was too late and we were already at the dog's home.

As we started meeting new people, it seemed that there could be a life away from the farm and that it may even be fun. I started accepting that even the things you are scared of can sometimes be better than the things you know. Do you think life is always like that when something big changes the way you see the world?

Lesson to learn: Don't while away your time getting angry. If you find that things are changing, change with them.

Note: This article is from Mid Day.