Fish! Stephen C. Lundin’s Business Fable of the Seattle Fish Market and a Better Way to Work
One department of an American company is known for its toxic atmosphere. Add apathetic staff and poor customer service, and this workplace becomes a nightmare for the people who work there. The new department head realises how serious the problem is, and what reputation the department has earned, and wonders how to fix the depressing situation.
Authors: Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul and John Christensen
Title: Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results (2000)
Format: English paperback (Hodder & Stoughton), 128 pages
Scope: Business fable on motivation and workplace culture
Amazon: www.amazon.es/dp/1444792806 (ASIN 1444792806)
A Monday Morning Meeting
She calls a meeting first thing on a Monday to talk to her staff and set out steps to get out of the hole. She even shares her own personal situation with them, to explain why she had not been fully committed to the daily work. She resolves to lead by example and to change the attitude of those around her.
A Trip to the Fish Market
She proposes a trip to the fish market, one of the most famous in the city, to discover what the fishmongers do differently. Despite the initial objections, two groups make the visit, everyone takes notes on what they see and contributes their best ideas. Each group then presents to the others, and little by little the working atmosphere changes.
The Most Sought-After Department
The department becomes one of the most sought-after in the company, a place where people feel good doing their job, however monotonous or boring it may be. A team’s effectiveness lies in its capacity for motivation; work is a reward for those who enjoy it.
The Real Fish Market
Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle became famous in the 1990s for the way its fishmongers work: they shout orders, throw salmon to each other over the heads of customers, joke with passers-by and turn buying a fish into a show. A training company, ChartHouse Learning, made a film about them, and John Christensen, one of the book’s authors, developed the ideas into a programme for businesses. The book turned that programme into a story.
The Four Principles
The book’s philosophy comes down to four simple ideas learned at the market. Play: work can be fun, even when it is serious. Make their day: find ways to delight the people you serve. Be there: give your full attention to the person in front of you. Choose your attitude: you cannot always choose your job, but you can choose how you approach it. Each principle is illustrated through the experience of the department and its manager.
Mary Jane and the "Toxic Energy Dump"
The heroine, Mary Jane Ramirez, is a recently widowed manager who takes over a department so notorious for its gloomy atmosphere that the rest of the company calls it a "toxic energy dump". Her personal story, a single mother struggling to cope, gives the fable more warmth than many books of its kind, and helps explain why so many readers identify with her.
A Fair Criticism
Like most business fables, Fish! simplifies a great deal, and sceptics point out that enthusiasm cannot fix bad pay, poor management or unrealistic workloads. But as a quick, positive reminder that attitude matters, and as a starting point for team discussions, it has proved remarkably durable.
It takes about an hour to read.
Ideal before a team meeting.
Its four principles fit on a single sticky note.
Why Read It
Short and easy to read in an evening, Fish! distils its message into a few memorable ideas inspired by Seattle’s Pike Place Fish Market, and has been a favourite in companies around the world.
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