My grandpa told fish stories. Usually he was more excited about telling of my catches than of his own, bragging to his friends and the guys in the bait shop that I had caught one that nearly snapped the pole! There are fish stories, and then there are fish stories.
Can you imagine going to a smelly fish market as
part of your holiday plans, actually marking it on your list of places to visit? What if it was the most inspiring place around, a testament to a healthy organisational culture and authentic community? Comic though it may be, while fish are getting from deck to dinner, some guys in a smelly job are having fun and successfully selling fish. Read on . . . . Think you've got problems with motivating workers?
Imagine trying to keep a fishmonger happy.
It's 9 AM on a Saturday in Seattle, and, as usual, a big crowd is watching the show at the Pike Place Fish Market. Bear, a boom box of a man clad in fluorescent-orange scrubs, is hurling a 6-pound Copper River sockeye salmon to fellow fishmonger Andy Frigulietti, who snags the fish with one hand, much to the crowd's delight, and delivers it into the arms of a waiting customer. "Sockeye for delivery!" Bear bellows. "Sockeye for delivery!" Frigulietti answers back.
The flying fish are clearly a hit with customers -- and with tourists, who flock to the market to experience the show. Lately, though, Pike Place has attracted other visitors as well -- from companies such as Alaska Airlines, Marriott, and Sprint. Why the interest from the big-name companies? Because the fishmongers love their jobs. Pike Place has established a reputation for having a creative environment that fosters intense employee loyalty as well as customer satisfaction. Pike Place even inspired "Fish!," a best-selling corporate-training video made by ChartHouse International Learning Corp. two years ago that has since spawned several additional resources. Now, besieged by requests from managers, Pike Place owner John Yokoyama has spun off a new venture, Pike Place Biz Futures Consulting LLC, so that he can pass along some of his fish wisdom.
Not that the market's formula for success is very complicated: "We want to give employees and customers the best experience they've ever had," says Yokoyama, 60, who has owned Pike Place for 35 years. Over the years, the self-described "former tyrant" has learned that a company comes to life when it treats its staff as peers rather than as peons. And when a company comes to life, the customers will follow.
I've often wanted to write a FISH prescription for individuals, companies and teams.
Check out the books and resources and see if it might
not help morale in your company, family or church!
What is the FISH! Philosophy?
The FISH! Philosophy includes four simple, interconnected practices:
Be There is being emotionally present for people. It’s a powerful message of respect that improves communication and strengthens relationships.
Play taps into your natural way of being creative, enthusiastic and having fun. Play is the spirit that drives the curious mind, as in “Let’s play with that idea!” It’s a mindset you can bring to everything you do.
Make Their Day is finding simple ways to serve or delight people in a meaningful, memorable way. It’s about contributing to someone else’s life, not because you want something out of it, but because that’s the person you want to be.
Choose Your Attitude means taking responsibility for how you respond to what life throws at you. Once you are aware that your choice impacts everyone around you, you can ask yourself, “Is my attitude helping my team or my customers? Is it helping me to be the person I want to be?”
Through The FISH! Philosophy, we build stronger relationships with the team members we work with, the customers we serve, the students we teach and the people we love.
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