Fish! - Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, John Christensen

...at least in part. Fish! is a fictional Business Parable that brings an injection of hope into the workplace for those who need it and receive its message.

Mary Jane Ramirez is the heroine of the story, a competent manager who is promoted and transferred to run a notorious failing operations group within First Guarantee Financial where the staff are all suffering from one form or another of bureaucratic malaise. Sensing an urgent need ...
...a word of warning. Fish! has spawned a number of publications which are not all as inspirational in my estimation as the original. I was particularly disappointed when I obtained “Fish! tales” a book which collates a number of real-life examples of putting the Fish! philosophy into practice in different contexts. While “Fish!” remains on my bookshelf, my copy of “Fish! Tales” went to a boot sale last year.

Fish! is published by Hodder ... more

I have never been to Seattle, but if and when I do, I will be sure to visit the Pike Place Fish Market, the place that inspired a corporate training video that in turn inspired the writing of a highly motivational book called “Fish!” In the meantime, the closest I can get is to view the webcam pictures that are available day in day out on the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market website providing live coverage of the fishmongers in action, together with some short pre-recorded mini-video extracts that give an impression of the sights and sounds of the place. The corporate training video was produced by John Christensen, one of the three co-authors of the book, and is used in business seminars to illustrate the positive outcomes that can occur when a workforce is truly motivated.

To write the book, John Christensen joined forces with a fellow film maker and business school professor, Stephen C. Lundin, and a senior vice president with the Ken Blanchard Companies, Harry Paul. If you are one of the “millions of workers” worldwide who would “relish the thought of having a more playfully productive atmosphere at work” then you’ll be pleased to know that they’ve dedicated their efforts to you, at least in part. Fish! is a fictional Business Parable that brings an injection of hope into the workplace for those who need it and receive its message.

Mary Jane Ramirez is the heroine of the story, a competent manager who is promoted and transferred to run a notorious failing operations group within First Guarantee Financial where the staff are all suffering from one form or another of bureaucratic malaise. Sensing an urgent need to transform operations if they are to stay in business, Mary Jane is initially at a loss as to how to breathe enthusiasm into the mundane work her group is tasked to do. Her inspiration comes from observing the fishmongers at Pike Place Fish Market who seem able to remain cheerful despite having far-from-pleasant work to do and far-from-pleasant working conditions. She enlists the help of a fishmonger to solve the motivation problem in her organisation.

The wisdom he imparts to her comes in four parts, and the story follows her efforts and those of her staff to implement each part of their new-found knowledge to transform their workplace. I did not find any of the parts particularly original, but the manner in which they were presented made them very memorable. They mostly have a common-sense feel to them, the most important one being that you can “Choose your attitude” in any situation. Alongside this, the importance of “play” is recognised; the wisdom of being fully in the “present moment” is expressed; and the need to “Make the customer’s day!” is taught.

The transformation is far from instantaneous. There are amusing reactions from staff at all levels including Mary Jane’s boss, but scepticism gradually gives way to appreciation, and efforts are rewarded. Mary Jane, herself, is presented with two interesting opportunities towards the end of the book, but you’ll have to read it for yourself to know what these are and whether she takes them up or not.

There are plenty of pointers for further relevant reading to sustain development, both within the text of the story and at the end, but here I would issue a word of warning. Fish! has spawned a number of publications which are not all as inspirational in my estimation as the original. I was particularly disappointed when I obtained “Fish! tales” a book which collates a number of real-life examples of putting the Fish! philosophy into practice in different contexts. While “Fish!” remains on my bookshelf, my copy of “Fish! Tales” went to a boot sale last year.

Fish! is published by Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0 340 81980 4, available in paperback priced £5.99.

The World Famous Seattle Pike Place Fish Market website referred to in my review is www.pikeplacefish.com

 

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