Use the FISH Program to Improve Your Organization’s Culture Prepared by: James J. Messina, Ph.D.

Do you love what you do? Do you believe you should not settle for anything less than doing what you love? Do you tell yourself that life is too short to spend your working hours doing anything less than the ideal? Are you on a continuous search for creating your organization as a perfect workplace?

Is your organization a Toxic Energy Dump? Is energy, passion, and spirit on the job missing? Any job no matter how big or small can become boring and yet it can be done with energy and enthusiasm if you do something about the culture of the workplace! Is the energy and morale in your organization so low that it pulls down everyone in your organization?

Why the FISH Program? Do you want a productive and profitable work environment which is innovative and accountable where a playful, attentive, and engaging attitude leads to more energy, enthusiasm, productivity and creativity among your employees? Then you have come to the right place!

Are you ready to make the change in your organization? Consider these obstacles to implementing a culture change in organizations like yours: Are you afraid to take the risk to change? Are you afraid of failing in your efforts? Do you know how to have fun and play? Do you trust your staff to do the right thing? Do you feel that you already do enough for your staff to be happy and satisfied? Are you suspicious of ideas which do not come from “one of your own?”

Are you ready to change? Are you ready to make your organization “world famous?” Are you ready to give your workers and customers legendary services? Are you ready to reap the rewards of engaging your workers and customers in a life changing experience?

THEN LET’S FISH

The 4 Keys of FISH Choose Your Attitude – be aware that each of us chooses our attitude each day Play – have fun while doing your work because fun is energizing Make Their Day - engage customers in ways which create energy and good will Be There – be fully attentive to the needs and desires of your customers at all times

FISH Key 1: Choose Your Attitude! Step 1: There is always a choice about the way you do your work, even if there is not a choice about the work itself Step 2: There is a need to give up the “victim” role because life is not fair, but why let it ruin your day- chose to be and do your best today! Step 3: You have to be willing to take the risk to change! You have to get unstuck! Step 4: Have faith and trust that whatever happens in your efforts to change your organization that you will be all right-You will survive!

Choose Your Attitude What it looks like: Living fully engaged lives realizing that you have the power to choose your response to what life and work brings your way Recognizing that you are responsible for how your choices affect others In this era of enormous emphasis on productivity and maximizing human capital, leaders do not lose sight of the fact that it is people that drive their businesses These leaders are passionate about helping employees stay alive and engaged in the work they do

Affirm Yourself as You take on the FISH challenge Changing the culture in my organization will require me to become a leader in every sense of the word I will need to risk the possibility of failure To take no action is to fail for sure! My first step is to choose my attitude: I choose confidence, trust, and faith as I grow and learn to FISH with my organization!

FISH Key 2: Play Step 1: Recognize that although you are out to make a profit, pay lots of salaries, and run a serious business you can still be serious about business and still have fun in the way you conduct your business Step 2: Let things flow and let go of the stress through play and having fun

PLAY What it looks like: Keeping curiosity alive and trust it to lead to better solutions Finding ways to incorporate play in your daily lives Approaching your work, responsibilities and challenges with energy and enthusiasm

Benefits of Play-Learn from Pike Place FISH Market High levels of productivity and profitability Low turnover of employees Employees enjoy the work that can be tedious Employees become great friends Employees feel like members of a winning team Employees have pride in what they do and the way they do it The organization develops a product and service which is legendary and well known in the community!

FISH Key 3: Make their Day! Make their Day: Creating Good Memories Step 1: Look for as many ways you can to create great memories for your customers Step 2: Being playful in the way you work allows you to find creative ways to engage your customers Step 3: Engage your customers by finding ways to respectfully include them and to invite them to join in your fun

Make Their Day! What it looks like: Being passionate about serving-your customers and co-workers Striving to bring sincerity and value into the lives of your customers and co-workers

Impact of Make Their Day! at Pike Place FISH Market Customer like being “part of the show” Memories are created which bring smiles and make good stories for a long time afterwards Involving others and working to “make their day” directs attention to the customer Focusing attention on ways to make another person’s day provides a constant flow of positive feelings

FISH Key 4: Be Present! Step 1: Be present (Be there) for your customers at all times Step 2: Always be fully engaged in your work and always working to engage your customer Step 3: Involve your customer in every step you take in completing their work Step 4: Always keep your focus on your customers Step 5: Talk to your customers as if they were your long lost friends

Being There or Being Present! What it looks like: Listening to others and yourself Cultivating self-trust Becoming conscious of how you show up at work Striving to be fully present for each other every day

Being There’s impact on Pike Street FISH Market Engaged and enthusiastic employees Employees who are inspired, motivated and engaged Creating a culture based on camaraderie, renewed creativity, reinvigorated passion and loyalty Productivity increases Customer satisfaction improves Turnovers drop Revenues go up and stay up

FISH Culture Statement As you enter this place of work choose to make today a great day - Your colleagues and customers and you will be thankful Find ways to play - We can be serious about work without being serious about ourselves Stay focused in order to be there when your customers and co-workers need you Should you feel your energy lapsing try this surefire remedy: Find someone who needs a helping hand, a word of support, or a good ear – and make their day!

Practice FISH at Work! Be sincere in your efforts-really mean what you say when you encourage your staff to Play, Be There, Make Their Day and Choose a Positive Attitude Be sure to role model this effort at team work in your organization

References FISH! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results (2000) by Stephen C. Lundin, Ph.D., Harry Paul and John Christensen. Hyperion Books, New York FISH! Tales Bite-sized Stories. Unlimited possibilities (2002) by Stephen C. Lundin, Ph.D., Harry Paul and John Christensen. Hyperion Books, New York FISH! Sticks Make Change Stick (2003) by Stephen C. Lundin, Ph.D., Harry Paul and John Christensen. Hyperion Books, New York FISH for Life (2004) by Stephen C. Lundin, Ph.D., John Christensen and Harry Paul, Hyperion Books, New York When Fish Fly: Lessons for Creating Vital and Energized Workplace from the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market (2004) by John Yokoyama and Joseph Michelli, Hyperion Books, New York Catch! A Fishmonger’s Guide to Greatness: Stop Floundering and Become More Effective in Your Life and Work (2004) by Cyndi Crother and the Crew of World Famous Pike Place Fish, Berrett-Koehler Publisher, San Francisco, CA Where can you get the Fish books? http://www.fishphilosophy.com Graphics come from http://www.charthouse.com/ecards.asp?whoenter=