Go FISH

Found some inspiration in FISHING in Hilton Head this week on a vacation with the in-laws.

Here are a few lessons:

On a visit to Seattle, author John Christensen observed how animated and happy the employees at Seattle's Pike Place Fish Market were in their work. They filled orders by flinging fish to each other, inciting laughter from the customers and compliments about their throwing/catching abilities, or commiseration if they missed. Employees would often invite customers to join the fun. The Pike Place employees gave their complete attention to each of their customers and ensured each had an enjoyable visit.

Christensen realized that not only were the workers making a routine errand fun for themselves and their customers, they also were selling tons of fish. He constructed the FISH! Philosophy from his observations of Pike Place employees, arriving at four key concepts:

• Play- Have fun and make the customers feel as though they can have fun while they're there, too.
• Make Their Day- When talking to customers, make eye contact and if doing nothing else, making the customer your main focus. This also includes striking up conversation with people walking by your business place.
• Be There [for Coworkers] (Often referred to as "Be Present" This is more to do with giving your full attention to a task or individual.) - Oftentimes while at the workplace, people will be there in body, but not mind, meaning that while they are there physically, their presence of mind isn't. 'Be there' means to be at the workplace in mind and body; to be completely focused on your work and others around you, and how you can help other employees maintain a positive attitude as well.
• Choose Your Attitude- The philosophy says that you choose your attitude when you wake up in the morning, whether to be nice and friendly for the rest of the day, or to be mean and surly for the rest of the day. The philosophy advises to 'choose' to be nice and friendly every day, and that good feeling will spread to others.

The resulting FISH! film was translated into 17 languages and spawned a series of spin-off book titles, including Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results which has been translated into 34 languages.