Fish Tales : Real Stories to Help Transform Your Workplace and Your Life

by Stephen C Lundin

This inspiring follow up to "FISH!" offers exciting case-studies of how companies are applying the fish philosophy to meet their unique goals and needs. "Fish Tales" features four real-life stories of the fish principle in action - to help you 'reel' in new possibilities in the workplace - and four short chapters, also from actual organisations, on the four principles of the FISH! philosophy. Using a short, easy-to-read format, it effectively communicates a message that applies to every kind of business. These stimulating examples of re-energised companies are perfect for those wanting to dive deeper into the FISH! philosophy and create that amazing environment in their own workplace.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Leadership, Self Help, Personal Development, Philosophy, Management

Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a lot better than its predecessor. I think the reason is that the 3 authors of the first book decided to hire an experienced writer: Philip Strand who wrote the bulk of the book and did interviews with the companies that are using - and more importantly experienced success in using - the Fish! philosophy.

Fish! Tales concretizes the theories presented in the first book. Fish! philosophy is composed of four common-sense beliefs. I would like to group these beliefs into two: intrinsic or those that have to be done by the employee to himself and extrinsic or those that to be done by the employee to the customer:

INTRINSIC: Play and Choose Your Attitude. To understand play, one has to change the paradigm that work and play are two separate things. The book mentioned that we were all brought up with our teachers telling us: "Stop playing and let's get serious". This gave us an idea from the time that we were kids that playing is not serious. Well, hello there. Lundin and his cohorts are now telling us that we can play and be serious at the same time. That we can use the energy that we generate in playing to be more creative, imaginative and productive. The fishmongers at Seattle's Pike Place Fish Market play with the customers by throwing fishes in the air but the book presents a lot of other ways of playing and it can be as simple as designing your correspondence or email with fish symbols or giving away small plastic fish toys to people who did good things to you at work.

Choosing your attitude is very similar to Steven Covey's first habit: be proactive or to IM's (interaction management): I'm OK, You're OK. They are all based on the idea of man having the option or control on how we react to situations. When a bad thing happens to us and there is nothing we can do about it, would we let it ruin our day? This book says no, we should not. Rather, we can focus ourselves on what we learned from it or if possible, transform it into a positive experience and then move on.

EXTRINSIC: Make Their Day and Be There. "Their" in Make Their Day means the customers, internal or external. Simply put, this means attending to the requirements of one's customer and going beyond to delight the customer. I liked the part where the car salesman had to go to a nearby Starbucks when he heard that his prospective customer prefers cappucino instead of the coffee from their office coffee dispenser. I will try to use this the next time I buy a new car ha ha.

This part made me really think of the instances when I was "delighted" by an organization's or store's customer service. I have been on this earth for 47 years and I cannot think of more than a handful when I was delighted as a customer. I'd like to capture those that I was able to remember:

1. A week after the sports-related knee injury operation in 2009, St. Luke's Hospital Q.C. called me up and a gentle and sincere-sounding voice asked me how I was doing with my recuperation. This really suprised me because I was there on my bed and bored and the call really surprised me because I have not heard of that practice from anyone including the time when my daughter was hospitalized or when my wife gave birth to my daughter.

2. Toyota Service Department calls me a week after they serviced my car regardless whether it is a major or minor tuneup. It gives me the chance to feedback if there is something not working properly after their service. I am not promoting Toyota service in anyway, I am just happy that they do this which was not a practice in the other car brands when I used to drive a Nissan, a Mitsubishi or a Honda.

3. A Vietnamese restaurant at SM Megamall. It was my our first time there and they gave us two tall glasses of free iced tea! The iced tea did not taste better than most iced teas I've tasted but we did not ask for it. The manager only said that he thought that it was the first time he saw me and my wife so he said he was giving the iced tea for free hoping that we would come back. Then we chatted and he practically transformed the usual care-to-try-a-new-resto? practice that my wife and I sometimes do into one quite unforgettable experience. When we go to SM Mega, we normally dine there now.

See? I cannot even think of others. Fast service, nice smiles, warm greetings, fast billing, reasonable prices, big discounts, quality food, goods, etc. Many stores think that they are good customer service but for me, they are expected. What could be delightful need not be costly to the company like a phone call or just free iced teas!

However, my favorite Fish! philosophy belief is being there. This is very hard to do. When an internal customer comes to your desk, you have to stop working and pay full attention to him or her. Or you can politely say that you are just busy and you will go to his or her place later. There are many other ways to do this and they are all in the book but they are all hard to do especially if I am busy and have deadlines to meet. But this is my favorite because the book has really good stories including the behavior of the health professionals at Missouri Baptist Medical Center. Imagine if the medical secretary can really pay attention to the patients or if a doctor is really patient in explaining your condition. I have met doctors who are unkind and those who are very caring and thorough and I thought it would be nice if all doctors belong to the latter.

Most of our waking time is spent at work and we can have a fun time while delivering our work's requirements, then why not?

[Sulaiman ALR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly as the title indicates, the book contains 4 stories of how eating fish makes you healthier, stronger and able to concentrate… (just kidding :-D).
The book talks about how the FISH! Philosophy transformed the lives of people at 4 organisations and made them more satisfied, which boosted morale and contributed to the satisfaction of customers. It also contains some short stories, which the authors call "small bites"! (I like the name)
The first story talks about how play was implemented in a call centre for the purpose transforming how employees feel about the place. A call center is normally associated with boredom as all what agents have to do is wait for calls and answer them in almost an automatic way. "Let your smile be heard" means that the tone of your voice tells a lot about how you are feeling. By implementing play (and the other fish principles) the company was able to attract employees work in weekends and increase the retention level.
Remember that PLAY is "not just an activity. It is a state of mind that brings new energy and sparks creativity".
The second story talks about how important it is to "make their day"." Their" includes those around you: your colleagues, the customers, members of your family, and anyone else you are dealing with. In a Rochester Ford car dealer, the salesperson is not around to get the highest commission; they are there to make your day by understanding what you want and offering you the suitable options. No more negotiation is needed; you get what you need at its real price!
Remember that "the world becomes a better place the moment you act on an intention to serve another".
The third story talks about how being there for others makes a difference. In a hospital, patients need all the attention they can get. Not only patients need the full attention of nurses, but also your colleagues who need your help in accomplishing their tasks. Teams are more powerful than individuals, yet they require the members to be there for each other and for the team.
Remember that "you can multi-task with 'stuff', but you have to be there for 'people'".
The fourth story talks about the power of choice. It is simple; you choose what you want to be: be the best, be the greatest. That is how Tile Technology Roofing Company transformed itself; by teaching employees how to choose their attitude. Installing tiles in a roof is not an easy job, yet the workers know that what they do makes a difference to their clients and that in order to be able to accomplish an excellence work their attitude makes a difference.
"The attitude you are having right now is the one you are choosing. Is it the one you want?"

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great concept and so easily applied to all parts of you and your family's life.
However I didn't love the writing though BUT unlike so many of the books in this genre they didn't pad it out to a 300 page book.
In summary a quick and easy read with great concepts. I would recommend it to all.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro se me hizo mucho más útil que el tradicional de Fish, ya que trae una descripción de cada una de las actitudes, más ejemplos de cómo diferentes empresas de varios sectores lo han puesto en práctica. Creo que esto fue lo mejor, ya que muchas veces lo que cuesta trabajo es pensar en cómo aplicar los conceptos, y tener tantos ejemplos ayuda a que tu mente empiece a generar ideas. Y al final, trae pequeñas actividades para que tú empieces a cambiar, antes de querer cambiar a los demás. Me gustó mucho, y se me hizo práctico y sencillo de entender y poner en práctica.

[Dmitry · Rating 1 out of 5]

(The English review is placed beneath the Russian one)

Непонятно на кого ориентирована данная книга, ибо советы по созданию организационной культуры основанной на авторской теории «Ловись, рыбка», выглядят крайне спорными. У меня сильное ощущение, что книга ориентирована не на руководителей, а на сотрудников, которые могли бы, читая эту книгу, предаваться мечтам, какую организацию можно было бы построить, если бы их начальники прониклись идеей «Ловись, рыбка».
Книга также напоминает мне типичные книги по самопомощи, но в мире бизнеса. Однако среди таких книг, эта книга является наихудшей или одной из наихудших. Главной причиной же этого является невероятная упрощённость ситуации. К примеру, вот типичный пример из книги. Авторы предлагают компаниям относиться к каждому клиенту как к принцу, т.е. обслуживать так клиентов, чтобы они навсегда запомнили и эту фирму и то королевское обслуживание, которое им было оказано. Некоторые моменты вообще спорны, как попытка утешить клиента в связи с трагедией в его семье. Да, в качестве исключение такое может произойти, если у компании работает подходящий сотрудник, с высоким уровнем эмпатии. Однако это исключение, на котором невозможно построить бизнес. Да и многие клиенты могут не захотеть такой дружелюбности со стороны персонала, такой их назойливости. Что касается второго момента, то нужно понимать, и авторы про этот момент умолчали, что не все клиенты полезны для фирмы. Для компании важны только те клиенты, которые приносят им относительно высокую прибыль. Другими словами, в зависимости от прибыльности клиентом и должен строиться сервис, его качество.

Вся идея книги основывается на одном небольшом бизнесе, работу которого наблюдал один из авторов. Тот бизнес заключался в группе продавцов, которые продавали на местном рынке свежую рыбу и делали они это с использованием театрализованного и очень дружелюбного подхода. Да, кого-то такой сервис может поразить, и этот покупатель будет всегда обращаться к этим ребятам, а кому-то нет дела до их спектакля и такому клиенту нужно максимально быстро купить рыбу, а кто-то просто не любит контактировать с продавцами. Более того, такой стиль продаж не все люди способны скопировать и воспроизвести в других фирмах. И ещё один интересный момент. А как дела обстояли у конкурентов? К сожалению, авторы ничего по этому поводу не пишут. Возможно, у конкурентов эти продавцов рыбы дела обстояли ничуть не хуже. Другими словами, весь этот подход к работе как к игре, довольно неоднозначный. Разумеется, живость, свобода и справедливое отношение со стороны работодателя к своим сотрудникам, крайне важны, но в этой книге речь идёт все же немного о другом. К примеру, меня просто поразила первая история, в которой фигурирует call-центр. История типична для такой литературы. Сначала этот call-центр был толи убыточным толи просто в нём дела шли неважнецки, но согласно книге, как только начальница применила стратегию авторов «Ловись, рыбка», так сразу весь бизнес чудесным образом преобразился, работники повеселели, а прибыль пошла вверх. Один эпизод меня особо поразил. Авторы пишут, что в выходные дни люди не очень-то хотели работать и энтузиазм работников был крайне низким (не удивительно). И вот, в рамках стратегии «Ловись, рыбка», начальница развесила гирлянды и напечатанные на принтере деньги, чтобы создать для работников ощущения то ли праздника, то ли игры. И не поверите, но как пишут авторы, сотрудники зарядились благодаря такой заботе таким энтузиазмом, что с радостью выходили работать в выходные дни. Теперь в офисе стоял большой плазменный телевизор, и можно было в выходные дни развлечь себя, просмотром футбольного матча. Автор косвенно подчёркивает (как я это понял) невозможность выплат дополнительных денег за работу в выходные дни. Так что задача стояла поистине сложной: стимулировать работников выходить в выходные без увеличения денежной премии. Решение? Напечатанные деньги, которые будут свисать с потолка. ГЕНИАЛЬНО! Вот цитата из книги:

«Уже до этого они стали носить на работе модные рубашки цвета хаки и предусматривать дополнительные стимулы для тех, кто работает сверхурочно, решив, что в качестве специальных призов особенно хороши тысячедолларовые купюры, отснятые на ксероксе. А с потолка свисали пробные флакончики духов и миниатюрные бутылочки виски, которые вручались всем, кто фигурировал в списках добровольцев, согласившихся поработать сверхурочно. Руководители среднего звена с помощью дистанционно управляемой тележки рассылали особо отличившимся операторам пакетики с леденцами или конфетами получше, а также экспромтом организовывали соревнования. Люди снова стали улыбаться, а сервисные центры понемногу начали выходить на нужный уровень обслуживания».

Трудно сказать, насколько эти «добровольцы» действительно добровольно выступили за сверхурочные, ибо в нашей стране за конфетки и леденцы никто не будет работать ни то, что в выходные, но и в будни. Уж лучше в музей сходить или с семьёй время провести, чем сидеть протирать штаны в офисе за ириску.

В общем, это редкостной тип розово-блевотной книги, в которой все сотрудники улыбаются, танцуют, поют и делают это вместе с клиентами, которые также изображены авторами этой книги, в виде вечно веселящихся людей, для которых сама жизнь началась именно после знакомства с такой замечательной фирмой. Читать подобную литературу, просто невыносимо. Как правильно заметили англоязычные читатели, это больше похоже на религиозную проповедь, на сектантское учение, чем на книгу по бизнесу.

It is not clear to whom this book is oriented because the advice on creating an organizational culture based on the author's "Catch Fish" theory looks extremely controversial. I have a strong feeling that the book is aimed not at managers, but at employees, who could, while reading this book, indulge in dreaming about what kind of organization they could build, if their bosses imbibed the idea of "Catch a fish". The book also reminds me of typical self-help books but in the business world. Among such books, however, this book is the worst or one of the worst. The main reason, however, is the incredible oversimplification of the situation. For example, here is a typical example from the book. The authors suggest that companies must treat every client as a prince, i.e., serve clients in such a way that they will always remember both the firm and the royal service they received. Some things are controversial, like trying to comfort a client because of a tragedy in his family. Yes, as an exception this can happen if the company has the right employee with a high level of empathy. However, this is an exception, on which it is impossible to build a business. Besides, many clients may not want such friendliness from the staff, i.e., such intrusiveness from them. As for the second point, you need to understand, and the authors are not mentioning this point, that not all clients are useful for the firm. For the company, only those customers who bring them a relatively high profit are important. In other words, depending on the profitability of the client and should build service, its quality.

The whole idea of the book is based on a small business that one of the authors observed. That business consisted of a group of vendors who sold fresh fish at the local market, and they did it with a theatrical and very friendly approach. Yes, some people may be impressed by this service, and this customer will always go to these guys, but some people do not care about their performance and such a client needs to buy fish as quickly as possible, and some people just do not like to interact with salespeople. Moreover, this style of sales is not all people can copy and reproduce in other firms. Oh, and one more interesting point. How did the competitors do? Unfortunately, the authors do not write anything about this. Perhaps these fishmongers' competitors were doing just as well. In other words, this whole approach to working as a game is rather ambiguous. Of course, liveliness, autonomy, and fair treatment on the part of the employer to his employees are extremely important, but this book is still about a little something else. For example, I was simply struck by the first story that involves a call center. The story is typical of such literature. In the beginning, this call center was either unprofitable or it just wasn't doing very well, but according to the book, as soon as the director applied the "Catch Fish" strategy, the business was wonderfully transformed, the employees became merry, and the profits went up. One episode, in particular, struck me. The authors write that on weekends, people didn't really want to work, and employee enthusiasm was extremely low (not surprisingly). And so, as part of the "Catch a Fish" strategy, the boss put up garlands and money printed on a printer to make the employees feel like a holiday or a game. And believe it or not, as the authors write, the employees were so enthusiastic about this kind of care that they were happy to go out and work on their days off. There was now a large plasma TV in the office, and it was possible to entertain themselves on weekends by watching a soccer game. The author implicitly emphasizes (as I understood it) the impossibility of paying extra money for weekend work. So the challenge was truly daunting: to incentivize employees to go out on weekends without an increase in cash bonuses. The solution? Printed money that would hang from the ceiling. Brilliant! Here's a quote from the book:

"Even before that, they started wearing fancy khaki shirts at work and providing extra incentives for those who worked overtime, deciding that thousand-dollar bills photocopied on a photocopier were especially good as special prizes. And from the ceiling hung sample bottles of perfume and miniature bottles of whiskey, handed out to anyone on the list of volunteers who agreed to work overtime. Mid-level supervisors used a remote-controlled cart to send out bags of lollipops or better candy to especially distinguished operators, and impromptu competitions were organized. People were smiling again, and the service centers slowly began to reach the right level of service."

It's hard to say if these volunteers really volunteered for overtime because, in our country, no one would work for candy or lollipops, not even on weekdays, let alone on weekends. I'd rather go to a museum or spend time with my family than sit in an office and work my ass off for a taffy.

In general, it is a rare type of book in which all the employees smile, dance, sing and do it together with the customers, who are also depicted by the authors of this book, as eternally cheerful people, for whom life itself began exactly after meeting with such a wonderful firm. To read such literature is simply unbearable. As English-speaking readers have correctly noted, it looks more like a religious sermon, a sectarian doctrine, than a book on business.

[Karen Biegert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as a training assignment for work. I thoroughly enjoyed Fish! but found this book to be just okay.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best gifts, I find, are books, because you are giving a piece of yourself. This book, though, is a gift from my company. While I’ve been encouraged to read books written by the luminaries of my company (gotta know the Kool-Aid if you’re going to be able to sell it ) and I received a going-away gift book from a former supervisor, I’ve never had a current employer send me a book. My entire team received copies of this book and given that I love my job, my company, and my team, I couldn’t wait to dig in.

This book is a kind of love story to boosting morale for business teams that interface with people, often customers, but more than that, it provides successful case studies of lessons learned by observing the famous Seattle fishmongers at the Pike Place Fish Market. These lessons were documented in a prior book called, “Fish!”, making this something of a sequel, featuring anecdotal success stories where these lessons were applied to other business settings.

This book plays out in two main sections. The first section contains four chapters, each dedicated to one of the Fish! philosophies. Within each chapter, you’re greeted with a full story that exemplifies its philosophy and illustrating its implementation, along with smaller, paragraph-sized examples. As I haven’t read the original work, rather than describing the stories, I feel compelled to write about my interpretation of the underlying philosophies in play.

Section one: Play

This section tells large and small stories about how fostering a genuinely playful environment frees people to do not only do their best customer service work but enjoy doing it. As a side bonus, it increases trust between the staff and management, as well as employee buy-in.

The thread that ties all these stories and philosophies together is that they are heartwarming. At least they are if you work in customer service or sales.

This is not to be understated in any way. Assuming that two employees are equally talented and qualified, the happier one who feels valued and gets to offer value will be the more productive employee and deliver a better customer experience.

Why this is a revolutionary concept is not entirely clear to me. I always took this as common sense, until my “common sense” was tested against the realities of working in customer service and sales.

Section two: Make Their Day

The idea here is a deceptive one: you do not sell a product or deliver a service. You add value to the customer’s day or life. If you serve -the customer-, if you truly focus on a human being’s experience, they will be satisfied, loyal customers.

The funny part is that I worked for one of the most successful companies on earth who studied consumer behavior and decided to dictate customer satisfaction, rather than be inspired to serve the customer and their needs. Their success aside, the fact is that valuing your customer’s experience isn’t simply good business. It’s good for humanity, too. It’s a win-win-win because the customer certainly wins, the employee wins through exploration of their own humanity and capacity to positively impact another person’s day, and ultimately the employer wins because they are creating a positive experience that will lead to profits.

Section three: Be there

While the main story seemed like it fit section four’s theme a little better, the concept is a familiar one: be in the moment. Focus on the purpose behind your task, and never forget that the true purpose exists within the people you serve. Live in the moment with that person, whether they’re a customer or, in the case of the story, a patient. Most importantly, be in the moment with your family. Don’t forget that you live to serve your family first, even if that wasn’t the main theme of the chapter.

This reminds me of a district meeting I had as a store manager once. The keynote speaker, one of the regional managers, challenged us to “be present” for the meeting. This was long before the era of cell phones, so where else could we mentally be, trapped in a room with other corporate bigwigs?

The wacky part was that the entire retail branch of that company folded up shop a few years later. Who really needed to be “present”, I wonder still?

Section four: Choose your attitude

Sometimes we receive the message we need to hear at the exact moment we needed to hear it. This section serves as a reminder that we have within us an amazing power. With the exception of mental health issues, most of us have the capacity to check our attitudes and control them. If we cannot control what happens to us, we can, to a large extent, control our reaction and that is a message that Mr. Rogers tried to teach us all when we were kids.

The day I read this chapter, I was in a perfectly bad mood because something beyond my control was negatively impacting me. I am a grown adult and I did my best to contain my frustration, but if you knew me well, you’d have known I was upset. I read this chapter and it snapped me right back into the right frame of mind. As a manager, I liked to tell my staff to “control the controllables” and forget the rest. If you can’t change it, why are you worrying about it and allowing it to distract you from what you do best? From time to time, I forget that wisdom and this chapter reacquainted me with it.

The second section of the book contains a number of thought exercises, inviting you to explore the myriad ways you may be able to apply these lessons and philosophies to your work-place. Again, this is only of value when you explore these concepts as a team. I imagine that working through these exercises in the absence of support might be depressing. My team is working our way through these exercises together and this book makes it fun to collaborate.

The irony of this whole situation is the premise of who sent me this book, versus who -needs- to read this book.

My company and my manager not only value their employees but cares deeply that our work days are rewarding experiences.

There is no part of the book that my manager needs to read or needs me to read. I get the concept and the philosophy on a profound level. I understood the value of these principles decades before I ever heard of this book. My boss gets the concept and the philosophy on a profound level. She understood the value of these principles decades before she ever heard of this book.

I have PLENTY of managers in the dustbin of my working life who desperately need to read this book and understand its point, and they won’t, because it’s antithetical to their nature. I’m looking right at you, company who’s name evokes a certain fruit that makes great pies in the fall. I’m looking right at you, last manager I had at the place where students are turned into robots, who turn back around and invent robots.

So there it is, this book conveys a message understood and adopted by the people who are receptive to it and will likely never even be read by the people who would be challenged by it. That’s not a knock against this book, mind you. It’s a knock against the concepts of confirmation bias and only partaking in information that supports your firmly held beliefs.

You can’t blame these authors for trying though, and the result is an enjoyable read, and in fact, this is the best, most enjoyable business thought book I may ever have read.

Or is that simply -my- confirmation bias speaking? I really, truly don’t think so. In my decades of experience, the happiest employees make the most productive employees, and in the context of customer service, the happiest employees create the happiest customer service experiences.

I’ve waited decades to be proven wrong and in all that time, I’ve seen no evidence of my error in judgment, nor suggestion that any is on the horizon.

There is one hitch in the system, though, and I alluded to this earlier. This book does employees very little good whatsoever if the philosophy does not permeate through the company. If an employee decides to employ these strategies in a workplace where playing or choosing a different attitude is -not- welcomed, it could conceivably make their work experience more difficult and leave them ostracized. The concepts presented by this philosophy must be applied from the top or at least from above you, the employee.

All in all, this is a happy book with high re-read value.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely fantastic book and, admittedly, I was not expecting it to be. A bit cliche at points but in a good way and the message is a great. This would be a great gift to give a college grad or anyone entering the workforce. Great advice presented in a natural and authentic way. Definitely a must read.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sequel to Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results, in which the authors provide both extended and shorter real-life accounts that illustrate the key points they made in their first book. It is intended as a stand alone volume, so the principles are repeated, though not in as much depth as in the first book. It's short and sweet and simple, but my experience has been the the simple things in life are often the best.

Their stories (and accompanying commentary) focus on the following four principles:

1. Play: Find ways to make work and other responsibilities and relationships fun, and in doing so, create positive energy at home, at work, or anywhere.
2. Make Their Day: Engage fellow employees, customers, family, friends, or even total strangers and find ways to "make their day."
3. Be There: Make sure you are fully available and aware when interacting with others. Create a greater sense of intimacy between yourself and those around you. "Awareness is all."
4. Choose Your Attitude: Each day we choose our responses to events and interactions in the world around us. We decide how to act...the choice is ours and, the way we choose to act will almost invariably influence others.

The authors finish up the book with a twelve week suggested program, complete with goals and guiding questions for reflection that relate to each of the four principles. Essentially, it is a roadmap for implementing their ideas, and it is worth giving it the time. There is nothing really new in the book, but they have an engaging writing style, and the examples and stories make it work. And of course, if it addresses fundamentally true principles, one wouldn't expect it to be different from other insightful books on these issues. Nonetheless, its a wonderful little book, and (I think) better than the original because it deals in real world stories and the "how to" of implementation.

[Deepa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Its not that interesting. I tried my best but cudnt finish it. its bOOOOOOring!didnt help me out at all.

[Lusajo Mwaisaka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for everyday us, striving to be the best we can be for the betterment of humnanity - both at work and how we live everyday, all through managing our attitudes towards self and others. There are number of things we take for granted and this is one solid reminder of how our action and reaction towards people and happenings in our lives can have an impact on both, our lives and the lives of those we share this world with.

[Saad Sayyed · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was good, and unlike the first book with a completely fictional company, they included brands like Sprint™ and major businesses (atleast in their areas) emulating the Famous Pike Fish Market people. But, it feels slightly off with the writing - some parts were dry interviews. But good for any business-y people who want to create a good workspace environment.

[Oscar Delgado Santamaría · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quizá hoy en día ya no hay hueco para este libro. Pero en su día, hace ya bastantes años, me ayudó a entrar en el mundo laboral teniendo una actitud que se notaba. Hoy en día, en el mundo de sobreexplotación y cansancio, este libro será percibido por muchos como el lado oscuro. En fin, en el equilibrio estará la virtud, supongo. Sigue habiendo ideas útiles en este libro.

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspirational book about having fun and being present at work. Probably much better and fresher in the early 2000s but many books have written along similar themes now.

[Mary Kinietz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ideas on how to have fun while getting things done at work.

[Vikrant Rai · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a nice read, lessons depicted through a life story. One can relate to it and try to implement the learns in their own way in their own life.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I worked at one of the places in this book!

[Prince Rokaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bad Choice
I shouldn't have read it in the first place.....
Book is good,but i don't like writting
may be because i don't like such genre anymore

[Siti · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories are inspirational but after 10 pages they start to sound the same. Still, loved the guided activities at the end. Applicable to real life !

[Jo Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fish Philosophy could be used in so many areas of the workplace to improve what we do.
Everyone should learn and implement this philosophy.

[Naman Maheshwari · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Book does the job!
Tells nice stories and in the end a framework to apply the concepts.

[Mikki Nuckols · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time to share.

[Gokul Krishna · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are into sales, this is one of the motivational and encouraging book.

[Conicamodeca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re ayuda te hace ver las maneras de trabajar, con buena actitud energía, te da consejos y guías muy bueno

[Shanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book given to me by my supervisor in order to prepare for a training we were to have at work. I enjoyed reading about the Fish philosophy and the anecdotes presented in the book were entertaining while still being informative. My view towards work aligns nicely with the Fish philosophy and I'm thankful to work for a company who is on board with this work approach. I only wish more businesses operated like this; the world may very well be a better place for it.

[Sanjana Mandal · Rating 3 out of 5]

So basically this book tells us how to make our work life more fun. It has a point i mean we spent majority of our times in office pre covid. So why not make that time.. fun.
The four principals it have are:
Play.
Listen to people. Be there.
Make their day.

[Lídia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Convertir un vertedero de energía tóxica en el idílico lugar de
trabajo es posible con los secretos del famosísimo Pike Place Fish
Market de Seattle,CA.

Mary Jane, una ejecutiva con ganas de cambiar la imagen de su departamento, tachada de poco eficiente, aburrida e incluso deprimente, la cual es burla del resto de trabajadores, llega por casualidad al famoso mercado de pescado. Lonnie un pescadero del mercado enseña a Mary Jane el sitio, donde el pescado vuela, los clientes se divierten y se monta un tremendo espectáculo minuto a minuto. Con la ayuda de Lonnie, empieza a analizar las claves del éxito de la pescadería y prueba de incorporarlas en su departamento para solucionar su problema.
Los Secretos de Pike Place Fish Market:

“1. ESCOGE TU ACTITUD
Los pescaderos tienen muy claro que eligen su actitud cada día. Uno de ellos dijo ‘Cuando haces una cosa, ¿Cómo te
sientes? ¿Estás impaciente o aburrido, o te sientes famoso en el mundo? Actuarás de manera diferente si eres famoso en el mundo’. ¿Cómo queremos sentirnos mientras trabajamos?

2. JUGAR
Los pescaderos se divierten en su trabajo, y pasarlo bien aumenta la energía. ¿Cómo podemos pasarlo bien y crear más energía?

3. ALEGRALES EL DÍA
Los pescaderos pasan un buen rato e incluyen en él a los clientes.
Estimulan a los clientes en maneras que fomentan la energía y la buena voluntad. ¿Quiénes son nuestros clientes y de qué manera podemos estimularlos para arreglarles el día? ¿Cómo podemos hacer lo mismo entre nosotros?

4. ESTAR PRESENTE
Los pescaderos están totalmente presentes en el trabajo. ¿Qué nos pueden enseñar sobre cómo estar presentes con los compañeros y con los clientes?”

Después de que Mary Jane presentara las claves del éxito de la pescadería a su equipo, estos se involucraron en el proceso de cambio y se ingresaron por ayudar e investigar más, tanto visitando el mercado en varias ocasiones como observando a su alrededor para poder mejorar su manera de ver la vida.

Los compañeros de Mary Jane no solo estuvieron agradecidos con ella por haber sido capaz de encontrar una solución al “vertedero de energía tóxica” sino que también los había ayudado a darse cuenta de que muchas veces les pasaba lo mismo en su vida personal. Gracias a los cambios realizados, Mary Jane recibió un premio otorgado por la presidenta de la empresa, y los demás compañeros empezaron a querer trabajar más con ellos e incluso algunos pidieron el traslado al departamento.

[Cathy Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great idea for a book. When you start hearing from people who tried out the ideas from your first book and were successful, collect up their stories, flesh out your theories, and publish the whole ball of wax together. Wonderful.

I like the way the authors organized the book. They took the "tales" of those who implemented the FISH! philosophy and turned dozens of them into one- and two-paragraph testimonials of success. People from all kinds of organizations described what they tried and and how they made it work. The authors also took one story exemplifying each of the Four Principles (Play, Choose Your Attitude, Be There and Make Their Day) and explored it a little more fully. This allows them to invite all of us along as their own understanding deepens. After all, the guys at the Pike Place Fish Market didn't develop a full-on theory of improved quality of work life. They just chose to enjoy themselves at work and started living the benefits.

My favorite story in here involves a "grouchy old guy" roofer who comes to embrace the FISH! philosophy (silly as it seems) when he sees that it works: the younger guys work harder, the customers are less difficult to deal with, and the jobs are steady. I spend a lot of my professional life trying to convince people that new ideas will work if we decide in advance to make them work... so kudos to the roofers for giving intentional positivity a fair shot.

And kudos to the authors for a terrific sequel.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book challenges the reader to go out of the box and be master of his/her work universe. Since we spend so much time at work, this was an insightful and refreshing read for me. A good boost and timely reminder to being the difference one wants to see.

Basically, the four principles advocated by the book are:

Play - Play and work can coexist. Playing at work means creating a fun and enjoyable working atmosphere geared towards creativity and productivity. In putting the fun element to ones work or even just tasks we are expected to accomplish at home or school, it allows one to put more value to it not only for oneself but also for other.

Make Their Day - The key is to be the best version you can be when servicing others. A little touch of kindness indeed goes a long way.

Be There - It is easy to be trapped in multi-tasking because you feel you are doing more in a shorter period of time. However, in hindsight, it only leaves you starting a lot but finishing a few. Being present in the moment and at the task in front of you is the way towards efficiency. It also translates and speaks volume on the importance of wholeheartedness to what you do.

Choose Your Attitude - "The only thing I own is what I think." Ultimately, how we act roots from what we think. How we see things affects how we choose to react to things. Acknowledging this and proactively engaging ourselves in the choices we make counts the most.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife Judith listened to this book and came away encouraged after every listening. This book's topic is to transform your workplace by learning from and following the example of some Seattle fishmongers. It's illustrated with a variety of examples of how different workplaces (auto mechanic shop, hospital, Sprint call center, roofing company) have put the Fish philosophy into practice. It's an especially good read if you're in management and can introduce this way of thinking to your group or unit.

Key things I'll take away:
1. Encourage a workplace where you have fun on the job, resulting in playful, happier workers.

2. To take a phrase from Mark Sanborn's Fred Factor, be a Fred.
-Look for ways to serve. Be fully there when you interact with the other person; listen.
-Look for ways to make the other person feel special.

3. Encourage a culture of appreciation.
-Count your blessings and be thankful.
-Think of ways to express appreciation for help. Thank you cards, giving plastic fish away when someone shows special kindness and help, having a raffle at the end of the year with prizes based on the fish received throughout the year.

4. Have ways to prompt you to explain and remember the Fish philosophy.

5. Remember attitude. To a great extent, you choose what day you're going to have.

6. The activities you do half-heartedly wear you out.