Introduction
Stephen Lundin’s, Christensen and Paul’s (2020) “Fish” revolves around a general management approach to work and personal life. The approach in this book is demonstrated through the workers at the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, who were seen working while performing fish-tossing hijinks simultaneously. This essay discusses some of the important principles from the book ‘Fish’ and demonstrates how they could motivate us and change our lives at work and in our personal lives.
Fish, the Book’s Principles
With the current life unpredictability, the ever-changing environments, busy schedules and responsibilities, people are constantly faced with uncertainty, worries or fears of the unknown. In the book ‘Fish,’ to be positive and have a good attitude towards life. Overall, this could be addressed to individuals and managers and leaders, specifically in trying to create a work environment that is good enough to encourage positivity of attitude from employees.
At the Pike’s Place Fish Market, workers were seen to be throwing fish around at the market as a way to create a fun environment at their workplace. Even when we acknowledge that not every job or life situation is fun, the book stills show us that we can ‘choose’ to have fun regardless. Most importantly, this can influence workers’ authenticity, and as each employee is encouraged to become their authentic selves, and while it may not necessarily eliminate the stressful aspects, it can at least ease the tension and naturally improve workers’ or individuals’ productivity.
While at work, we can either attract or drive off opportunities from our lives. At Pike’s Place Fish Market, workers seemed to love their job, leading to more customer acquisition. They gained customer loyalty by engaging with them through their energetic hijinks, ‘making their day.’ In due course, engaging with customers or your surrounding community helps create bonds and relationships. As social human beings, this creates goodwill and a spirit of belonging and security.
Being present at work and in your personal life means being reliable and accountable to your surroundings. This could mean being reliable for your colleagues, friends or customers by giving your full attention to an assigned task or an individual. Paying attention to people or activities means being aware of the needs of those around you and being readily available for service. In due course, this helps get the same attention back, thus creating strong relationships and life networks.
Conclusion
As it flows from the above discussions, life is complex at work and in our personal lives. Due to its unpredictability, we cannot reach a positive change while maintaining a rigid approach to it. As human beings, we seek understanding, hope and relationships; this can be achieved through observing the various principles presented in the book ‘Fish .’Although the book is fictional, it offers an important philosophy that portrays the need for positivity, relaxation and building trusting relationships at work to achieve better creativity and productivity in all spheres of life. Particularly addressing business management, the book presents a management approach that requires trust between employees and management. Employees should trust their leadership, where positive work culture is primarily developed, to feel free at work. Lastly, management has to trust their employees’ ability to perform to the best of their ability.
References
Lundin, S. C., Christensen, J., & Paul, H. (2020). Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results. Hachette Go.
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