How do you stop your company becoming a toxic energy dump? Why not draw inspiration from Seattle’s world famous Pike Place Fish Market! That’s what Mary Ramirez, the main character from Fish (the latest addition to Greenstone’s recommended reading list) did. Mary, a successful manager in one of the city’s largest financial companies, is asked to turn around a data processing department.
The department is the butt of the whole company’s jokes. Nobody has the enthusiasm to do anything and the culture of the department is such a powerful and depressing force that new people quickly lose their spark. Under pressure from her boss and unsure of where to go next, one afternoon Mary discovers the local fish market. It’s a hive of activity, with everyone, staff and customers alike, having a great time. Mary starts to meet with Lonnie, one of the fish guys, and discovers that once, the fish market was also a toxic energy dump. Managers and employees at the market then decided to do something about it. “There is always a choice about the way you do your work, even if there is not a choice about the work itself.”
The company decided to become “World Famous”. The fishmongers also came up with four basic principles to improve their work lives and, as a result, productivity: Choose your attitude – how do you feel when you arrive at work? Play – have fun doing your job. Make their day – customers, colleagues, managers or anyone else you come into contact with. Be present – always look for what needs to be done If you want to change the way your organisation works, you may need a spark. Fish, by Stephen C. Ludin, Ph.D, Harry Paul and John Christensen, may provide that spark. (Review by David Swann).
