Product Description

Imagine a workplace where everyone chooses to bring energy, passion, and a positive attitude to the job every day. Imagine an environment in which people are truly connected to their work, to their colleagues, and to their customers. In this engrossing parable, a fictional manager is charged with the responsibility of turning a chronically unenthusiastic and unhelpful department into an effective team. Across the street from her office is Seattles very real Pike Place Fish Market, world famous and wildly successful thanks to its fun, bustling, joyful atmosphere and customer service. By applying ingeniously simple lessons learned from the actual Pike Place fishmongers, our manager learns how to energize those who report to her and effect an astonishing transformation in her workplace. Addressing todays work issues (including employee retention and burnout) with an engaging metaphor and an appealing message that applies to any sector of any organization, Fish! offers wisdom that is easy to grasp, instantly applicable, and profoundthe hallmarks of a true business classic. Based on a bestselling ChartHouse training video which has been adopted by corporations including Southwest Airlines, Sprint, and Nordstrom.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1017 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03-08
• Released on: 2000-03-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 115 pages

Amazon.com Review
Here's another management parable that draws its lesson from an unlikely source--this time it's the fun-loving fishmongers at Seattle's Pike Place Market. In Fish! the heroine, Mary Jane Ramirez, recently widowed and mother of two, is asked to engineer a turnaround of her company's troubled operations department, a group that authors Stephen Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen describe as a "toxic energy dump." Most reasonable heads would cut their losses and move on. Why bother with this bunch of losers? But the authors don't make it so easy for Mary Jane. Instead, she's left to sort out this mess with the help of head fishmonger Lonnie. Based on a bestselling corporate education video, Fish! aims to help employees find their way to a fun and happy workplace. While some may find the story line and prescriptions--such as "Choose Your Attitude," "Make Their Day," and "Be Present"--downright corny, others will find a good dose of worthwhile motivational management techniques. If you loved Who Moved My Cheese? then you'll find much to like here. And don't worry about Mary Jane and kids. Fish! has a happy ending for everyone. --Harry C. Edwards

From AudioFile
Do you work in a "toxic energy dump"? Do you or your employees seem stuck in the doldrums all the time? Well then, FISH! is for you. Mallory Kasdan enthusiastically and energetically reads this tale of a manager of a department in which everyone has lost ambition, energy, and helpfulness. Through Kasdan's passionate narration, we learn how the Pike Place Fish Market--with their secrets for success and improved attitude--helps the manager encourage her staff to be involved and conscientious about what they do. FISH's philosophy will help people in any business regain their energy and passion for their lives and work. M.B.K. 2002 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Foreword by Ken Blanchard, Ph.D., co-author of The One Minute Manager, Raving Fans, and Gung Ho!

Fish! is an incredible story that John Christensen first caught on film. He and his company, ChartHouse, produced an amazing video on the world famous Pike Place Fish market in Seattle. I have been showing this video at every one of my seminars to illustrate what happens when you create Gung Ho! employees--you ignite your workforce and create Raving Fans.

Now Stephen Lundin, and long-term colleague of mine Harry Paul, have teamed up with John to bring the Fish! story to print. In whatever media it appears, it's a fabulous love story. As the book suggests, "When we choose to love the work we do, we can catch our limit of happiness, meaning, and fulfillment every day."

How important is that? Incredibly important, especially when you consider that people spend about 75 percent of their adult wake time doing work-related activities--getting ready for work, traveling to work, working, contemplating work, and decompressing after work. If we spend that much time in that part of our lives, we ought to enjoy it and be energized by it. And yet, too many people are trading time on the job to satisfy needs elsewhere; "Thank God It's Friday" is still a way of life for many people.

Those days can stop now--if you read Fish!, share it with everyone with whom you work, and implement the four secrets and suggested strategies that Lundin, Paul, and Christensen give you. I guarantee that every manager will benefit from Fish!, because it will not only increase employee retention, it will motivate people to take pride in what they do. People like to work in an environment that is fun, energizing, and where they can make a difference. The Fish! philosophy will also benefit every employee, because it prevents burnout and will keep you excited about what you do.

As you can tell, I'm excited about Fish! I think this is a marvelous book. The story of the world famous Pike Place Fish market is fantastic. But this book is not just about selling fish; it's a love story that can happen in your organization, too.

Customer Reviews

Makes work fun
Fish! is a great book that teaches you how to have fun at work and make your job into something you enjoy coming to each day. It tells the story of a woman who goes through a transformation to learn this very thing from an unlikely source: the fish mongers at a Seattle fish market. A cute story and helpful book that has been used effectively in my company.

Another business fable I just came across that I'm really excited about is Squawk!: How to Stop Making Noise and Start Getting Results

Great read!
This book should be a mandatory read for all new leaders! It is an easy read that keeps you interested from beginning to end. The philosophy is basic and simple; however extremely practicle and most of all...effective!!!

I Like The Book But....
I really liked this simple, small book. I really did. However, as a director of human resources, I was hoping for more depth. While the book is a fun tale, the lessons contained therein are too whimsical to really help corporations with their real problems. Sure, everyone wants to strive for fun, teamwork, etc., however, the daily arena does not allow such graceful answers.

Once again, I liked the book just don't expect to be pointed in a corrective position.

Michael L. Gooch, SPHR Author of Wingtips with Spurs