FISH!
Catch
the Energy and Release the Potential
It’s time to loosen up. Play
more. Lift the lid on freedom and responsibility. There are
really no more “day jobs” out there. When people are
genuinely engaged in the work they do—rather than just doing
time—they become inspired to innovate.
You have to rock any
status quo that’s in the way of people living and working in
a wholehearted, passionate, productive way. We spend more
time at work than we do with our families. Why would we want
it any other way from nine to five?
A new language for a
new culture.
So where’s the
opening? It’s with conversations—the life-blood of any
relationship, any family, any organization. But not
preaching from the pulpit about today’s new program or
tomorrow’s new process or next week’s new re-organization.
Because if you impose anything from the top, over time,
that’s exactly where it’ll remain.
If you want folks to get
some skin in the game and make a personal investment in the
big picture, it must start with meaningful conversations.
Honest discussions about the shared dream so that each and
every team member can understand and refine, then find and
feel their personal connection to the vision and their role
in it. This is when people discover new-found courage and
feel motivated to act. And when the tough issues come up,
there’s no way around them. You talk straight through them.
So that in time, your business strategy is directly aligned
with your cultural strategy.
Let’s be real.
Once people
develop a common language around a meaningful, motivating
mission, the conversations shift to what’s possible rather
than coulda, woulda, shoulda. New attitudes develop.
Performance improves. Customers notice. Trust increases.
Everyone feels a creative reawakening and a renewed
commitment to “who they’re being while they’re doing what
they’re doing.”
People honor a culture
that honors them.
It’s all about
trust, isn’t it? The ability to trust and be trusted is one
of the most powerful forces on earth. Organizations
committed to intentionally creating and supporting a culture
of earned trust are those organizations that will generate a
dynamic culture flush with natural energy, innovation and a
competitive advantage no one can copy.
Human imagination is an
organization’s most valuable asset.
Let’s face it, the
success of any organization is directly proportional to the
personal success of its individual associates. Every
organization needs people who are passionate, committed and
free to live the organization's vision through their own
personal values.
Since we live in an era
where there’s enormous emphasis on productivity and
maximizing human capital, the opportunity and privilege to
inspire personal transformation that leads to organizational
transformation is here and now.
To begin to change
anything, we have to change the way we speak about it, the
way we feel about it and definitely the way we act about it
day in and day out.
That’s the beauty of the
four simple but powerful principles that are the bedrock of
The FISH! Philosophy:
Be There
To “be there” for another person has a powerful effect. Think
about how good it feels when someone gives you her or his
undivided attention, focusing on your needs and feelings.
Now think about how it feels when someone with whom you are
“interacting” barely looks at you.
Listening is a big part of being there, but it’s more than that.
Too often we listen like we are in a debate: Our minds are
focused only on gathering information for the brilliant
comeback we are determined to make. But it’s difficult to
hear what another person is saying if our minds are stuck on
what we want to hear. Being truly present means suspending
judgment while you’re listening.
What’s more, given all of life’s distractions, to “be there” can
be a challenge. Cell phones ringing, e-mails coming in, many
people vying for your attention. But, there are many costs
when you aren’t fully present: You’re likely to miss
important moments if you’re not “there” for your friends,
family, coworkers and students. You may be physically
present, but you’re emotionally absent. Relationships start
to feel empty and people seem like temporary stops on your
way to some other destination.
In FISH!, a fishmonger says that when you aren’t present, you
simply bring yourself back to now. There’s nothing magical
or mystical about it. All it takes is awareness, commitment
and practice.
Play
Everyone can benefit from a little lightening up during the day.
People who find ways to incorporate “play” into their daily
lives approach their work, responsibilities and challenges
with energy and enthusiasm. In fact, some of the best
innovations in the world are a result of playing with ideas.
And some of the most serious environments can also benefit
from a sense of playfulness. It is this that allows us the
freedom to tap into our inner, innovative being ––
unearthing that which helps our organization fly forward
into the future. Successfully.
What is playing? Hide and seek? Tag? Well, in some cases, maybe!
But overall, “play” speaks to that kid we all still have
deep inside of us. That person who never hesitated to ask
“Why?” or “How come?” That person who looked at the world
creatively and openly. And who never hesitated to see the
humor in it all.
Make Their Day
“Make their day” can be a big production—giving a present, taking
someone out to dinner—but it doesn’t have to be. It might be
as simple as holding open a door for someone, asking about a
person’s family, saying thank you. It might mean telling a
friend, from your heart, how much you appreciate all they do
for you. It moves past just being civil or pleasant—it’s
taking that extra step you didn’t have to take. And that
makes all the difference.
At a deeper level, “make their day” means taking a genuine
interest in the unique gifts of others. Spontaneous or
planned, when you make the effort to brighten someone’s
day—not because you want a reward, but because that’s the
person you want to be—you receive an internal gift that
makes life even more meaningful as well. No matter what,
making someone’s day is a win-win. Every single time.
Choose Your Attitude
Most of us believe our attitudes are caused directly by outside
influences like unpleasant experiences or negative people.
But while external pressures may trigger our feelings, we
are the ones wearing those feelings like a suit of clothes.
We can either be subservient to external events, few of
which we have any control over, or we can take charge of our
own response.
“Choosing your attitude” is not always putting on a happy face or
feeling pressure to adopt the outlook that’s “officially”
acceptable. Sometimes angry or sad are what’s called for.
That’s why choosing your attitude is about being aware of
what your attitude is, and that it does affect you and
others. Once you are aware of the impact, you may view your
attitude differently, even if the situation or person that
upset you hasn’t changed. Then you can ask yourself, “Does
my attitude help me or others? Is it helping me be the way I
want to be?”
“Choose your attitude” asks only that you make your own choice
and not try to pass it off on something or someone else.
Once you accept that you are the only one who is choosing
your attitude at this moment, you can decide whether to keep
it or shape it into an attitude that’s more satisfying. You
control your attitude, not the other way around.
As Bear says in FISH!, “You gotta choose where you’re gonna be as
soon as you get out of bed. I consciously make that choice
every day.”
These principles give
people a common language that inspires new conversations
about what’s possible. New attitudes develop. Performance
improves. Customers notice. Trust increases. This new
philosophy gets into the hearts and minds of everyone at
work, empowering them to be alive and engaged.
In the final analysis, people need to understand that
building a thriving business is about more than just their
bottom line. Making money is easy. Finding meaning is not.
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