FISH!

GTC Financial has recently implemented an exciting way to make our office an enjoyable place to come each day, where both staff and clients can feel comfortable and at ease. It means finding a nice balance between having a good time and maintaining productivity.

 

To help us achieve our goals, we have implemented the FISH! Theory (based on the book by Stephen C Lundin, Ph.D.) about the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, USA. Although life as a fish monger can be unpleasant, the staff at this market decided to focus on the positives and came up with four different ways to improve their workplace: Choose Your Attitude, Play, Be Present & Make Their Day.

 

Choose Your Attitude – There is always a choice about the way you go about your work, even if there is not a choice about the work itself. Choose to have a great day.

 

Play – Having fun at work leads to a happier and healthier work environment for you and your customers. Be serious about your work without being too serious about yourselves.

 

Be Present – Observe what is going on around you and be there with a helping hand when others needs you.

 

Make Their Day – Focus on ways to make others around you have a great day. Create a positive flow of energy and encourage it to grow with words of encourage, a helping hand or a good ear.

 

These four categories make up the theory behind FISH! and must all be represented equally to achieve the best results.

 

Of course, this theory is not only relevant to places that handle fish. At GTC, we have created a reward system where everyone has a fish bowl on their desk and you feel that someone has done something that fits into a FISH behaviour, you place a paper fish in their bowl. This is followed by a group email to explain why you have awarded that team member with a fish. Each of our fish has one of the four categories written on them so everyone can see where you have excelled.

 

 

Being surrounded by items that remind you of the FISH! Theory is another key to its success. With our fish bowls, signs on most of the walls around the office and our personal “Which Attitude Do You Choose?” labels, it’s easy to keep our goals in the front of our minds.

 

Our hope is that our clients will not only feel the positive effects and benefits of this new initiative but also become involve as well. Feel free to award your own fish to one of our team members who you believe deserves some recognition or ask us about ideas to introduce FISH! to your workplace.

 

The series of FISH! books can be purchased from any good book store and is an easy, enjoyable and highly-recommended read.