This brief paper discusses the book by Stephen C. Lundin, which deals largely with motivating workers and developing productive attitudes. (3+ pages; 1 source; MLA citation style)
IIntroduction
Many studies have revealed that a great many people dislike their jobs. Anyone who’s listened to the grumbling that goes on in most offices won’t find that surprising. But what can be done to help people who are in the trap of having a job they dislike but not being able to change it? Stephen C. Lundin’s book Fish! addresses this problem, and the impact of attitude on job performance and satisfaction.
IIDiscussion
Fish! takes the form of an imaginary case study of Mary Jane Ramirez, a supervisor, who is transferred from her congenial department to the legendary “Third Floor” of her company, an area Mary Jane describes as a place where “all the oxygen has been sucked right out of the air. I can hardly breathe.” (P. 22).
Lundin first describes Mary Jane for us. She’s a good supervisor with a positive work ethic; she is not one of those “first to arrive, last to leave” managers, but she works in such a way that she gets a lot accomplished. She also has a talent for teamwork and is very supportive of her subordinates, who in turn respond to her by working hard and enthusiastically. (Pp. 17-18).
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Jane Austen is a successful classic romance novelist, one of her many novels is Persuasion, a novel that portrays love. She published six novels that all relate to the theme of love and marriage along with the consequences of making that important decision. While the novel Persuasion is romantically favourable, there are ideas presented about marriage that are not very appealing. The main story of ...
She is then offered a promotion if she’ll move to the infamous Third Floor.
She has heard about the Third Floor and finds that its reputation is deserved. The people there are sullen, unhelpful, and bored. They are in what Lundin calls a “backroom” of the company (they don’t interact with clients), so although they perform a necessary function, they feel cut off, left out, and unimportant. Over time, their dislike of their invisibility, but most particularly their boredom—they are there merely to collect their paycheck by doing the least amount of work possible—has created a departmental “culture” that immediately squelches and disheartens anyone who transfers into the place.
Mary Jane recognizes that she must turn the Third Floor around. She observes the employees of Seattle’s Pike Place Fish Market, who have a wonderful time doing a stinky, unpleasant job, and develops four principles based on their activities. She implements these principles on the Third Floor.
The four principles are: “Play”; “Make Their Day”; “Be There” and “Choose Your Attitude.” “Play” is just that: the fishmongers are noted for the fun they have, particularly throwing fish to one another over their customers’ heads. This doesn’t mean that the Third Floor workers need to leap about and throw papers in the air, but find ways to enjoy what they’re doing. They can take their work seriously while they take themselves lightly.
“Make their Day” refers to the idea that each worker can do or say something that will cheer a co-worker; whether it’s helping with a project, remembering their name, or buying them a soda. Putting someone else before oneself is a great way to help the other person develop a better attitude.
“Be There” is similar: It’s the principle that says that when you talk to someone, or interact with them, you focus strictly on them. When someone understands that they are really being heard, things change dramatically.
Finally, “Choose Your Attitude.” It’s absolutely true that when someone upset, bored, unhappy or angry comes into a room, his or her attitude is spread among the room’s other occupants immediately. People who were feeling happy are brought down with a crash when someone mopes in feeling miserable. Thus, the fourth point is to remember that we are in fact able to choose our attitude. We can give in to our anger and boredom, or we can say “Today I choose to be happy.” The power of feelings, which are instantly communicated to others, is astonishing. By implementing these four principles, Mary Jane turned the Third Floor into a productive, happy department.
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IIIConclusion
Fish! is a short, insightful book; very easy to read and thoroughly enjoyable. For all its brevity, it conveys some very important and useful principles. Above all, it reminds us that we do not operate in a vacuum, and that the attitude we display has a tremendous effect on those around us.
IVReference
Lundin, Stephen C. Fish! New York: Hyperion, 2000.
