“Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results”

by Stephen C. Lundin, PhD., Harry Paul and John Christensen
Reviewed by Pamela Biery

A Wall Street Journal Business Bestseller, this short book delivers a powerful parable to help you learn to love the work you do--even though you can’t always do the work you love.

Being from Seattle, I couldn’t resist the temptation to see how business “Pike Place Fish” could be developed into a real success story, fictional management tale and a parable delivering principles to help each of us enjoy our work more, all at once. In 107 pages Fish! delivers on each point.

We join Mary Jane, who has just been transferred to the ”toxic energy dump” of her company, with a pushy order from her manager upstairs “to get it right, and quickly.” Overwhelmed, she walks down to Pike Place Public Market during lunch, watching the fun and interaction at Pike Place Fish, sets her solution into motion.

Through a process of exploration, the active example of Pike Place Fish and fictional guide-fishmonger, Lonnie, Mary Jane uncovers four key principles. The first one is “Choose Your Attitude: There is always a choice about the way you do your work, even if there is not a choice about the work itself.”

Unlike many business books, which leave the reader with a few gems for a tome of pages, this short and fun read goes so quickly, I encourage you to enjoy the powerful principles and homilies it presents on your own.

Since 1979, Pamela Biery has owned and operated her own firm, Pamela Biery/Marketing Communications. She holds a Certificate in Marketing and Public Relations from UC Davis and a BA with an emphasis in Communication from Dominican University.