Fish Philosophy

Introduction

Management, a common job but difficult skill to master. While an emphasis tends to be placed on what managers are doing wrong, to become a great manager one must look at what sets the great managers apart from the others. Great managers understand and lay the foundation of trust, communication, and integrity in the workplace and actively pursue their commitment to purpose. Many of these aspects can be visual or verbal, and just as important for the workplace as a whole to follow. With many facets involved in management, it’s important to understand and acknowledge what it takes to really be a great manager. By using the Pike’s Place Fish Market as an active example, a culture of trust embedded with the importance of people and

(Kouzes, Posner, 2002, pg. 191). The article goes one to explain the importance of “listening with your eyes and your heart.” This is especially true when providing feedback or devising a rewards system. If the manager does not understand what exactly it is that makes an employee tic or what he or she is going through, then the manager will miss the opportunity to be present or make their day. This proves that by “listening with your eyes and your heart”, it is being consistent with the values taught by the Fish

One school district near New Orleans began using the Fish Philosophy and saw dramatic results. Tamara, the school psychologist wanted to find a way correct behavioral issues the school was experiencing. The philosophy was taught to kids k-12 and to the administration so a consistent message was present. It was a challenge to implement such a new way of thinking into such a large district but with careful planning it became successful.

Tamara began by making posters to set up around the school for daily reminders. Teachers also made pamphlets for classroom training. At assemblies, individuals were recognized for the Fish Philosophy behaviors. Behaviors were also recognized and reinforced the instant they happened in the classroom.

The culture of the school slowly began to change. As the students changed from a me-centered mind set to an others-first mind set, vast improvements were seen. Tardies dropped during one period from in the hundreds down to just seven. Disciplinary problems also decreased. The philosophy was also intertwined in the antibullying initiative by being there for each other. This taught empathy and bullying issues decreased. With such impressive results, the Fish Philosophy has continued with more schools also following trend.