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If you read the article from last week, you know that over the coming weeks I will be discussing the four principles of the Fish! philosophy: Choose your attitude, Make someone’s day, Have fun, and Be present.

This month’s video is a sample of what the Pike Place Market is really like. By watching it you will get a glimpse of how these principles translate into every day actions for the employees of the Pike Place Fish market in Seattle.

If you follow the link to Wikipedia, you will find a criticism of the Fish! philosophy: a link to another Youtube video where a Pike Place Market fishmonger argues that ‘the Fish! philosophy was just a show for the people that make the videos [and the books]; they’re just trying to sell something. It is just not possible to continuously work like that all year long’. Yet a simple search in YouTube for the words Pike Place Market will show you a large number of amateur videos that prove the contrary.

I hope you enjoy this short preview of the Fish! philosophy, and stay tuned for more in-depth discussions of the upcmoming articles in this topic.

Image: Happy Happy Norouz 87 courtesy of Hamed Masoumi

Have you ever considered the possibility that a book written to help organisations improve morale and deliver better results might just have the secret to a happy life? Probably not. Yet that is exactly what you will find in Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results.  Fish! is a book written by Ken Blanchard (best-selling author of Who Moved My Cheese, The One Minute Manager, and Whale Done, among others),Stephen Lundlin, Harry Paul & John Christensen; and it tells a story of how a manager at afirm in Seattle finds the secret to building a high morale, productive business whilst visiting the world-famous Pike Place Fish Market.

Rob Walker’s article “The Radical Happy: Fish! Explained” explores how this book came to life. According to Walker, “In 1997, John Christensen, CEO of ChartHouse Learning, which makes educational videos, took a business trip to Seattle and found himself wandering around the Pike Place market. Fishmongering is tough work, done in 12-hour shifts and marked by stench, scales, blood, and exposure to the elements. To Christensen’s surprise, however, the workers at Pike Place Fish did not appear beaten down by their environment. In fact, they were positively giddy. In their fish-tossing antics, their theatrical clowning, their energy, and their fun, Christensen saw something magic. It was not a paradigm, but a paragon: the way work ought to be.”

So what was the secret of the success story at the Pike Place Fish markets? It all came to 4 very simple principle:

1. Choose your attitude
2. Make someone’s day
3. Have fun
4. Be Present

Over the coming weeks, we will be writing in detail about what these principles are about; the impact they can have in your own level of happiness; and how you can incorporate them into your life as part of your daily habits.

If you decide you’re too impatient to wait, you might consider shelling out the US$14 that the book costs, and reading it in one sitting. The book is short and very easy to read, and is guaranteed to give you plenty of ideas on how increase your level of happiness and wisdom. Whether you decide to buy it now or wait to the end of this series, we hope to see you here next week for the next installment in the series.