What do Fish have to do with Job Satisfaction?
Let’s pause for a spot of self reflection:
How do you feel when you leave the house in the morning and head off to work?
If you aren’t madly in love with your answer to that question, you’re not alone. It’s well accepted that issues about team culture and staff morale are causing increased levels of discontent, not just for teachers, but for all members of our school communities.
Now, if you’re anything like I was a few years ago, you’ll be sick to death of admiring the problem and be eager to make a change for yourself, your colleagues and your learners. But the critical question is: Where on Earth do you start? Well my friends, the answer might just be Seattle Washington.
The Pike Place Fish Market
Filmmaker John Christensen was shopping in Seattle when he heard unexpected cheering in the distance. Curious, he followed the sound and encountered a crowd surrounding a small fish market - the Pike Place Fish Market. Suddenly a salmon went flying through the air and was expertly caught by one of the workers as the crowd applauded.
The fishmongers greeted strangers like long lost friends. Despite the noise and bustle, when a fishmonger focused on serving a customer, it was as if they were the only two people in the world. John noticed that selling fish looked cold, dirty and exhausting, yet these fishmongers attacked their work with energy and enthusiasm. He wondered, “How do they do it?”
Over time John got to know the team and discovered their four key practices that allowed them to have such an engaged and positive workplace culture. These four practices make up the Fish Philosophy:
Be there
Play
Make their day
Choose your attitude
John assembled a team to create videos and books about the Fish Philosophy. A quick Google search will show you that it’s been proven to revolutionise the culture of businesses, schools and organisations around the world. They’ve sold over 6 million books so must be on to something right!
How does this relate to us as educators?
Be There.
Being physically, mentally and emotionally present is the cornerstone of the Fish Philosophy. Giving someone your full attention is a powerful sign of respect that improves your communication skills and strengthens professional relationships.
Being there can be as simple as turning off all of your device's notifications to create space for prolonged focus on the people in front of you, rather than constantly being distracted by those behind a screen. It’s about listening deeply and purposefully so you can engage with those around you more effectively.
Questions to ask yourself to be more present:
What are the potential distractions around me right now?
How can I minimise those distractions?
How will others know that I am truly listening to them?
Play.
We know that learning through play is crucial for children - why should they get all the fun? Play is important for us too!
You can bring a mindset of play to everything you do by asking “how could I make this more fun?” Even report writing can have play injected into it if you’re creative with how you approach it. Think: keeping a record of funny anecdotes that celebrate a child’s personality, setting mini milestones and celebrations along the way, catching up with a colleague for a report writing party (with your favourite snacks of course).
Questions to ask yourself to put more play into your day:
What would this look like if it was more fun?
How might I complete this task in a different way to what I normally do?
Make their day.
No matter what your role, your words and actions often have the power to make or break someone else’s day. Find simple ways to delight people in a meaningful, memorable way. It’s about contributing to someone else’s life - not because you want something, but because that’s the person you want to be.
A heartfelt compliment, an offer to cover someone’s duty, sharing a resource or idea, these are all little things that can be done to put a smile on someone’s dial and they won’t cost you a thing.
Questions to ask yourself to help you make someone’s day:
How can I show appreciation to this person?
How can I make this person smile today?
How could I promote gratitude or kindness at my school today?
Choose your attitude.
We can all take responsibility for how we respond to what life throws at us. Choosing your attitude is the difference between being controlled by your thoughts and emotions, or being in control of your thoughts and emotions. Think about all of the times that you’ve encouraged a child to give something a go when they thought that they couldn’t do it by telling them things like “you can do it” and “don’t give up”. Choosing your attitude is a similar little pep-talk with yourself.
Questions to ask yourself to help choose your attitude:
How is my attitude affecting my team or my learners right now?
How do I want to feel about this circumstance?
How can I turn up as my best self to this situation?
Start using the Fish Philosophy right now
I was in a pretty gloomy place when my partner first thrust the Fish Philosophy book into my life. I was frustrated, not because of the people around me, but because I’d lost sight of what motivated and inspired me about being a teacher. Being present in the moment was long forgotten in favour of assessment schedules, whānau emails and planning frameworks. Having play in my day had been replaced by running records and sharpening pencils. What exploring the Fish Philosophy did was give me a moment to slow down and reassess what was most important to me in my work life. It allowed me to step away from the autopilot-teaching-machine I’d become, and make some decisions about how I could be more purposeful in the way that I turned up to work each day.
I’ll ask you another question: How do you want to feel when you leave the house in the morning and head off to work? If you want to feel more enthusiastic, positive, engaged or motivated, getting to know the Fish Philosophy might just change your work life for good.
To learn more about Kate, visit her website at www.coachingcolab.com.
This interview features in everyday. Issue 1. To read the full article and many more, purchase a physical journal from our shop.
