Book presentation Fresh Fish

This bookreview is written by Lieke van der Zanden. 

It was posted under the name of Carlijn Simons, since lieke was unable to post it. 

A remarkable novel about lasting changes at your work.

Subject: Change management.

This book describes the subject which most of us are dealing with at the moment. Trying to give people a new lens, which changes their perspective and eventually changes their mindset. It is a book about the worldwide used training program: Fish!

I advise you to watch the following video before reading the book review on YouTube:

FISH! Culture story (trailer)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNDP9jLuzXU&feature=related

The world famous Pike Place Fish market in Seattle is one of the sources of inspiration of this method.

Why it is meaningful to my personal story?

 The first time I read this book was 2 years ago, during my minor Imagineering at the Academy for Leisure. This book is a translation of theories into a practical example. It is fun to read, easy to relate to, it sticks with you and best of all it inspires you!

At the moment I’m a bit struggling at my Application Company as I was standing in front of my bookshelf looking for inspiration and new energy. This book is a good practical example about organizing change. Because implementing is one thing but to make sure that it is a lasting change, which continues in the future, that’s the biggest challenge.

 Overview of the content

 Starting the process of changing is easy but it is a real challenge to let it be a change forever. To realize lasting change, you need dedicated and committed employees. In the beginning of every major change initiative, external energy is always needed. That energy can be used to attract everybody’s attention. But external energy is only effective on the short term. In the long term external energy needs to be replaced by natural energy. This is energy that makes the change part of the companies culture, part of the mindset of people. Because in the beginning the new (external) things are the sources of new energy but in the long term you have to find deeper and more connected sources of energy to keep it alive.

For many companies vision is only something on paper. The recognitions of highlights in a vision are only reflected upon when it is brought back to life in peoples daily work. This is what they call “Vision moments”, moments on which you as employee can show what the vision of the company means to you. According to the book, there moments are the trick to  keep the vision alive; by experiencing individual but also collective vision moments.

But how do you realize that? Were do you start?

It is very simple; Start dialogues with people about their work and about “It”.

“It” is your personal part of the vision. Most of the time a vision is of strategic level and much broader, but has nothing personal in it for employees. Your own individual part of a vision is different for everybody and has to be more specific. You can find it by talking to other people and talking about your part of the vision. By talking about your own “It”, new energy arise. Almost everybody likes to talk about the personal things which make them proud of themselves.

The following questions could be used as an example;

-       On which moment of the day do you express the vision? (being aware of it)

-       Which experience are you trying to create for your customers and people around you?

-       How do you make the vision personal?

-       How can we support each other to keep our way of working alive and vital?

Coaching is what they describe as the present we can give each other to keep our vision strong and alive. If it is about the way we do our job, or the way we work together. Feedback has to go in every direction. Coaching is no ego trip. We only do it for the vision.

In your application company you need to follow your own path. The best guideline the book gives is, give commitment and trust, have it in yourself, your process and give it to the people you work with.

Find “it”

Live “it”

Coach “it”

If everybody understands these 3 stirring principles it is time for action. You’re ready to start your journey to reach your destined goal. Because commitment and trust is something abstract until we go in to action. This is what you can do to make them more ‘visible’.

Reflection; the value of the book for Imagineering

The combination with Imagineering could be very strong.

Developing a vision based on the core values of a company and a vision. Translating that to a high involvement experience concept.  And using that concept as a translation of the vision and using visions moments to show that it is alive. It is about starting the dialogue. Finding your own “It” and spreading the word around. It all starts with having REAL Conversations.

External energy’s can help to motivate people in working in a new way but after a while those external energy’s aren’t good enough anymore. It has to come from natural energy instead of external energy. I believe the inspiration guide is equal to this principle. It has to be something, which triggers people to start, dialogue’s but that’s just the outside. It is all about what happens inside, in the mindset of people. That has to change and be lasting.

Inspiration

And as my coach told me this week, maybe I could say to you; “Welcome to the real world of large enterprises”. I now found the answer to the question; What is my story to inspire them?

Maybe my plan did not work out the way I hoped and expected, but I am not ready to give up and this book shows me simple guidelines and tips. So the next thing what I am going to do is; Talking with people, REAL conversations to start a new inspiring dialogue! 

Thank you for reading with me,

Lieke