One way financial institutions can improve customer service is by encouraging employees to engage the public in a more spontaneous, lighthearted manner. The technique, known as the Fish! Philosophy, is based on an approach pioneered by Seattle's world famous Pike Place Fish Market.

The key principles of the Fish! Philosophy are

• Play with purpose. Work made fun gets done, especially when we choose to do serious tasks in a lighthearted, spontaneous way. "Play" is not just an activity; it's a state of mind that makes the day move quickly and sparks creative solutions.
• Look for ways to make the customers' day. When you make someone's day, or moment, through a small kindness or unexpected attention, you can lift someone else's spirit—as well as your own.
• Be present to the needs of customers and co-workers. Focus on the person or task with which you are engaged. Listen deeply. "Being there" fights burnout, for it is the half-hearted tasks we perform while juggling other thoughts that wear us out.
• Choose your attitude. There is an exhilarating freedom in taking responsibility for your choices. You can choose your attitude and, if you find yourself with an attitude you don't want, you can choose another.

First Essex Bank of Lawrence, Massachusetts, enjoys a solid reputation as a community bank with a loyal customer base. Its 32 branches serve the standard variety of borrowers—home owners and small businesses. The company is also the largest lender in the nation for the purchase of private aircraft, primarily single-engine airplanes. The organization has carved a reputation out of niche markets, sound strategies, and responsive service for loyal customers. First Essex adopted the Fish! Philosophy.

The bottom line still drives First Essex—and the bottom line is doing great. Sculpting a fun, engaging culture might have seemed to be a risk for First Essex, but its employees have proven that they are accountable for their work, but when the organization gave them an opportunity to have fun at the same time, it became invigorating rather than draining.

Fish! is effective at First Essex because management took a step back and invited employees to participate, rather than mandating that they had to. By allowing each department to identify the starfish, the company turned over the reigns of the program to its true leaders. When the employees shared a simple language, everyone had a common starting point from which to create the environment they wanted to work in.

Source: Michael Wilson, "No Fish Story," Bank Marketing, June 2002, pp. 20–24.