Fish: a Tale of Empowerment

Fish!: Book Report

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Running Header: Fish!: Book Report

Introduction

Hundreds of management books are published every year around the world. Every author claims to have the secret to leadership and molding the perfect manager. Fish! is no different. Authors Stephen Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Chris claims their book boasts, “A remarkable way to boost morale and improve results.” After reading, and analyzing their philosophy of energizing the work environment, I support their ideas and use them in my everyday interactions with my staff. The topics in the short story and the way they convey their principles are delivered in a manner that any level of management can understand and implement. This report will tie an idea in the novel to the class text, and explain its importance in the business world.

Fish! is the story of a middle aged woman who is in charge of a department in a financial institution. The story begins with Mary Jane moving to Seattle with her husband, Dan, and two small children. She uprooted her life because of a transfer that her husband had received. Mary Jane found work at First Guarantee, a major Seattle financial institution. Shortly after moving to their new town, Dan collapsed at his job and died of a brain aneurysm. The doctors advised her that it was an oddity and no one had expected or planned for it. Mary Jane had experienced the struggles of living with two small children and a full time career. She worked hard and received a promotion to the third floor processing area as a manager. The department that she was obtaining with her promotion was known to the rest of the bank as the “toxic energy dump”.

Before long, Mary Jane realized that she would have to change her environment or it would ruin her career, as well as her life. She explains in the story that she has two reasons why she cannot fail, her children and for her late husband. One day Mary Jane decides to take lunch out of her office...