Workplace Culture – FISH! Philosophy Training

Using the FISH! Philosophy to Build Gratitude

Using the FISH! Philosophy to Build Gratitude

Over the past few years, more and more people and organizations have had their eyes opened to the extreme power of simple gratitude. No longer just the domain of pre-Thanksgiving Dinner share sessions, scientific research has been showing that those of us who intentionally make an effort to think about what we’re thankful for and express our gratitude to those around us are generally happier, healthier, and live more fulfilling lives. However, the key word in that last paragraph is intentional. Our brains are wired like thermostats, and have a tendency to emotionally regulate themselves back to a default state in the face of extreme changes. When an emotion is experienced frequently, this trait (called “hedonic adaptation") causes that emotion to be felt less strongly, which can make it difficult to be fully aware of when something truly positive is happening in our lives.

Holly Wartnick2023-01-23T08:53:20-06:00January 24th, 2023|

The Best Way to Change a Habit: Behavioral loops and the FISH! Philosophy

The Best Way to Change a Habit: Behavioral loops and the FISH! Philosophy

What is a habit? In the most basic terms, it’s your brain rewiring itself to make life easier… for itself. When we repeat something often enough, our brains create the neural pathways that make these tasks feel like second nature, meaning we have to devote very little brainpower to completing them successfully. This is great when you don’t have to think about brushing your teeth before bed, but it can be not-so-great when it comes time to break a habit that’s detrimental or unhealthy, like responding defensively to constructive criticism or pushing back against changes to your work routine.

Holly Wartnick2023-01-04T13:48:31-06:00January 17th, 2023|

5 FISH! Philosophy Strategies for Avoiding Burnout

5 FISH! Philosophy Strategies for Avoiding Burnout

For many people, they think that burnout is the same as stress, but that’s not entirely accurate. Stress is acute–we experience it in-the-moment due to a particular trigger. But burnout? Burnout is more long-term. It stems from accumulated stress over time, and often manifests almost like a depression: you may feel perpetually exhausted and anxious. You may feel like you can’t catch up on sleep, or that nothing brings you pleasure. You have trouble concentrating and connecting with people you love. Burnout takes time to set in, and also takes time to heal, and it’s often caused by long-term workplace stressors (although it can definitely be caused by non-work-related concerns such as marital problems or ongoing crises). What can you do if you’re feeling burned out at work? Here are five things you can do as a coworker or manager to help yourself and others find relief.

Holly Wartnick2023-01-04T13:43:57-06:00January 10th, 2023|

Choose to Choose: Using FISH! Philosophy to Choose Your Attitude

Choose to Choose: Using FISH! Philosophy to Choose Your Attitude

Choose Your Attitude is one of the 4 core pillars of the FISH! Philosophy, and is perhaps the one that requires the most personal reflection in order to really internalize. To Choose Your Attitude is to be aware of your emotions and to make the conscious decision to alter your behavior in a way that better suits the situation at-hand. The FISH! Philosophy recognizes that every situation is unique, and choosing your attitude is not meant to prescribe a particular attitude or behavior at any given moment (c’mon, do any of us react positively when someone tells us to “just stay positive”?!). Fundamentally, choosing your attitude is about practicing mindfulness: recognizing that we’re feeling a certain way, that those feelings are likely externalized via our outward behavior and demeanor, and that this behavior affects both others’ perceptions of us as well as our perceptions of ourselves, and that these are often re-internalized in a way that further alters our mood and our attitudes.

Holly Wartnick2022-12-28T12:53:28-06:00January 3rd, 2023|

How the FISH! Philosophy Can Help You Maintain Focus

How the FISH! Philosophy Can Help You Maintain Focus

We don’t need to tell you how vital energy is to the well-being and success of your organization. Energy is that hard-to-define feeling that grants any given individual the motivation and willingness to push forward with passion and a drive to succeed, and is key to our long-term sustainability, both as individuals as well as a collective unit of workers and professional colleagues. With boundless energy, we show excitement for our work and it feels like the sky’s the limit when it comes to what we can achieve. While we can get work done without energy, that work is often pulled out of us rather than being given willingly, which leaves us feeling demotivated and–over time–leads to burnout, mental anguish, and organizational distress. So how can your organization keep your team energized and working together happily and passionately?

Holly Wartnick2022-12-22T09:42:56-06:00December 27th, 2022|

Harness Your Most Valuable Resource: Energy

Harness Your Most Valuable Resource: Energy

We don’t need to tell you how vital energy is to the well-being and success of your organization. Energy is that hard-to-define feeling that grants any given individual the motivation and willingness to push forward with passion and a drive to succeed, and is key to our long-term sustainability, both as individuals as well as a collective unit of workers and professional colleagues.

Holly Wartnick2022-12-14T11:59:37-06:00December 20th, 2022|

The Power of Play is More Than Just A Game

The Power of Play is More Than Just A Game

Out of all the FISH! Philosophy's core pillars, the concept of Play is–perhaps somewhat counter-intuitively–often the most challenging for organizations and employees to wrap their minds around and to commit to integrating into their workplace culture. This idea of Play is often very inviting at first; after all, who doesn’t like the idea of their work day being a little bit more fun? But as people dig into the idea, we hear a common refrain: “what we do here is far too serious for us to be playing around.” And hey, we totally get it. When you’ve got big ideas, big goals, and are serious about doing good in the world, it can feel weird to be told to Play more.

Holly Wartnick2022-12-08T13:08:53-06:00December 12th, 2022|

4 FISH! Philosophy Tips to Choose Your Attitude

4 FISH! Philosophy Tips to Choose Your Attitude

Job skills are critical for success. Attitude may be more important. More and more companies consider a prospect’s attitude at least as essential as education and skills. This trend is growing as the pace of change accelerates. To these employers, it makes more sense to hire people who are positive, collaborative and adaptable vs. someone who is hard to work with and resistant to change—and whose present skills, however considerable, may soon be obsolete anyway. If certain attitudes are vital to success, where do they come from? Are you born with them? Or can you develop them, like any other skill?

Jackie Johnson2021-04-02T09:50:23-05:00October 9th, 2019|

Nine FISH! Philosophy tips to deal with burnout

Nine FISH! Philosophy tips to deal with burnout

We all experience stress. But sometimes, like a leaky pipe that eventually bursts from pressure, the stress turns into burnout. Regular stress and burnout exhibit many of the same symptoms, such as exhaustion, anxiety, and trouble sleeping and eating. But where stress feels temporary, burnout feels like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. You feel empty and used up. You can’t concentrate. You get no pleasure from activities you used to enjoy. You may feel disconnected from people you love. Burnout has many causes, such as marriage problems or caring for an aging parent. Work burnout is especially common. According to Gallup, 23 percent of people say they feel burned out at work often and 63 percent feel burned out sometimes. The result is low morale, high turnover and poor performance. What can you do if you’re feeling burned out at work? Here are nine things you can do to help yourself and others find relief:

Jackie Johnson2021-04-02T09:52:22-05:00August 7th, 2019|

Six FISH! Philosophy tips to improve through empathy

Six FISH! Philosophy tips to improve through empathy

Looking for better teamwork and performance? Try empathy. Empathy is the ability—and willingness to try—to understand the feelings of others. It means seeing their point of view, not just yours. When people feel understood, they are more willing to listen and collaborate. They feel safer to test new ideas. They handle change and bounce back more quickly from challenges. Surveys show 80 percent of CEOs believe empathy is key to success. Their employees feel more strongly, with 96 percent saying empathy at work is essential.

Jackie Johnson2021-04-02T09:54:56-05:00July 10th, 2019|

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