On a dreary November morning, my friend and I walked from our Dublin hotel to the bus stop. An elderly man was waiting there so I asked him which bus we needed to take and what the fare would be. “Do we need the exact change?” I asked. He nodded and we began scouring  our wallets looking for coins, but neither of us had enough money for the fare. The man reached in his pocket and pulled out a pile of coins which he held out to us saying, “Ladies in distress are my specialty.”  If the sun had suddenly made an appearance, I don’t think it would have made us any happier than this unexpected act of kindness had. 

What do you think might happen to a business that was committed to making everyone’s day a little bit nicer? One business found out.

Several years ago, the owner of Seattle’s Pike Place Fish Market set a goal to become a world famous business. He decided that in order to reach this exalted status, he and his staff would master four unorthodox principles which included  Play, Be There, Make Their Day and Choose Your Attitude. The silliness and showmanship that resulted from this policy attracted huge crowds and impressive sales.

One day a Minnesota filmmaker happened by the market and was mesmerized by the energy  in this unlikely place. He got the idea to film them in action and have them talk about how they ran their business. That film turned into an enormously popular training film that companies around the world are using to inspire their employees. Several books explaining the simple Fish Philosophy have reached bestseller status. The Pike Place Fish Market isn’t only world famous; it’s a role model for running a joyful business.

Making someone’s day doesn’t require grandiose actions, but it does require being attentive to little things that can make life more pleasant or memorable. Any business can find endless ways to do this.

When my daughter Jennifer was in college, she worked at a variety of jobs including being a parking lot attendant, a job I considered somewhat dangerous because these booths were often the target of robbers. She refused to give it up because it allowed her to get in a lot of study time.

One evening a man drove up and asked if he might park in the lot for just ten minutes without paying. Although it was strictly against policy, he was so polite that she gave him permission to do so.When he left, he thanked her and said, “You must get hungry working here,” and drove off. He returned a few minutes later with a dinner of curried chicken, fried rice and a fortune cookie. Jennie was astonished by his kindness and accepted the meal with her thanks and a handshake. 

She never saw him again, but he left a deep impression on her. When she called to tell me what had happened, she said, “Now I want to go do something nice for a total stranger.” It may have been the best lesson she learned in college.

Start thinking of ways you could delight the people who support your work and then do something about it. A Japanese  proverb says, “One kind word can warm three winter months.” Don’t underestimate the power of this simple idea. The Fish Guys support you in doing so.