Every so often you might see or hear something about being a “fish” in regards to Winn Tech. While we here at Winn Tech fully enjoy and embrace what this means, we realize that our readers and clients may not always understand what we’re talking about. This seems a major flaw because how can someone completely comprehend Winn Tech without understanding being a “fish”. Not to worry. We’ll make sure you don’t finish reading this blog without becoming thoroughly aware of if not sympathetic to being a “fish”. Hold on to your tail fins ‘cause here we go…

In 1997, John Christensen, owner of ChartHouse Learning made a trip to Seattle, completely unaware of what he would stumble upon and the impact it would have all over the world in the coming years. During his visit, he happened upon Pike Place Fish Market. Now when you think of a fish market what do you see? Let’s think: a dank, dreary place, huge containers of ice, fish as far as the eye can see, cold rooms, not to mention the smell from the mounds of raw seafood. Add to that the weather of what’s considered to be the most depressing and wettest place in the continental U.S. and it sounds like a bad episode of Dirty Jobs.

These were terrible conditions and yet…the energy of this fish market was astounding. The workers were joking around with each other and all the customers were receiving stellar customer service. Large trout were flying through the air, wooing onlookers. Every customer and every worker had a smile. Christensen noticed that despite having an undesirable job, they chose to bring a positive attitude and atmosphere to the workplace. It was here that Christensen developed the FISH! Philosophy.

Now, just in case this isn’t apparent, Winn Tech is nothing like that fish market (though it does get pretty chilly in here now that I think about it…). However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t live by the FISH! Philosophy ourselves. The four central foci of the philosophy are

1. Choosing One’s Attitude

2. Playing at Work

3. Making Someone’s Day

4. Being Present

and each one is a crucial part of what we do.

From the second that we or any of our clients step through the front door, a warm welcome and a smile are guaranteed for the duration of the stay. The employees of Winn Tech come in here every day and choose their attitude, approaching their work with the best mindset possible. Since the day I started at Winn Tech, I’ve yet to come across a day where my-coworkers aren’t exemplifying the FISH! attitude. We’re a family. We have fun, joke with each other, get to know each other, and make every person, newbie or veteran, feel right at home. We have office parties, pot lucks, fun clothes days, entertaining meetings, music (I’ve yet to see a dance party break out but here’s hoping), and just good old fashioned feel-good moments.

Each time we’re able to improve a customer’s day makes our day. Knowing that we have, either single-handedly or as a team, made a client’s day just a tad better means everything to us. It’s proof that every step we take matters. We affect more than just ourselves and our immediate surroundings. We make decisions that ripple out and touch everyone we come in contact with, like a school of fish.

At our monthly full staff meetings here at Winn Tech, we award an honor known as “Fish of the Month”. Comparable to Employee of the Month, Fish of the Month goes to the Winn Tech employee who, over the past month, was an impeccable embodiment of everything we embrace as FISH! Even bigger is the Fish of the Year Award which is awarded every spring for the employee who went above and beyond all expectations in newly completed year.

So whenever you see or hear a Winn Tech employee say “someone is fishy around here”, we don’t mean that food is disappearing from the staff room fridge. We mean that someone is going all out to make Winn Technology Group a better place by their being here every day with the positive demeanor that comes from a FISH! Philosophy attitude. Swim on.