An aunt in a hurry, a bookstore clerk on autopilot, and a guy who loves to talk about FISH! combine for a valuable Be There lesson.
Harry Geist loves to talk about the FISH! Philosophy. That’s understandable, since his job at ChartHouse Learning is to help teams bring FISH! into their work.
But FISH! is much more than a job to Harry. He’s always been a caring guy, but the practices have changed the way he treats others. When Harry is at a store or restaurant, he always introduces himself to the person who is helping him and asks their name. He uses their name for the rest of his visit and, without fail, sincerely thanks them for their efforts.
Once, on a business trip to Los Angeles with ChartHouse CEO John Christensen, Harry introduced himself to the bellhop showing him to his room. As usual he asked the man his name and expressed his gratitude. A few days later, as Harry and John were about to leave, John struck up a conversation with the bellhop in the lobby. “You must see a lot of movie stars at this hotel,” John said.
“Yes,” the bellhop responded, listing several big names. “But of all the guests I’ve served, I remember your friend Harry the most. He’s the only one who ever asked my name.”
Because Harry is so tuned in to the importance of being there, he notices when someone isn’t very present. One day, Harry went to a large chain bookstore to pick up a book he had ordered. While he was in line at the help desk, he overheard a woman tell the clerk in a hurried voice, “I’m looking for a book I loved as a girl and I’d like to buy it for my niece. I’m sorry to sound so rushed, but it’s her birthday today and I’m running late for her party.”
The man barely looked up as he asked in a monotone, “What’s the name of the book?” The woman gave him the title and he typed it into the computer. A few moments later he said, “We don’t have it in stock.”
“Can you recommend anything else?” the woman said, sounding increasingly frazzled.
The man pointed to the back of the store and said flatly, “We have a children’s book section.”
The woman stormed off, heading for the exit, but not before muttering sarcastically, “Thanks for the help.” The clerk seemed oblivious to this as he called, “Next.”
The clerk wasn’t exactly rude, Harry thought. But he wasn’t exactly being present, either. Maybe the guy was just having a bad day. OK, but that doesn’t mean you pass your unhappiness to the customer. Maybe he was bored. Again, not the customer’s fault. Maybe I could help him, Harry wondered. For the next few minutes, he debated whether he should offer the clerk some “Be There” advice and contemplated what he would say if he did.
When Harry reached the front of the line, he asked for the book he had ordered and the clerk handed it to him. For a second Harry thought about leaving, but then he said, as politely as he could, “Do you mind if I offer you some constructive feedback?”
The clerk was a bit taken aback but said, “Sure.”
“You know that woman who was looking for the book for her niece?”
“Yeah, I looked it up but it wasn’t in the store,” the clerk said, a little defensively.
“I understand. But imagine if you had really been there for her. You might have said something like, ‘Unfortunately we don’t have the book in right now, but I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you tell me a little bit about the book, and how old your niece is? Then we’ll pick out three or four options together on the computer. I know you’re late for the party, so I’ll get some help to quickly pull the books for you. I bet we’ll find something great for your niece.’
“Or, if you couldn’t find a different book, how about brainstorming another way to solve her problem? Like putting a bookmark in a gift bag with a note about the ‘special book’ that will arrive in the mail in a few days. The woman probably would have gone to her niece’s birthday party and told a great story about you and this store. As it is, she’s probably never coming back.”
The clerk stood there, mouth open. “Well, thanks for listening,” Harry said as he walked away, wondering if he had made any difference. He browsed for another twenty minutes, and as he was heading for the door, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was the clerk. He shook Harry’s hand and said sincerely, “Thank you for what you said. You’ve helped me to see things I’ve never seen before in my work.”
As Harry drove home, he thought about why being there is so important. You may deal with the same type of transaction or interaction over and over, but each one is unique. Why? Because every customer—and what they need from you—is unique. If the bookstore clerk had seen the woman as an aunt seeking a special gift for her niece, he would have been more likely to choose a more helpful attitude. That would have led him to playfully and creatively help the woman solve her problem, which would have made her day.
Harry often explains to people who are new to FISH! that this is what the philosophy does: It helps you see opportunities to help others that you never saw before.