The Goldfish Theory

What a simple fish tank can teach you about leadership

The Goldfish Theory

A goldfish, the story goes, will continue to grow provided three conditions are met:

1. Their water is clean.
2. They are fed.
3. Their tank is large enough to sustain their growth.

I believe the same thing applies to people, and here is how you can use the analogy to turn your business into a thriving tank.

Clean Water:

For your employees to grow you need to provide a safe and healthy environment. This not only includes all the government-mandated safe work practices, but also means providing a workplace that addresses the psychological safety of your employees.

Amy Edmondson, professor of leadership and management at Harvard Business School defines psychological safety as “the shared belief among team members that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.” Here are a few ways you can strive to improve the psychological safety of your workplace:

• Listen — Your employees know what they need to be most effective, so listen to them when they tell you. This empowers them to offer new ideas and encourages them to think about ways to improve themselves and the business.
• Promote healthy disagreements — Employees who know they will be heard feel safe to speak up when they disagree. These healthy disagreements force the organization to view challenges from more than one perspective, and often lead to more effective teams.
• Encourage controlled risk — Let your employees take chances, and don’t stigmatize or chastise failure. Talk about what you learned and come up with a new plan. This gives your employees the confidence to be vulnerable.

Feed Them

While there is plenty of evidence supporting the benefits of providing food for your employees, that’s not what I am talking about here. I am talking about nourishing your employees’ minds and bodies, giving them the energy they need to thrive.

One sure way to demonstrate your commitment to your employees’ physical health is to invest in a workplace wellness program. This could be as simple as negotiating a group rate at a local gym or organizing fitness challenges, but the program should be customized to include a wide range of options to ensure broad participation. Other ideas for creating a culture of well-being is offering standing desks and providing opportunities for stress reduction, meditation, quiet spaces, etc.

Just as important as nurturing the body is providing for the mental needs of your employees. The happiest and most productive employees are those who find purpose in their work, and there are several ways you can feed the needs of your team:

• Provide a vision — explain the mission of the company beyond financial success. How does your employee’s effort contribute to her community, to the economy, to the greater good of society?
• Show recognition — employees who know their efforts are appreciated are more likely to be happy, loyal, and productive.
• Keep your door open — people want to know they matter, and the best way to demonstrate your care is a willingness to listen to your employees’ concerns. Keep your door open and give your attention to anyone who comes through it.

Big Tank

After you have established a safe work environment and given your employees the fuel they need to prosper, now you must make sure they do not outgrow their tank. Employees who feel like they have nowhere to go professionally will become bored, unproductive, and possibly even disruptive, so you must be constantly demonstrating room for growth within your organization.

A few aspects of employee growth include:

• Career growth — when job openings are filled by internal candidates, employees recognize the opportunity to climb up the corporate ladder. Work with your employees to develop career paths within your organization.
• Professional development — challenge your employees to stretch outside of their comfort zone. Offer them training in other areas of your organization. Develop a mentoring program so people at all levels of the organization are invested in employee achievement.
• Personal growth — invest in your employees’ development outside of their direct job responsibilities. Provide training opportunities for improving communication, emotional intelligence, leadership, etc.
• Financial reward — while employee satisfaction is not always directly proportional to financial compensation, you would be foolish to believe it is not a consideration. Develop compensation packages that promote productivity, growth, and development.

Now that you’ve created this environment where your employees can thrive, continue to monitor the water. Just like the fish tank in the analogy, your organization can quickly be destroyed by the introduction of one predator, the accumulation of too much waste, and the stagnation of the water. Become a careful tender of your tank and watch your organization thrive.