“HOW THE PAPER FISH LEARNED TO SWIM”Jonathon A. Flaum

Synopsis:

About 500 years ago there was a young origami master named Daishinji who lived in a small

fishing village in Japan. Daishinji was beginning to become well known for what she could do

with a single sheet of paper. One day she decided to fold a sheet of paper into a fish. Amazed by

her creation she then called it a masterpiece with its almost real-liked looked. After listening for

a long time, the paper fish finally spoke. His first three words were “I am lonely”. The origami

fish decides that he wants to be set free into the ocean with the other sea creatures. Pleased by the

fish’s ability to communicate, Daishinji folded a world full of sea creatures but the fish wasn’t

happy because he wanted a real ocean which was deep, wet, and full of mysteries. At first, the

master is afraid for her creation, it will be destroyed as soon as it hits the water. Finally, she

trusts her creation and amazingly (even if briefly) the fish becomes real, and a part of something

much bigger than Daishinji could ever have imagined, proving that an idea cannot be truly

realized until it is free. How the Paper Fish Learned to Swim presents a fable as a springboard to

unlocking creativity and innovation in the workplace. The book gives us a proven structure to

encourage innovation in others, and to discover the wonder of creating something that truly

comes to life. Including a true-to-life case study and ten scenarios for applying the Paper Fish

Process in business situations, the book is both an enveloping read and a powerful workplace

tool. As beautifully illustrated as it is gracefully told, How the Paper Fish Learned to Swim gives

as the key to unlocking our greatest resource . . . the minds of people." According to Einstein

“Imagination is more powerful than knowledge,” and he was right. We can know absolutely

everything about the past through study and as much as we can about the present through

constant analysis, but the future will always remain a mystery. The story of Daishinji only

proclaimed that imaginary things do indeed have a place in the real world. And such an attitude

seems possible when you think of the power of an individual mind. Holds true to the English

translation of Daishinji’s name “magnanimous mind temple” which taught us important lessons

on power.

1. Magnanimous Mind : Infinite Possibility in the Workplace

The “Paper Fish Process” begins with Daishinji or a “magnanimous mind temple”. The manager

is charged with creating an atmosphere geared to big open thinking rather than administrative

efficiency. People must perform their daily functions, but if that is all they do, new ideas to grow

the company will not magically appear.

2. Autonomy : Allowing creative talent to “be” at work

Creative people need space and time. A walk, a bike ride, an hour in the garden, or even a half

hour working with clay can unlock a complicated issue at work in a way that staring at a

computer screen in the office never could.

3. Letting Go : Sending ideas into the real world

For a person to let go of having singular control over how his work is understood and interpreted

is a movement from security to insecurity – from comfort to the unknown. Letting go for

Daishinji becomes important as the act of creating itself. The activity is one in which a mature

person, slowly, over time, disappears into her work in a way that there is no separation between

work and worker.

4. Exchange : The Art of Nurturing a “Work in progress”

The center spot is the place of letting go – where things open up and ideas become real. To meet

at the center spot is not just to meet the creation as it is, but also to meet the creator as she is.

The apprentice wants to learn how imaginary things are made real in the world. But Daishinji,

now a master, knows that you cannot teach that to another person; you can only show that person

how that experience has manifested in your own life. The exchange is complete because the

apprentice wants to know how the magic is done and Daishinji says essentially, “I don’t know

how it is done, but it is done nonetheless.”

5. Collaboration : Marrying Creativity with Practical Application

The focus here is on discovering the merits of an idea and working diligently to see if this thing

on paper can possibly live in reality. In the collaborative phrase, the manager behaves as an

external stimulus providing the brain’s collaborative potential with an objective function.

Like Daishinji herself, the manager must be content to have “nothing” to show for his labour, to

be a person not in search of the award but rather one in search of the idea’s lifeblood. He must be

as motivated by the creative process of his team – even more so if the collaborative process is to

be an enriching experience for everyone.

6. Innovation : From Paper to Flesh

Creativity is a process and innovation is a result. While creative process is extraordinarily fun,

playful, malleable and flowing, the metamorphosis into innovation is as dangerous as it is

thrilling. Innovation is what turns the wheels of the future. Its ripples cannot be seen by the

original innovator, but they will surely be felt by her descendants.

The Author:

Jonathon A. Flaum

Education:

University of Southern California - MFA, Playwriting 1997 – 1999Florida State University - MA, Religious Studies, 1993- 1995

Experience:

Milkman, Farm to Home Milk - January 2013- Present

Founder, JAF Speechwritng - January 2012- January 2013

Founder, Writemind Institute for Corporate Contemplation -January 2001- December 2011

Jonathon Flaum has authored two books on leadership development and one on the creative process that have been translated into a combined eight languages:

The 100 Mile Walk: a Father and Son on a Quest to find the Essence of Leadership (with Sander Flaum, Amacom Books, 2006)

How the Paper Fish Learned to Swim: A Fable About Inspiring Creativity and Bringing New Ideas to Life (Amacom Books, 2007)

How the Red Wolf Found its Howl: The Internal Journey to Leadership (Lotus Way Press, 2008).

Jonathon Flaum also wrote two newspaper columns for the Asheville Citizen-Times between 2005-2010, where over 60 of his articles were published under the headings: “Creativity at Work” and “Meaning at Work.” 

Flaum holds an M.A. in Religious Studies from Florida State University, an M.F.A. in Playwriting from the University of Southern California’s School of Drama, and is an ordained Zen priest.

Critiques: