“Put the fi sh on the table”
This expression means, simply, raising a diffi cult
issue without being aggressive or hostile. The
analogy comes from Sicily where the fi shermen,
who are strongly bonded, put their bloody catch on
a large table to clean it together. They work through
the messy job and are rewarded by a great fi sh
dinner at the end of the day.
If you leave a fi sh under the table it starts to rot and
smell. On the other hand, once an issue is raised,
we can work through the mess of sorting it out and
fi nd a mutually benefi cial outcome. The important
thing to remember is that we should not slap the
other party in the face with the fi sh! We should be
direct, engaging and respectful, always helping the
other person to ‘save face.’
In addition, timing is important. It would not be
benefi cial to raise a diffi cult topic just as a senior
colleague is leaving to the airport. We can decide
not to put the fi sh on the table as a tactic, but not
because we wish to avoid the confl ict. Choosing the
right time and the right circumstances are part of
an effective confl ict management strategy.