Harry Paul reveals the ONE word that can boost morale and results — and more tips to help you create a more fun (and more effective) workplace

Hello everyone and welcome to the Better Life Better Business podcast presented by The Speakers Group. I'm Shawn Ellis, founder of The Speakers Group, and today we are joined by the co-author of one of the best-selling business books of all time. And I'll give you a hint, the subtitle is A Proven Way to Boost Morale and improve results, which is exactly what we're going to be talking about today. But do you know the book? If we were live here, I would, I would say if you're the third caller, I'll give you a free copy. But since we're not, I'll just tell you that the book I'm referring to is Fish, which is one of those rare books that just takes the business world by storm. And there are well over 5 million copies in print now. It's been on every major bestseller list, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and, and others. And actually, I saw it's still in the top 5 5 or top 10 in certain categories on Amazon.com. Harry Paul is our guest today, and Fish is one of 6 books that he's co-authored so far. And I know he has a new project in the works which we'll talk about. But as I said, I'm going to be asking Harry for his advice to help you boost morale and improve results on your team in your office. So Harry, welcome, and thank you for taking time to chat.

My pleasure, Shawn Ellis, and I'm looking forward to this. It's going to be fun to be with you and your audience.

Thank you, Harry. Likewise. Well, let me ask you this as we get started. It's been over 12 years since the original FISH! book came out, and I mentioned it's still selling well. Why do you think that your FISH! philosophy has endured through all these years?

My belief, my firm belief, is it gives people a choice, and it seems today we have less and less choices. Choices that we can make completely on our own, and this one gives you that choice. And that choice is you can enjoy what you're doing no matter what you do. When you go to work, you can choose to enjoy it and make a difference or not. It's totally up to you. And I believe that's what sets it apart. We're going to spend over a third of our lives at work. From what I can gather, no one's working 8-hour shifts anymore. We're all working 24/7. We're tethered to our work by technology. If it's not voicemail, it's texting, it's emailing. We're tethered to our technology, to our work through technology. And we do not want to do that in a toxic environment where it's not a place where we want to be. FISH is about that choice that makes work the place you want to be so you can go there, have some fulfillment, make a difference, enjoy it, and have a really good life. Work and at home. Fish works at home as well. It's all about the choices we make, and I think that's what sets Fish apart. That's what has given it its longevity over the last 12 years.

And I guess the, the, there's a good and a bad to that. The bad part of that is you're saying it's, it's my choice, so I can't rely on my, my boss or somebody else to make it a good environment, that we have to, to make that choice. Why do you think that this is still relevant today, or let me say this, I know it's still relevant today, but business has obviously changed a lot, or the environment has changed over the last 12 years. Why do you think this Phish message is still so helpful to companies today?

Well, two points. One is, yes, you don't need your boss's permission to do this, but it helps if they're on board. The second is we are asked to do more with less than ever before. And, you know, there are— our workloads are growing, they're not shrinking. Our budgets are shrinking, not growing. Our goals are growing, not shrinking. Our staff is shrinking, not growing. So who's ever left, we're asked to to pick up all that slack. So it's more important than ever to have that morale, to have that motivation, to have that understanding that what we do is important, that people are counting on us. And not only the company, but the customers who the company serves internally and externally is counting on us to be our best. We as people want to be our best. No one once grows up or gets up in the morning and looks in the mirror and said, "You know, today I'm going to be ordinary." People want to wake up in the mirror and say, "Today I'm going to be magnificent." When they do that, they do things differently. So I think that's the reason. Our workloads are so heavy. We've got to find some part that charges our batteries, that makes us say, "Yes, it's all worthwhile." And I think management has a huge responsibility responsibility in that as well. Yes, it's our choice, but I think they got to come on board with it and allow us and create that kind of culture that allows us to bring our best to work.

Right. Makes sense. What about, you know, one of the things you talk about is having fun at work, that we need to make it a fun workplace. And you make a distinction between playing at work and playing instead of work, which is something that I think is important when we're talking about having fun at work because it is still work. What do you say about that?

Well, I think two things. One, work made fun gets done. And there's so many examples of it out there that when you make the task lighthearted or the attitudes lighthearted or the culture lighthearted, it becomes fun, it becomes a place you want to be, it brings in energy. And we've seen it in very successful companies today, Zappos, Google. Those are two examples of where people enjoy what they do. They work hard. They have fun. They have choices. They have flexibility. And fun is an important aspect. The important thing to remember is fun at work, not instead of, as you said, Shawn, because you look at the fish market that's portrayed in the book. It's a real place. It's the Pike Place Fish Market, the world-famous Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, Washington. And they have fun at work, and we're all amazed at how, you know, fishmongers selling fish in an outdoor market in Seattle can have fun.. But they do. But it's not manufactured fun. It's fun that comes from within and that comes from their attitude of serving customers in a fun, lighthearted way. Because it's not about putting a decoration on the wall or a Crazy Shirt Friday or having fun matrixes to fill out. None of this— these are all fun— takes the fun out of it. It's not, you know, we're going to take time to play on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 4. It has to become part of the work process. That's the important thing to remember. It has to enhance work, not distract. And if you look at the fish market, what they're famous for is throwing fish. And at first it's, wow, they throw fish. It's fun. People catch them. The fishmongers who work there catch them. But it's very, very efficient work because we, you and me, we're there, Shawn, we're going to buy some fish, we're in front of the counter, the fishmonger's talking to us, and we say, "Hey, we want that salmon, and we want it filleted, and we're gonna take it with us on an airplane." Well, the fishmonger picks up a fish. He doesn't leave you, he doesn't walk away to walk behind the counter to hand it to somebody and say, "Filet this fish and pack it to go on an airplane." No, he takes that fish and he throws it to someone behind the counter, and he yells out what has to be done with it. Let's say, for instance, one filet of salmon flying away to Tennessee. Then everyone else who's working there at that time yells back, "One filet of salmon flying away to Tennessee." So what did we just witness? We witnessed him staying with the customer, building a relationship. Second, he yells out the order. Everyone repeats it there. And there's no chance of it having, you know, making a mistake because it's, let's consider it closed-loop feedback. And while the order is being processed, he continues to build a relationship with the customer. That is a great metaphor that companies have to embrace in their own workloads. How do you throw the fish? It's not actual throwing. It's how do you incorporate something fun into the work process that enhances it, makes it more efficient, makes it better, a better experience for the customer. And what's interesting, Shawn Ellis, where they are, there are 4 fish markets in the same outdoor farmers market where the Pike Place Fish Market is located, selling the same fish for the same price. And this one is the only one that's famous and it's very, very successful. Consider it to be the most successful 1,200 square feet of retail space in America. What sets them apart? It's not the fish. It's not the price. It's not the service. It's the experience that they create around the selling of the fish that sets them apart. And when you— you could embrace that in your organization, what happens at that point, it becomes who you are. And it cannot be duplicated by your competition because it's made up of the individuals in your organization. It's unique to you. That's the reason to bring fun into the work. Create those unique experiences that drive people to your door through word of mouth, which is the most efficient and cost-effective way of marketing. Yes, you know, we grew up saying, oh, you know, you got to go to work, can't be fun. No, work can be fun. There are examples of it all through our lives. We just have to embrace it more at work.

I love that. That's just— it is, it's just such a great picture because I think a lot of times we think of fun as something separate from work and maybe have that fun 15-minute break, but then I got to go back to work. But to make it part of the work, that is just a great picture. Let's talk now about a new project about the new project you're working on because it's kind of a great follow-up to Fish, as I understand it, that continues on a similar theme. Do you want to share a little bit about that?

Oh, absolutely. What I'm working on now, which is a really fun and unique book, it's called Who Kidnapped Excellence? And what we're saying is good enough is not good enough. How many times have we seen just good enough when we expect or believe that we should have excellence. And when you don't have excellence, what you have is average. And that's— it's a great follow-up to FISH because FISH is a culture. It's a culture that allows us— and the 4 parts of the FISH philosophy are choose your attitude, play, be there, and make their day. You choose a great attitude. You wake up in the morning and say, I'm not going to be ordinary. You have some fun at work, not instead of work. You're present with people. You're there. Be there is understanding why you go to work. And how you make a difference, how you live the mission, the vision, the values of the organization, and you make people's day. You get people to say, "Wow, that's the philosophy. That's the culture." What are the parts of that that the company has to espouse to take it to the next level so they don't become average? Because you could play average. You could have an average attitude. You could be there part of the time. You can kind of make someone's day. It's not what the FISH philosophy is about. You got to take it to the next level. To the next level. You got to have that passion. So if you don't want average to creep in, you want to maintain excellence in an organization, you have to have passion. Because if you don't have passion, you have indifference. You have to have competency. People need to keep their skills up. They have to constantly learn and grow to be their best. Because if you don't, you have ineptness. The third is you have to have flexibility. Flexibility is, yes, there are rules, there are guidelines, there are policies, there are procedures.. But if it doesn't make sense, you have to change. And one of the funny stories or interesting stories I've heard about a great way to understand flexibility, this is a dog that gets it, it's training seeing eye dogs. Now seeing eye dogs are supposed to obey the owner's command. Well, if the owner comes to a curb with the seeing eye dog and says forward, but the dog sees a bus barreling down the street, you want that dog to have a little flexibility to say, or not walk forward with the with the person because what happens? Bad things at that point. So the dog has some flexibility. It's going to do it unless it doesn't make sense. We have to give that kind of flexibility to our employees because if you don't have flexibility, what do you have? You have rigidity. People say— and how many times have we heard this ourselves, and it just boils our blood. It's not my policy. It's not our policy. We don't do that here. I'd have to ask my manager. Does that make us feel good? No. It's the flexibility of solving the problem. I say if you see something wrong, own it and fix it. See something wrong, own it and fix it. That's the flexibility we're talking about. Yes, we want good, great decisions. And you think, think back before this. You have a great attitude, you're having fun at work, you understand why you go there, that's to be there, the mission, you're making people's day, you have passion for what you do, you have skills. How easy is it going to be for you to see a situation and make a right or wrong decision? No, it's going to be a right decision, that flexibility. You'll know when to do it because everything else that came before it leads to it. And then after that, is communication. We have to be much clearer in our communication. Sometimes I feel that people speak just to hear themselves talk. And it's like, no, just make it clear. And I think there's a reason why we have two ears and one mouth. I think we should be listening twice as much as we speak. And we get caught into the traps. And the trap is someone's saying something to us and we're automatically thinking about our response. Response instead of listening intently, then responding. And the best way to do that is you practice the EAR model, which is explore, gather the information, acknowledge what you hear, and then respond. And you'll be a much more effective communicator. And if you're in a customer service situation, a customer experience situation, handling something, then put the D in front of it, make it the DEAR model, and detach. Take your emotion out of it, and you'll solve those problems. You'll get people being driven back to your door time and time again. Then the next is ownership. Ownership, that goes back to that flexibility of you see it, you own it, you fix it. We are responsible for what we do. We are responsible for our choices. We are res— you walk down a hallway, and I used to watch this in the company I used to work in. And there'll be a piece of paper on the floor. How many people walk by that piece of paper? That's only a piece of paper on the floor. Where's the pride in the company? Take ownership. Bend down, pick it up, throw it in the trash can. I know you didn't leave it there. You didn't throw it there. That's taking ownership. And then take that out further to when you see a situation that needs to be done differently. See it? Own it, you know, and fix it. And because too many times as well, that person screwed up, not me. You got to take ownership. If not, what you're going to be is you're going to be posing as someone who can really make a difference or posing as someone who cares. That ownership is about caring. And I think those are the 5 things. If you have you have passion, you have competency, flexibility, communication, and ownership, and you really practice those skills with it, you won't get— you'll have your excellence. You won't have your average. And once you have that excellence, who comes along for the ride? And that's performance. And that's what we want. And you can't have great performance with average people or people who are just performing good enough. It has to go beyond that. Especially nowadays with the workforces that we have, they're, you know, as I said a little earlier, a little smaller. We all got to be on the top of our game. And that's where I'm going after, you know, Fish, now Who Kidnapped Excellence? Because if excellence is kidnapped, you know who's posing as excellence? And that's average, and that's just not good enough.

Right. Well, that sounds like a great project, and I appreciate you sharing that with us. I look forward to the book and future materials to support that. That's great and much needed for sure. Well, if you'd like to learn more about Harry and how he can help you in your life and business, you can find him here at thespeakersgroup.com. Also harrythefishguy.com. Be sure to sign up for his newsletter while you're there. And you can find his books on amazon.com and any other bookseller. He's also on Twitter @HarryPaul. Harry, before we go, just any closing thoughts, especially one thing somebody who's listening that's kind of on the, They're fired up now, ready to go back into the workplace. What is the one tip you would give them, or maybe that one next step to continue this journey?

I always tell people, and I said, "Before you walk through that door to work, take a cleansing breath and say, 'I get to be here. I like these people. I help make a difference in people's lives.'" I want this company to be successful. I want my coworkers to be successful. Whatever phrases that get you excited, that charge your batteries, take that cleansing breath and say, I get to be here. I get to make a difference. And walk through the door and see what happens. You'll have a spring in your step. People will notice it. And it becomes contagious. Because it's the same with the reverse of that. Oh, I don't want to be here. "Ugh, I hate this job. I don't like these people." You walk in, it's very noticeable. If you want to know what that looks like, next time it's on television, take a look at the movie Office Space and see what a deflated workforce looks like. They do not walk, the people in that movie do not take a cleansing breath before they walk through the door. Take that cleansing breath and say, "This is the place I get to be. I get to be here. I get to make a difference." And what word didn't I use? I didn't use the word the word have. I have to go to work today versus I get to go to work today. Think of the difference. And that's what you have to do every day. You have challenges. We all have them. Leave them in the car if you drive to work. And if it's a warm day, leave the windows down a little so they can breathe and they're nice and fresh for when you get back out after work. But leave them there. But take that cleansing breath and say I get to be here, not have to be here. And I think that will make a huge difference. It's a great start to adopting the FISH philosophy and keeping average from replacing excellence in the workforce.

Great advice, Harry. Thank you again, and, and thank you for listening to the Better Life Better Business podcast. We'll see you next time.