Fish Man motivates LI executives in Melville

With the economy stalled and unemployment high, Long Island's business community needed the Fish Man! He came late last week to the Melville Marriott with a few jokes, some stories and a message for chief executives and business leaders: Try and lighten up the workplace.

The Fish Man is Harry Paul, 61, of San Diego, a motivational speaker and author of six books. The best-known is "Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results." His book and his talks around the country are based, in part at least, on the goings-on at the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle.

"Despite working 14-hour days in cold, wet, smelly conditions, the Pike Place fishmongers bring incredible joy, enthusiasm and accountability to work every day along with their 'Thank God it's Monday' attitude," Paul said.

Paul appeared before about 200 people at a breakfast sponsored by the Long Island chapter of the Alternative Board, an organization that provides advisory boards and coaching services to business owners. He is part-comedian and part-philosopher, and the crowd loved his jokes.

His point: Things could always be worse, so cheer up! There is a serious side to all of this, Paul said. Chief executives and business leaders, he said in an interview, do not do enough to bring cheer and joy into the workplace. "They manage by the numbers," Paul said. "The numbers are important, but so are the people."

Paul's message to the bosses: "It's OK to come to work to have fun. Take your work seriously. Just take yourself a little less seriously."

Davi Tserpelis, a vice president for Citibank's Northeast Division in Hauppauge, said she liked what Paul had to say. "If you create an environment that brings joy, people will want to come to work," Tserpelis said.