Lessons I Learned from My Time on the Road with Phish

Not all leadership knowledge comes from business school or on-the-job experience—sometimes you get inspiration from a more eclectic source. For me, it’s my passion for music, which plays a key role in my personal and professional life. One of my favorite bands is Phish, and not just because they have a song called “Mike’s Song.”

Phish holds a special meaning for me beyond just the surface-level, and that all stems from the unparalleled experience of seeing the band live in concert more than 20 times. There’s a reason Phish has such loyal super fans—from the likes of Katy Tur slipping lyrics into her newscasts to HQ Trivia’s Scott Rogowski becoming the official voice of Sirius XM’s Phish radio channel—and why they run like an antelope to go see the band live when they get a chance. No two Phish concerts are ever the same. They’ll play the same city multiple times without repeating a single song and fans know every single word. Phishheads will go night after night knowing they’ll get a completely unique show each time.

On top of being one of the top touring bands of all time, the community of Phishheads is unlike any other fandom around. Credit that to the connection the band has managed to establish and maintain with their fans for over 35 years. My own experience following Phish’s admittedly unorthodox career has taught me valuable leadership lessons that I’ve applied to running a company.

Lesson #1: How to foster loyalty

Phishheads are loyal — you couldn’t ask for a stronger, more tight-knit group. While Phish may not have the massive following of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, they have a devoted grassroots community. This speaks not only to their popularity, but their connection to the audience and the influence they’ve managed to impose over their fans as well. That’s a crucial component for any business leader.

An effective, successful leader is one that can move a large following of people in the same direction and foster an unshakeable sense of faith in what it is they say and do. When I consider the type of leader I aspire to be, I look to Phish as the pinnacle of what it means to inspire a loyal following and how to lead them down a path that’s mutually beneficial for all.

Lesson #2: How to reinvent yourself

It’s not luck that’s kept Phish in the spotlight for more than 35 years—it’s their uncanny ability to reinvent themselves. You don’t make 30+ albums and score a headlining spot at Bonnaroo in 2019 without blazing your own trails and evolving over time while remaining true to yourself. In fact, you’re hard-pressed to find a better example of remaining relevant throughout a lengthy career than Phish. That’s because they never allowed themselves to be pigeonholed, be it musical styles or business ventures—what other band blends genres together so effortlessly and has two Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors named after them?

Technology today is leap-frogging itself at such an unprecedented rate that most people get whiplash from simply wading in the velvet sea of these advances. A great leader, however, can not only keep up with the changing times and the new technology that’s heaped upon them, but can also adapt their leadership approach in a way that caters to this change. Reinvention isn’t about starting from scratch and abandoning your core philosophy when new things come along; it’s about staying ahead of the curve to ensure that the ways in which you think and operate remain relevant. Phish’s career trajectory is a case study for longevity, teaching me that the secret to a long, successful career is continuing to innovate and reinvent yourself.

Lesson #3: How to be a team player without losing your individuality

Phish is most renowned for being an improvisational “jam band,” meaning they’ll riff for hours during their concerts and never play the same set twice. This sort of musical complexity wouldn’t be possible without the firepower of four incredibly talented musicians on stage—each with their own individual strengths and flourishes—working together in harmony as a single unit. Most people in this scenario would split open and melt, but Phish is a lesson in successful teamwork in the workplace, where each member contributes something valuable and unique but is able to cohesively come together and work as an efficient, well-oiled machine.

Lesson #4: How to strike work-life balance

While Phish has been around since 1983 and remains a prominent musical act today, they have gone on two hiatuses over the years. In the 2000s, the band actually broke up for a period of time but were able to come back together after focusing on what truly mattered: both their career and personal lives, and successfully balancing the two together.

Phish shows no longer have a crazy backstage scene like many bands; they’ve instead refocused on touring for shorter periods of time to strike a better work-life balance and creating a safer environment at their shows where band members bring their families. It takes a while to crack the nut that is work-life balance but Phish has proven that the two can be birds of a feather. They’ve taught me that you can love what you do and still do it without sacrificing your personal life and family in the process.

While it may smell fishy to some, I can unequivocally say that being a Phishhead has made me into the leader that I am today—and a better one at that! A famous Phish lyric reads, “this isn’t who it would be if it wasn’t who it is.” I wouldn’t be the leader I am today if I wasn’t who I am because of Phish. The next time you need to make a tough leadership call, stop and ask yourself: “What Would Phish Do?”

-MDC