You Haven't Hit Your Peak Yet!

HARVEY MACKAY has written seven New York Times bestselling books, three reached #1, and two were named by the New York Times among the top 15 inspirational business books of all time—Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive and Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt. His books have sold 10 million copies in 80 countries and have been translated in more than 50 languages. Harvey is a nationally syndicated columnist whose weekly business advice appears in 100 newspapers and magazines around the country. He was named one of the top five speakers in the world by Toastmasters International and speaks to corporate audiences around the world. Harvey is chairman of the $100 million Mackay Mitchell Envelope Company in Minneapolis, which he founded in 1960.

• Foreword xvAcknowledgments xixIntroduction xxiSection 1 Adversity 1Adversity can be your best friend 3Bouncing back from deflating times 5The worst failure is the failure to try 8Section 2 Attitude 11Take charge of your attitude 13A smile adds face value 16Arrogance and business don’t mix 18Happiness breeds success 21Section 3 Believe in Yourself 23People achieve to the degree they believe in themselves 25Give your self-confidence the boost you need 27Humility, success make good business partners 29Section 4 Business Basics 31The best job lessons I ever learned 33How not to ride a dead horse 35Discipline is the order of the day 37Winners set goals, losers make excuses 39Ethics is about what is right, not who is right 41Section 5 Coaching 43Lessons from John Wooden: Build a pyramid of success 45Good bosses improve good employees 47A great work environment is an excellent motivator 49Recognition does wonders for your sense of hearing 51Lou Holtz coaches you all the way to #1 53Section 6 Competition 55Know thy competitors 57How to beat your competition 59Competition teaches you to outswim the sharks 61Winners thrive on competition 63Section 7 Creativity 67Creativity does not require genius 69Cultivate creativity to grow success 71Imagination is the fuel for success 74Section 8 Customer Service 77Warning—Customers are perishable 79Taking care of customers is taking care of business 81Create a service culture 83The art of the apology 85Section 9 Hiring/Firing/Jobs 87Hire a professional 89Make a bad hire and your plans could backfire 91Firing is like public speaking; few like to do it 93Employee retention: A cause for reflection 95Getting a job is a job 98How do you get better at your job? 101Section 10 Humor/Laughter 103Laughter: The natural high 105A sense of humor is no joke 107Humor works at work 109Section 11 Ideas/Innovation 111Ideas without action are worthless 113Big innovations start with little ideas 115Spark innovation in your company 118Section 12 Leadership 121Attention: Leadership lessons from the Marines 123Good leaders bring out the best in employees 126Real leadership often defies the rules 129Section 13 Negotiation 131Successful negotiations start with stellar preparation 133Negotiating 101: 50 years of experience 135Everything’s negotiable—and here’s how to do it 137Section 14 Networking 141Dig your well before you’re thirsty 143How does your networking report card stack up? 145Get to know the gatekeeper 148Make friendships work at work 150Section 15 People Skills 153Ten Commandments for the office 155Bad manners are bad for business 157Maintain a civil tongue 1592, 4, 6, 8—Who do you appreciate? 161Harvey’s short course in class 164Who’s buttering your bread? 166The best ship to sail—friendship 168Section 16 Persistence 171Never too late to succeed 173Trying times are no time to quit trying 175Section 17 Quality/Values 177Good enough never is 179Do it right the first time 182Values determine who we are 184Section 18 Roadblocks 187If you don’t have a plan B, you don’t have a plan 189Stop procrastinating before it stops you 191Don’t let fear of success hold you back 193Section 19 Sales and Marketing 197Law of large numbers pays large dividends 199What makes a good sales rep? 201Putting the sway in persuasion 203Sales—up close and personal 205Knowing something about your customer is just as important as knowing your product 208Use the Mackay Sales Scalpel to sharpen selling techniques 211Sales is everyone’s business 213Section 20 Self-Improvement 217Who do you want to be when you grow up? 219Never leave well enough alone 221Strengthen your memory 223Experience is the name people give to their mistakes 226Section 21 Success 229The Seven Cs of Success 231Success is the difference between working hard and hardly working 234Make like a pencil and get the lead out 237Sam Walton’s rules for success 239Become “the most likely to succeed” 241For long-term success, give up these detrimental traits 244Section 22 Teamwork 247Look for these traits in successful team players 249When we find each other, a miracle begins 251When “go, team, go” becomes “stop, team, stop” 253None of us is as good as all of us 255Section 23 Time Management 257How to keep time on your side 259Take the time to manage your time 261Make the call to improve phone skills 264Section 24 Trust 267Who packed your parachute today? 269Whom do you trust? 271Section 25 Vision/Visualization 275Visualization helps you live your dreams 277Your vision shapes your reality 279Section 26 Watch Your Language 281We learn more by listening than by talking 283Wash your mouth clean of these career-killing phrases 286Spread the word: Don’t gossip 288Section 27 Final Thoughts 291The Other Seven Wonders of the World 293The Second Ten Commandments 296Things I’ve learned in life 298You get what you give 300Lifelines beat deadlines any day 302Happy people make other people happy 304Thoughts for a richer life 307About the Author 311Index 313