Foreword xv Acknowledgments xix Introduction xxi Section 1 Adversity 1 Adversity can be your best friend 3 Bouncing back from deflating times 5 The worst failure is the failure to try 8 Section 2 Attitude 11 Take charge of your attitude 13 A smile adds face value 16 Arrogance and business don’t mix 18 Happiness breeds success 21 Section 3 Believe in Yourself 23 People achieve to the degree they believe in themselves 25 Give your self-confidence the boost you need 27 Humility, success make good business partners 29 Section 4 Business Basics 31 The best job lessons I ever learned 33 How not to ride a dead horse 35 Discipline is the order of the day 37 Winners set goals, losers make excuses 39 Ethics is about what is right, not who is right 41 Section 5 Coaching 43 Lessons from John Wooden: Build a pyramid of success 45 Good bosses improve good employees 47 A great work environment is an excellent motivator 49 Recognition does wonders for your sense of hearing 51 Lou Holtz coaches you all the way to #1 53 Section 6 Competition 55 Know thy competitors 57 How to beat your competition 59 Competition teaches you to outswim the sharks 61 Winners thrive on competition 63 Section 7 Creativity 67 Creativity does not require genius 69 Cultivate creativity to grow success 71 Imagination is the fuel for success 74 Section 8 Customer Service 77 Warning—Customers are perishable 79 Taking care of customers is taking care of business 81 Create a service culture 83 The art of the apology 85 Section 9 Hiring/Firing/Jobs 87 Hire a professional 89 Make a bad hire and your plans could backfire 91 Firing is like public speaking; few like to do it 93 Employee retention: A cause for reflection 95 Getting a job is a job 98 How do you get better at your job? 101 Section 10 Humor/Laughter 103 Laughter: The natural high 105 A sense of humor is no joke 107 Humor works at work 109 Section 11 Ideas/Innovation 111 Ideas without action are worthless 113 Big innovations start with little ideas 115 Spark innovation in your company 118 Section 12 Leadership 121 Attention: Leadership lessons from the Marines 123 Good leaders bring out the best in employees 126 Real leadership often defies the rules 129 Section 13 Negotiation 131 Successful negotiations start with stellar preparation 133 Negotiating 101: 50 years of experience 135 Everything’s negotiable—and here’s how to do it 137 Section 14 Networking 141 Dig your well before you’re thirsty 143 How does your networking report card stack up? 145 Get to know the gatekeeper 148 Make friendships work at work 150 Section 15 People Skills 153 Ten Commandments for the office 155 Bad manners are bad for business 157 Maintain a civil tongue 159 2, 4, 6, 8—Who do you appreciate? 161 Harvey’s short course in class 164 Who’s buttering your bread? 166 The best ship to sail—friendship 168 Section 16 Persistence 171 Never too late to succeed 173 Trying times are no time to quit trying 175 Section 17 Quality/Values 177 Good enough never is 179 Do it right the first time 182 Values determine who we are 184 Section 18 Roadblocks 187 If you don’t have a plan B, you don’t have a plan 189 Stop procrastinating before it stops you 191 Don’t let fear of success hold you back 193 Section 19 Sales and Marketing 197 Law of large numbers pays large dividends 199 What makes a good sales rep? 201 Putting the sway in persuasion 203 Sales—up close and personal 205 Knowing something about your customer is just as important as knowing your product 208 Use the Mackay Sales Scalpel to sharpen selling techniques 211 Sales is everyone’s business 213 Section 20 Self-Improvement 217 Who do you want to be when you grow up? 219 Never leave well enough alone 221 Strengthen your memory 223 Experience is the name people give to their mistakes 226 Section 21 Success 229 The Seven Cs of Success 231 Success is the difference between working hard and hardly working 234 Make like a pencil and get the lead out 237 Sam Walton’s rules for success 239 Become “the most likely to succeed” 241 For long-term success, give up these detrimental traits 244 Section 22 Teamwork 247 Look for these traits in successful team players 249 When we find each other, a miracle begins 251 When “go, team, go” becomes “stop, team, stop” 253 None of us is as good as all of us 255 Section 23 Time Management 257 How to keep time on your side 259 Take the time to manage your time 261 Make the call to improve phone skills 264 Section 24 Trust 267 Who packed your parachute today? 269 Whom do you trust? 271 Section 25 Vision/Visualization 275 Visualization helps you live your dreams 277 Your vision shapes your reality 279 Section 26 Watch Your Language 281 We learn more by listening than by talking 283 Wash your mouth clean of these career-killing phrases 286 Spread the word: Don’t gossip 288 Section 27 Final Thoughts 291 The Other Seven Wonders of the World 293 The Second Ten Commandments 296 Things I’ve learned in life 298 You get what you give 300 Lifelines beat deadlines any day 302 Happy people make other people happy 304 Thoughts for a richer life 307 About the Author 311 Index 313

For 25-plus years I’ve had a Post-it note on my bathroom mirror where I shave that simply states, “You haven’t hit your peak yet!” I’ve looked at that message every day. So when I was wracking my brain trying to think of a title for this new book, it hit me. . . or should I say, it was staring me in the face. I saw the note and said, “That’s my title.” Few people are as eminently qualified to give advice as Harvey Mackay. From humble beginnings, Harvey has become a top inspirational speaker, nationally syndicated columnist, and seven-time New York Times bestselling author. The son of an Associated Press bureau chief and a dedicated teacher, he developed a knack for storytelling and a thirst for wisdom that led him to where he is today. Now, he returns with You Haven’t Hit Your Peak Yet!—a veritable encyclopedia of insight for business and life. This book is a reading requirement, both for Harvey Mackay followers and for those new to the unique, straight-shooting humor that has made him a living legend. The pages are packed with short, easily digestible messages to inspire you, guide you, and reignite your drive to succeed. The result is a memorable reading experience that will leave readers with take-home value and a renewed sense of wonder. Harvey is also careful to connect these kernels of truth to the real world, asking readers to consider the difficult questions in whose answers lie the secrets to personal success. Are you living up to your own potential? Is your life well–balanced, or are you setting yourself up for regrets? When you take an honest look around you, what do you see, and how can you use that information to achieve greater success? With this book, you can gain the courage to let go of your fears and embark on the next phase of your remarkable journey through life.