What's not to love about a cheerful fellow who arrives with chocolate, heralding the arrival of spring after a long, cold winter? Whether or not you celebrate Easter, everyone can learn some fundamental wisdom from the Easter Bunny.

Much like Santa Claus, whose leadership lessons I wrote about a few years ago, iconic characters espouse many of the values and virtues we share. And although they may be associated with religious holidays, their messages cross multiple faiths.

A friend sent a list of lessons we might take away from spring's floppy-eared rabbit. I'm not sure where they originated, and my research attributes them only to "anonymous." I've plucked a few from the long list she sent, added a few of my own and expanded on all the ideas.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Only an extreme risk-taker bets the farm. Develop your talents and skill set so that you are able to adapt. Companies value employees who are flexible and versatile. Even specialists need a broad view to understand how their abilities can best contribute to the organization.

Everyone needs a friend who is all ears. The Easter Bunny knows that we can't go it alone. We all need a sounding board, preferably one or more who will listen to our worries, concerns and crazy schemes and give good, unfiltered feedback. Even if they don't offer any advice, sometimes saying your thoughts out loud helps you sort them out better.

There's no such thing as too much candy. Don't take that too literally. I interpret it to mean you can never have too much joy and happiness in your life. I recommend celebrating everything from a great round of golf to a lucrative business deal. Looking on the bright side doesn't have a dark side. A positive attitude is better for you than sugar -- and not as fattening!

All work and no play can make you a basket case. Take time to smell the roses -- or the lilies, as the season dictates. Balance between work and play improves both. Your job performance will suffer if you never step away and breathe some fresh air. I've gotten some of my best ideas when I'm out for a run, and even figured out some of the mysteries of the universe.

The grass is always greener in someone else's basket. Don't be too eager to give up because you think you are at a disadvantage. For example, when I first started in business, I thought that when I became successful, I could finally coast along much like the hare in Aesop's fable "The Hare and the Tortoise." I soon discovered that the road to success is not a finite journey, but a trip I still look forward to continuing every day. Along the way I learned that the grass is as green as I make it.

To show your true colors, you have to come out of your shell. Have a hidden talent? To borrow a phrase, don't hide your light under an Easter basket. From the help-desk techie who organizes a company softball team to the factory worker who devises a money-saving process, speak up if you have an idea that could make your company work better.

Variety is the spice of life. Some folks like coconut eggs, others prefer Peeps. Check out the candy aisle at the store and try to pick a favorite -- that's what makes Easter baskets interesting. Try something new every now and then just to keep things fresh.

Do the bunny hop. The Easter Bunny knows the importance of exercise, especially aerobic activity. Get moving and you won't have to worry about having some jelly beans every now and then.

You don't have to be big and scary to be effective. Is anyone afraid of the Easter Bunny? He/she is a lovable creature who is universally welcomed. Sometimes a soft approach is most appropriate.

The best things in life are still sweet and gooey. Success is sweet. Life is sweet. Helping others is sweet. Cherish the opportunities you have to enrich your life. You don't need the Easter Bunny to help you appreciate that.

Mackay's Moral: Let positive thoughts multiply like rabbits.

When I went into business many years ago, I told people I owned an envelope company. I had business cards printed that identified me as an "envelope salesman." I described myself as an entrepreneur.

All of those facts are still true, but incomplete. What I and our company really do is provide customer service.

Well sure, Harvey, you say. But isn't that just a part of the whole operation?

Absolutely, positively, irrefutably, NO. I am in the service business, regardless of the product I make and sell. If my service is lacking, my business will be sent packing.

To validate my thinking, I recently visited with John Tschohl, president of the Service Quality Institute. John has spent 33 years focused on customer service. He has written hundreds of articles, as well as seven books on the topic. You've probably heard him interviewed on television or radio. He has been called the "guru of customer service" by USA Today and Time and Entrepreneur magazines.

Even the most successful companies are in constant competition for business. What sets them apart often boils down to one factor: outstanding customer service. John offered up some stellar advice for creating a service culture, no matter what business you're in.

First, you've got to understand you're in the service business. "Most companies think they are in manufacturing and retail; airlines don't know they are in the service business," he said. "Southwest Airlines is successful because they understand they're a customer service company -- they just happen to be an airline."

Second, you have to look at all the policies, procedures and systems you have in place "that make life miserable for customers," John said. "You could have the nicest people in the world, but you could have stupid hours, stupid rules, stupid procedures, that just burn the customer." When you make it that difficult for customers to patronize you, they find someone else who is more accommodating.

Third, you have to have empowerment. "Every single person has to be able to make fast power decisions on the spot, and it better be in favor of the customer," John said.

Fourth, you have to be more careful about whom you hire. "The service leaders hire one person out of 50 interviewed, sometimes one out of 100, but they're very, very, very careful," he said. "Look for the cream, the A players, instead of bringing on B and C players."

Fifth, educate and train the entire staff on the art of customer service with something new and fresh every four to six months. "Let's say you want to create the service culture. No matter if you have a hundred or a thousand or a hundred thousand employees, you better have something new and fresh, so it's constantly in front of them," John said. "So when they wake up every day and they go to work, they say, 'Fantastic, I'm taking care of customers!'"

Finally, measure the results financially so that you know the impact it's making on revenue, sales, profit and market share.

Everything you do, according to John, should be built around the concept of creating an incredible customer experience. He cites Amazon as one of his favorite role models.

"At Amazon, they've got technology, speed, price," says John. "They've got everything. If I'm on their website and I want them to call me, they're going to call me back in one second. That's speed. When you place an order, you can do it 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And 60 seconds later, you get a confirmation."

I realize Amazon is in a class by itself, and most businesses aren't ever going to achieve the growth or profits of that gargantuan company. But John's advice can be translated to companies of any size. A one-person shop can provide great service because it often has personal contact with its customers. Bigger companies have more resources available, which should enhance the service experience.

Perhaps the simplest way of creating a service culture is a variation of the golden rule: Treat your customers as you wish to be treated.

Make your customers excited that you're in business. Make them grateful that they have the opportunity to buy your services or products. Make them feel like each one is your most important client. Make your service so outstanding that they wouldn't think of doing business with anyone else.

And then find a way to make your service even better!

Mackay's Moral: Customer service is not a department; it's everyone's job.

Watching the Academy Awards is like the Super Bowl for me. I never miss them, and that's not just because I have a son who is a film director in Hollywood. I just love to go to the movies.

From a business standpoint, the three most important lessons that were presented at this year's Oscars were delivered by one individual -- Ben Affleck. Make that four, because he also talked about how you have to continue to work at having a strong marriage. Fortunately, that's how I feel about my marriage too, so I can second his opinion.

Affleck offered life lessons, to be sure, but every business can benefit from them as well.

This also goes for business partnerships. They take work to keep them thriving. You can't just go through the motions and assume everything will be OK.

The next great business lesson that Ben Affleck touched on was the importance of mentoring and developing a network. You might recall he said, "I never thought I would be back here, but I am because of so many wonderful people who extended themselves to me, who had nothing to benefit from it."

Affleck was referring to winning his first Academy Award in 1997 for best original screenplay for "Good Will Hunting," which he shared with Matt Damon. Over the years, he has reached out to a lot of people in Hollywood to help him learn the movie business and advance his career. Members of the academy were able and willing to help him, even though he wasn't necessarily in a position to reciprocate.

I call that reciprocity without keeping score. Simply stated: What can I do for you without expecting anything in return? No quid pro quo. If you live your life this way, two magical things will happen:

1. Over time, people will find ways to do remarkable and unexpected things for you that make your life easier.

2. When you're knocked down for some reason, you are likely to find the most astonishing human network of support you could ever imagine.

Affleck's next business lesson was: "You have to work harder than you think you possibly can." Success comes before work only in the dictionary. Hard work is not a bad thing. Sure, natural talent can make a big difference, but you still have to work hard at your craft.

Show me a .300 hitter in Major League Baseball, and I'll show you someone who bangs the ball until his hands bleed trying to keep his swing honed. Ask any surgeon about how much sleep he or she got for the eight to 10 years it took to get through medical school, internship and residency. Both these gigs take more than magic hands. They take lots of hard, hard work.

The next Affleck lesson was: "You can't hold grudges." Carrying grudges can be a heavy load. Just the thought of past pain pulls your energy down. Forgiveness is how you free yourself. You release your anger. You move forward. And you lighten up.

You will never get ahead of anyone as long as you are trying to get even. If you do get even with someone, you have put yourself on his or her level.

Affleck closed his Academy Award acceptance speech with his final business lesson -- and possibly the most important -- when he said, "It doesn't matter how you get knocked down in life because that's going to happen. All that matters is that you gotta get up."

Trying times are no time to quit trying. The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it; so fine that we are often on the line and do not know it. How many people have thrown up their hands at a time when a little more effort, a little more patience would have achieved success?

In business, prospects may seem darkest when really they are about to turn. A little more perseverance, a little more effort and what seemed a hopeless failure may turn into a glorious success -- like Ben Affleck's Oscar-winning best picture "Argo." It is perhaps more than a coincidence that the storyline for "Argo" also echoed many of these lessons. If you haven't seen this film, treat yourself to this deserving winner.

Mackay's Moral: Failure is not falling down but staying down.