No one ever accused Larry Winget of mincing words. Larry, who is often referred to as the Pitbull of Personal Development, wouldn't take kindly to it anyway. His books, speeches and television appearances leave no doubt about where he stands and why he feels the way he does.

I admire Larry's courage to speak plainly and without concern for "political correctness," particularly when writing about a topic that involves convictions and self-confidence.

His latest book is bound to pop a few eyeballs, probably starting with the title: "Grow a Pair: How to Stop Being a Victim and Take Back Your Life, Your Business, and Your Sanity." Larry assures readers that the title refers to an attitude, not anatomy.

"Growing a pair is a state of mind, an attitude, and a way of thinking," he writes. "It's about giving up being a victim and taking control of your life at every level.

He adds: "It is the willingness to do the right thing even when everyone else is doing the wrong thing. It has roots in personal responsibility. It's about drawing lines in the sand. It's about knowing yourself, knowing your values, and becoming uncompromising in your willingness to do whatever it takes to stand up for them ... Don't you agree that our society is in desperate need of developing that mindset?"

I will happily answer: Yes.

Larry attributes the social shift in part to the entitlement mentality, attitudes developed during the hippie generation, and the idea that people will do whatever they can get away with. He says: "People will do anything and everything they can until someone stops them from doing it and sets limits and imposes consequences. Therefore, the solution to this problem is to let people get away with less."

He writes: "Stop tolerating stupidity and poor performance. Stop letting people get away with bad behavior. Break this natural cycle with yourself, your family, and with your co-workers and employees. It won't change the world, but it just might change your world."

He offers a list of 16 questions to determine whether you have "a pair." Among them: Do you allow people to take advantage of you? Do you find yourself picking up the slack for lazy co-workers? Do you often feel responsible for other people and their feelings? Do you find yourself compromising your opinions and beliefs in an effort to get along? Do people mistreat you emotionally, verbally, psychologically or physically?

Answer those questions with a "yes, but" and Larry will remind you that you need to work on yourself.

On the other hand, he wants readers to answer "yes" to questions such as: Do you stand up for yourself and your beliefs even in the face of conflict? Do you recognize your problems as problems but know that with some hard work and a little sweat you will get through it? Do you speak up when you see someone else being mistreated?

I was fascinated at the variety of inspirational sources Larry quotes in his book, ranging from Mahatma Gandhi to Benjamin Franklin to Winston Churchill. Those are role models of honesty and courage for any age.

Larry offers very practical advice for developing the gumption to change your life. In fact, he breaks it into two dozen categories and explains them very clearly.

The one that stands out for me is "Make big, bold, brash, ballsy plans." He says: "No one ever wrote down a plan to be fat, broke, stupid, lazy, unhappy, and mediocre. These are the things that happen when you don't have a plan."

I am an inveterate planner. My mantra has always been "Prepare to win." As I like to say, people don't plan to fail; they fail to plan. Larry puts it this way: "Most people never expect anything bad to ever happen to them until it already has."

Larry also insists that setting clear priorities signals that you are in control of your own life. "People don't live the life they dream of because it isn't important enough for them to do what it takes to live that kind of life. Priorities determine your actions, and your actions determine your results ... Your time, energy, and money always go to what's important to you."

Now you see why Larry Winget is known as the Pitbull of Personal Development. Read his gripping advice, and you won't roll over and play dead ever again.

Mackay's Moral: Control your life or it will control you.

I will go to the ends of the earth to find ways to improve communication and salesmanship, so I was delighted to be invited to Israel in July to be briefed by the creme-de-la-creme of Israel's intelligence community. Wall-to-wall meetings introduced me to 25 top strategists, military commanders and technology entrepreneurs. Why is the Israeli intelligence gathering so widely envied and emulated? Its discipline, attention to detail and passion are breathtaking. These same traits that distinguish Israel's national intelligence program are easy to spot in the country's economy, which is increasingly dominated by entrepreneurial, high-tech innovators in breakthrough industries like 3D printing.

Israel's leading "serial entrepreneur," Yossi Vardi, has built more than 60 companies and sold a couple of them to the likes of Microsoft and AOL. He believes an appreciation for risk and opportunity fuels the drive to innovate. Israelis have learned to focus on innovation with a practical payback. Yossi told me: "In the U.S., risk means the chance you'll lose your money. In Israel, risk means missiles will be buzzing around your head if you make a mistake."

According to The Economist, Israeli military spending is the fifth highest per capita worldwide. However, as a percent of GDP, it's dived from 17.7 percent in 1991 to 6 percent today. The priority battlefield concerns now downplay the traditional tanks-and-troops profile. Cyber-warfare has soared in importance, along with pre-emptive intelligence.

Israel may be swimming in advanced technology, but the sway of tradition is unmistakable. World-renowned activist Natan Sharansky invited me to Sabbath dinner with his family. Originally, I planned to step through a bevy of questions I had entered on my iPad. Instead I had to work from memory. As custom has it, the only lights on a Sabbath dinner table flicker from the candles.

The high point of my visit was a rousing hour-long one-on-one with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In August 1999, I first met with Netanyahu when I was honored by the AISH Hatorah organization, along with then U.S. Senator John Kerry and then U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. After his first term as prime minister, Netanyahu had turned his attention to plans to retool Israel's economy to its dazzling new look.

Before I began my recent meeting in the Prime Minister's office, Ron Dermer, Israel's new ambassador to the United States, confided in me: "Harvey, this is the first time in my career I've had a boss who works harder than I do. He's simply 24/7." I suspected I would be talking with a leader as dedicated to successful meeting preparation as I am. Netanyahu did not disappoint.

Time and again, I've emphasized how much any leader today has to be a consummate salesperson. Netanyahu may be unmatched in his salesmanship flair among the many senior statesmen I've met. He used his time with me to step through his national agenda with ease and impact.

Netanyahu's account of whittling down tax rates and making telephone costs competitive was exact. His economics were as precise as his passion for preserving Jewish history was intense. The seemingly endless supply of facts and ideas made their mark. None, though, resonated as much as the fact that I was experiencing a gifted communicator at his best.

What made the prime minister's communication so forceful yet appealing? I captured my reactions immediately after the meeting. I listed signature points that summed up Netanyahu's expert communications command.

The first indications could be considered primarily stylistic:

-- Firm handshake.

-- Penetrating eye contact.

-- Easy, laid-back humor.

-- Modulated speaking, ranging from a haunting whisper to a bellowing laugh.

-- Engaging smile.

-- Poise.

These highly appealing trimmings only worked because the meat-and-potatoes of the prime minister's comments were so solid. That's where the second set of traits played such a powerful part:

-- Authoritative command of content.

-- Focus in clearly making each of his points.

-- Passion for his messages.

-- Conviction that his course was right.

-- Confidence that he and his team knew how to prevail.

-- Charisma in presenting his message so it registered on the emotions as much as intellect.

Guess what? You don't need to clock time at the United Nations General Assembly to develop this sort of expertise. These are the same skills that are the stock-in-trade of communications training outfits like Toastmasters International and Dale Carnegie. Go investigate. Whether it's widgets or world policy, salesmanship skills work wonders.

Mackay's Moral: You don't have to be a prime minister to be a prime mover.

From the beginning, we are taught by our parents what NOT to do. Don't cross the street without looking. Don't go to bed without brushing your teeth. Don't talk back. Don't get in trouble. And on and on.

Similarly, from an early age we are told by our parents, "Don't worry, honey. Everything will be all right." Or "Let me kiss it and make it well." From infancy up, we're inundated with platitudes that may provide short-term diversion but don't work in the long run.

One of my favorite books, Norman Vincent Peale's "The Power of Positive Thinking," is a classic bestseller that inspired an optimistic perspective for millions of Americans. I was deeply honored when Dr. Peale wrote an endorsement for my first book, "Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive."

Now Bob Knight, the legendary college basketball coach, has written an inspirational and entertaining rebuttal to Dr. Peale's book, explaining why negative thinking will actually produce more positive results, in sports and in daily life. His new book is titled, "The Power of Negative Thinking."

Known for his fiery temperament, Coach Knight feels that most basketball games are not won; they are lost. That's why his coaching philosophy is to instill discipline by preparing to win, rather than hoping to win.

Preparation keeps you from beating yourself. In his locker rooms, he posted a sign that read, "Victory favors the team making the fewest mistakes." He writes about the value of watching game film with his team to pinpoint mistakes "and especially patterns of mistakes so they don't occur again."

A coach is always teaching. He talks about free-throw shooting, which was typically a strength of a Bob Knight-coached team. He says many players struggle making free throws when the game is on the line. One of the reasons is the pressure.

He explains that it's really tough to simulate game conditions like that, so he would stop practice and pick a player to shoot two free throws. If he made both of them, they would go on with practice or practice would be over, but if he missed, it meant more running. This exercise helped players focus more at crunch time.

Coach Knight stresses the value of teamwork in having winning teams. He considered it his most important job as a coach to let every player know when he made a contribution to winning, no matter their role.

And when his teams did win, he made sure they didn't dwell on their success, but rather looked immediately to the challenges of the next game. He applies this lesson to business strategy as well.

"The Power of Negative Thinking" is punctuated with humorous stories. For example, when Coach Knight was about to take the court to coach his first game at Army, he thought the team should say a prayer in the locker room, like most of his prior coaches had done. As he was walking out to the court, an old trainer put his arm around his neck and said, "Son, for what it's worth, you and prayer are not a good mix."

Coach Knight provides his two candidates for the greatest words in the English language: "No" and "Don't."

"I've had players I've told over and over and over again, 'No, that is not what we want,'" Knight writes. "The words 'no' and 'don't' are important parts of the power of negative thinking, along with a whole long list of imperatives just as firm and final. I couldn't begin to tell you how many times I said to a player: 'What is there about the word "no" that you don't understand? What is there about the word "don't" that you don't understand?'

"Don't and can't are obviously negative phrases, but putting the words into use can bring very positive results."

He points out that seven of the Ten Commandments start with "Thou shalt not ..." He even developed his own Ten Commandments, including:

-- Don't accept the status quo. Look for better when others are satisfied.

-- Always question. The best of all questions: Why?

-- Look for improvements to make in yourself or bad habits to break.

-- Never think talent alone will determine the outcome.

-- Never talk too much. Get yourself a degree from the Shut-Up School.

Mackay's Moral: "Everybody wants to win, but not everyone wants to prepare to win." -- Bob Knight