John Calipari is one of the most fascinating basketball coaches you will ever meet. He is calm and animated at the same time. He is intense, yet introspective. He loves to -- and lives to -- win. And he always, always, always lives by the credo: "Players First." His new book bears that title.

The University of Kentucky men's basketball coach has had much more than the usual amount of success. Well-deserved, I might add. And I had the pleasure of visiting with him during the recent NCAA Final Four Tournament. I've known him since he was the head coach of the New Jersey Nets, when I spoke to their season ticket holders in 1997.

His book, "Players First," is a straight talk, no-holds-barred, lay-it-on-the-line study of a man and his philosophy. He has stirred up controversy from time to time. He doesn't apologize for that. He is committed to developing young players into the best team and the best people they can be.

That is where "Players First" comes in. "We reach our goals by striving together toward collective goals," he says. "During the season, it's all about the team; after the season, it's about the individual." His plainspoken manner is central so that players can make honest self-appraisals.

He realizes his reputation as a "one and done" guy, where superstar kids play one year and then leave school to go into the NBA. He understands his role in their development when he says that "some people see the young players as future millionaires, just stopping through before they cash in. That's not what I see. They're kids, some as young as 17 years old. They all need me in a different way."

Calipari is completely honest with his players: "Playing for me is going to be the hardest thing you've ever done. If you're not up for that, go somewhere else. Please go somewhere else."

As a real basketball junkie, I was completely enthralled with this book. I loved the stories, the strategy and the thoughts behind his decisions. And then I realized that I was reading a book about so much more than basketball. Calipari has incorporated a variety of business and life lessons that will resonate with sports fans as well as those who don't know a slam dunk from a grand slam.

For example, he makes lists and advises readers to write things down and give themselves a deadline. Business people know the importance of being organized and setting goals. Take it from me: If you don't have a good game plan, how do you expect to win?

Calipari tells his players: "You've got to love the grind. Embrace the work. Embrace the sweat. Embrace the pain." Managers everywhere can relate to that kind of a pep talk. There are parts of every job that require the kind of dedication that enables you to work through the difficult or tedious tasks. Just like winning basketball requires practice, practice and more practice, to be really good at what you do takes plenty of preparation. You might as well enjoy the journey.

The coach discusses at length the importance of turning his players into "servant-leaders": They are servants first, who then cultivate a desire to lead. That concept easily translates to business. Management and staff alike need to demonstrate a servant mentality toward each other and toward customers. The leadership component is a logical next step for team players.

"Anyone who ever taught one of my kids," Calipari says, "I wanted them to use every single tool they had to make my kids the best version of themselves."

Good managers teach or train their staffs to develop their skills for the good of the team. I encourage mentoring at every level. Good advice and sincere interest in career advancement bring rewards to both sides of the relationship.

Calipari believes in sharing the glory, a concept that really successful businesses understand. He says, "After any kind of success we experience, I want every single person who works for the basketball program to feel that their personal imprint is on it."

But perhaps his most valuable lesson is that he tells his players to "fail fast. Don't be afraid to try new things. Don't be afraid to experiment. Fail fast and we'll correct."

I couldn't agree more. I tell people that if you want to triple your success rate, you have to triple your failure rate. You can learn so much from your mistakes.

Mackay's moral: Life's failures are stepping-stones to success.

To understand adversity, take two acorns from the same tree, as nearly alike as possible -- and plant them in two separate locations. Plant one on a hill by itself and the other in a dense forest. The oak standing alone is exposed to every storm. Its roots grow deep in every direction, grasping every rock to support itself from the threatening elements.

The acorn planted in the dense forest grows up a weak, willowy sapling. Since it was shielded by its neighboring oak trees, it feels no need to spread its roots far and wide for support.

Don't be afraid of adversity. Welcome it! Adversity makes you stronger. It helps you grow.

I recently returned from the annual Horatio Alger Awards in Washington, D.C. According to its website, these awards are named after Horatio Alger Jr., "whose tales of overcoming adversity through unyielding perseverance and basic moral principles captivated the public in the late 19th century."

Each year, the Horatio Alger Association selects and honors approximately 10 individuals who have triumphed over adversity with the virtues of hard work, honesty, individual initiative, adherence to goals and community leadership. I am honored to have been inducted into this prestigious organization in 2004.

The mission of the association is about promoting success and extending a helping hand to others. This year we awarded scholarships to 106 students, who, in the face of great adversity, have exhibited an admirable commitment to continuing their education and serving their communities.

I am proud that the Horatio Alger Association has become one of the nation's largest providers of privately funded, need-based scholarships. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the scholarship program, which has awarded more than $100 million to more than 21,000 students.

My good friend Lou Holtz, Hall of Fame college football coach, always says, "Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity."

Adversity is a fact of life. It can't be controlled. Problems and people can't stop you. The only thing that can stop you is YOU. Only you can control how you react to adversity. When faced with adversity, do you buckle beneath the weight of it all? Do you ask "Why me?"

Dolly Parton said, "The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."

Here is a sampling of Horatio Alger Award recipients who turned adversity into an advantage.

Author and poet Maya Angelou was 3 years old when her parents separated. She was raped at the tender age of 7 and as a result did not speak for nearly six years. She has published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and many plays, movies and television shows.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and his family were forced to leave Germany in the 1930s due to the Nazi movement. He ended up in New York City and couldn't speak English. He entered the U.S. Army and returned to earn his bachelor's, master's and doctorate from Harvard.

Carol Burnett, actress, comedian, singer and writer, had a difficult childhood with alcoholic parents and was raised by her grandmother in an impoverished area of Hollywood.

Hank Aaron, who broke Babe Ruth's unbreakable Major League Baseball homerun record, grew up in a poor family, picking cotton. His family couldn't afford baseball equipment, so he practiced by hitting bottle caps with sticks.

TV business commentator Lou Dobbs started working in the potato fields of Idaho when he was 9 years old. His mother taught him to read before he even started school and his parents taught him to keep up on current events, which led to his news career.

Mark Victor Hansen, along with his writing partner Jack Canfield, was rejected 140 times before hitting it big with the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series of books. There are now more than 200 titles and 500 million books sold internationally in 47 different languages.

Actor James Earl Jones stuttered so badly as an elementary student that he communicated with friends and teachers using written notes. Today he is known for the richness and power of his voice.

It's hard to find a bigger celebrity today than Oprah Winfrey. Yet she was born into poverty and raised by a single teen mom. She was repeatedly molested by a cousin, uncle and family friend.

Mackay's Moral: A winner never quits, and a quitter never wins.

I was fortunate to attend the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament in Arlington, Texas, earlier this month. It's my absolute favorite sporting event, in part because of the intense competition and will to succeed demonstrated by the players.

In doing my research before the game -- and I study the teams and coaches intently -- I came across a blog from Jim Tunney, the "Dean of NFL Refs," who spent 31 years officiating pro football. In that time, he's seen it all. His insights are spot on.

His topic was "flopping," defined as "an intentional fall by a player with little or no contact by an opposing player in order to draw a personal foul call by a game official."

For the record, I hate flopping. It sets a bad example. Unfortunately, flopping has filtered through all levels of basketball.

Tunney talks about how the NBA added a rule in 1997 to cut down on flopping. The rule was ignored until the league actually began fining players 15 years later. The NCAA has a similar rule which results in a technical foul, but the call is seldom made. Some players use flopping as a tactical maneuver, he says, but purists say it is a mockery of the game.

So is this a column about basketball rules? Hardly. I'm borrowing a page from Tunney, who takes examples from sports and relates them to messages for everyday living. He continues with some real-life questions: "Did you ever intentionally not do your best?" "Did you ever try to trick others into believing it was someone else's fault and not yours?" Flopping is a deliberate deception -- and it translates in business to a failure to accept responsibility for your actions.

Tunney also says that flopping is a difficult call to make. Exposing the deceivers is not always simple, because deception is not always immediately obvious.

Damon Runyon, a New York City newspaperman, also wrote charming short stories about gamblers and various types of con men. The Broadway musical "Guys and Dolls" was based on one of his stories.

Runyon had this advice on avoiding the pitfalls of con artists: "One of these days in your travels, a guy is going to come up to you and show you a nice, brand-new deck of cards on which the seal is not yet broken. And this guy is going to offer to bet you that he can make the jack of spades jump out of the deck and squirt cider in your ear. But, son, do not bet this man, for as sure as you stand there, you are going to get an earful of cider."

Spotting deception requires paying close attention. Think you can detect a lie easily? There are some clues to watch for, but bear in mind that accomplished liars can fool experts. If you think someone is trying to deceive you, you should watch for these signs.

-- Do words and body language match? When someone says, "Sure, I'd love to help," but can't manage a sincere smile, chances are, you shouldn't trust the offer.

-- Is there a pause in the answer? "I couldn't make it to work because ... my car broke down" is more than likely a cover story. Take it a step further and ask, "Why didn't you call me for a ride?" Awkward speech patterns are a good indicator of deception.

-- Does the answer include some repetition? Liars are more likely to repeat your question or rephrase it when they answer. "Did you leave the mess in the break room?" "No, I did not leave the mess in the break room."

According to a recent biography, a man who is the epitome of deception got his start at a young age. As a high school sophomore, this young man was assigned to present a book report to his class.

But he never actually got around to reading anything. So he stood up in front of the class and told them about "Hunting and Fishing," by Peter Gunn -- a book that didn't exist. He made it up. When the teacher asked to see the book, the student calmly replied that he couldn't, because he'd already returned it to the library.

The student was Bernie Madoff, whose Ponzi scheme bilked investors out of more than $17 billion. In that case, the judge had no problem sentencing him to 150 years in federal prison for his deception.

Mackay's Moral: With lies you may get ahead in the world -- but you can never go back.