Two leaders whom I respect a great deal and whose work I have studied both stress the importance of asking questions to find answers that will unlock your success.

Dale Carnegie wrote about the 10 ways to be a leader. No. 4 is to ask questions.

In April, John Maxwell was named the No. 1 leadership guru in the United States by the American Management Association (AMA). John hosts leadership conferences, and late last year I was invited to speak at one in the Atlanta area. He talked about the power of asking questions. In fact, the title of his new book is "Good Leaders Ask Great Questions."

According to John, you are perhaps only one question away from an answer that will dramatically change your life.

John said: "When you think of leadership, you think of direction. You think of vision. You think of somebody pointing the way and saying, 'This is the way to go.' But what I want you to understand ... is that the impetus of leadership is asking good questions. ... Ask the right questions because it's the key to success."

John listed nine values of asking questions:

-- You only get answers to questions you ask. If you don't ask the questions, you don't get the answers. Don't cheat yourself. I've always said the only dumb question is the one you don't ask. The person who asks may feel like a fool for five minutes, but the person who does not ask remains a fool forever.

-- Questions are the most effective way to connect with people. One of the points that I stress with my Mackay 66 Customer Profile is to find common ground, and one of the best ways to do this is by asking questions.

"People connect when they understand, but they commit when they feel understood," John said. He added that when you ask good questions and listen and learn, you become a better leader.

-- Questions unlock doors that otherwise would remain closed. John says most of the doors to opportunity and success are locked. But asking the right questions is like having a key to open them.

-- Questions cultivate humility. When you ask questions of someone, you are telling them that they know something you don't. You value their opinion as a teacher.

-- Questions allow us to direct the conversation. If you like to control your conversations, there is no better way than asking questions. John is a big believer in scheduling learning lunches with smart people. He has a list of seven questions he always asks:

1. What is the greatest lesson you've ever learned?

2. What are you learning now?

3. How has failure shaped your life?

4. Who do you know that I should know? And will you help me meet them?

5. What have you read that I should read?

6. What have you done that I should do?

7. How can I add value to you?

-- Questions allow us to build better ideas. John is a big believer in sharing his ideas with others. That way, ideas can be expanded upon and become great ideas.

I always say: if I give you a dollar and you give me a dollar, we each have a dollar. But if I give you an idea and you give me an idea, we each have two ideas.

-- Questions give us a different perspective. John says: "Before you attempt to set things right, you've got to make sure you see things right. And the only way that you can see things right is by asking questions."

-- Questions challenge mindsets. "In other words, questions get us out of ruts," according to John. "Questions precede discovery, and discovery precedes change."

-- Questions set us apart from other people. Questions are a great differentiator, especially if you ask better questions than the other person.

John told us his story about when he was 23 years old and just out of college. He was a pastor at a little country church and a parishioner gave him a list of the 10 largest churches in America. John wrote the pastors of all 10 to see if they would meet with him for 30 minutes. Two agreed. By the time he was age 29, John had the 10th largest church in America.

Mackay's Moral: You are only one question away from success, if it's the right question.

How much would you pay for an egg? Fifty cents? Two dollars? How about $6,000?

That's how much it cost one restaurant in Newport Beach, California, which refused to honor a customer's request. The money wasn't lost through legal action or any formal process. Rather, it represents the lost business that eatery suffered -- because of one egg.

Let me explain. Authors Deb and Todd Duncan, whose careers also include television production and peak performance training, detail the 10 new golden rules of customer service in their new book, "The $6,000 Egg."

Deb and Todd were frequent patrons at a chic test kitchen that experiments with new menu items. One day, the featured special was a waffle served with an egg on top. The couple wanted a cheeseburger, which was on the menu, but asked to have a fried egg added on top of the burger. They were surprised to hear from the server that the kitchen might not be able to do that. Sure enough, even though they were making eggs for the waffles, the server told them the kitchen was too busy to make one for the burger. So they asked a different server who knew them well.

The answer was still no, because it wasn't on the menu. When they asked to speak to the manager, she approached without a smile. After yet another request, she stood firm, explaining the restaurant only orders a certain number of eggs per day, and they couldn't sacrifice one for a cheeseburger.

Todd was incredulous. He asked her, "So a one-time visitor who orders a waffle for $15 is more important to you than a $6,000 customer who comes in at least four to six times a month?"

Her response was a textbook lesson in terrible customer service. "If we run out of eggs, we can't serve the waffle." So when Todd suggested she might be able to send a busser down the block to buy a few extra eggs, she offered to cover their check for their inconvenience.

He couldn't believe she would rather pay their $75 tab than sell them a single egg. They left, and vowed never to return.

They wound up at a restaurant next door, where they shared their experience. There, the server told them that their company creed is "We don't say no here." And they don't need the manager's permission to satisfy customer requests.

Guess where they go for breakfast now.

So many of the rules the Duncans include in their book are simply common sense, yet they are broken over and over again.

Perhaps the most frequent complaint I hear from readers is that they are repeatedly disappointed in the service they receive, even from companies they have done business with for years. Those companies would be wise to remember that one bad experience can destroy customer loyalty. And anyone in business knows it is much more expensive to find new customers than to retain existing ones.

Our motto at MackayMitchell Envelope Co. is: "To be in business forever." That's getting to be a tall order, since technology has replaced the need for envelopes in many instances. Fax machines, email, text messages, Snapchat, online bill paying -- you name it, another bite out of our industry. So we need to keep our customers happy, because their options seem to expand daily.

You can have the finest products, the best food, the most incredible hotel rooms and the trendiest styles -- but if you don't deliver quality service, you have nothing. Even in this instant-gratification world, customers relish personal service. They want to feel important. They want to know that someone cares about their needs.

Want to know what really says that a company doesn't care? The phone call that's answered by a voice telling you to hold, but "your call is very important to us." And then you wait. And wait. And the message is repeated. And you start to wonder how important your call really is.

I understand the economic considerations, but I wonder how many businesses are actually losing business when you can't connect with a live person in a reasonable amount of time.

Remember, most customers aren't asking for miracles. They might have special requests or needs that are not part of your usual offerings. But if you can accommodate them, do it. Don't make your customers walk on eggshells.

Mackay's Moral: Great customer service is the goose that lays the golden egg.

Several weeks ago, I used this column to share lessons I learned from my parents in recognition of Mother's Day and Father's Day. My intention was to honor mothers and fathers everywhere for the wisdom they impart to their children.

The column apparently struck a chord, because I had a record response from readers about similar advice they received from their parents. And with Father's Day fresh on my mind, I can't think of a better time to pass some of it on to you.

One person said her father taught her the difference between needs and wants. There are items that we need in order to live and there are items that we want, but can live without.

Another writer mentioned character. He said it wasn't something his parents taught him, but rather showed him in the way they lived their lives. In other words, want a good kid? Be a good adult.

One reader even sent a link to a video that was made as a tribute to his own father as well as a legacy for his sons that explained his philosophy of life. It was so inspirational, as well as an enduring gift that many of us can imitate.

And on and on the responses went. How gratifying that so many chose to share their own experiences of the tremendous wisdom gleaned from their parents. Here are some of the dozens that I received.

-- All choices have consequences. Stop and think about what you are doing and what might result. And then accept responsibility for your actions, even if it hurts.

-- Appreciate what you have. It's more important to want what you have than to have everything you want.

-- Trust your instincts, but always do your homework. The time it takes to do a little, or a lot, of research to confirm your hunches is time well-spent.

-- Almost doesn't count. Don't settle for almost right, almost finished or almost good enough.

-- Hard work means no shortcuts. Work efficiently, but do the job right. Cutting corners doesn't cut it.

-- Always have a contingency plan. Life is full of surprises. Sometimes you have to change your plan or your strategy to deal with those events. I call this making mid-course corrections.

-- Embrace life's choices head-on. It's your life, so live it to the fullest. You never want to look back with regrets about the "what ifs?"

-- Values matter. When you sacrifice your values, you sacrifice your reputation.

-- You are only as good as your word. If people can't trust you to tell the truth, then nothing else matters. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

-- Cream doesn't rise to the top; it works its way up. Paying your dues is not a punishment, it's called getting experience.

-- Choose family over money. No amount of money or success can take the place of spending time with your family or those closest to you.

-- Forgive and forget. Carrying a grudge is a heavy burden. Wouldn't you rather rise above than sink down to the offender's level?

-- Hope springs eternal. When you give up hope, you give up.

I am grateful that I can still hear my father's advice when I need to make a tough decision. I learned not only from his words but also from his example.

My good friend Lou Holtz said the best advice he ever got about marriage and raising a family is that the most important thing you can do as a father is to show your children that you love their mother.

And here's what Martha Stewart wrote about her own dad, in a post on the LinkedIn networking site: "The best advice I've ever received was from my father when I was 12 years old ... He told me that with my personal characteristics, I could, if I set my mind to it, do anything I chose. This advice instilled in me a great sense of confidence, and despite the fact that sometimes I was a little nervous, I stepped out and did what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. I think it really often is up to the parents to help build confidence in their children. It is a very necessary part of growing up."

Mackay's Moral: Parents teach lessons, even when they think no one is watching.