Leading an organization, whether public, private or nonprofit, requires making tough decisions. It's just part of the job, whether it's in the job description or not. Because, as they say, it's lonely at the top.

Business school classes in leadership offer sound advice based on solid research and practical experience. In theory, it all works beautifully. You make the rules, you set the example, you toe the mark and everyone follows your lead. Leadership training is important, even if it doesn't prepare you for every scenario.

But in practice, results aren't always so predictable. Sure, personality matters. Some people are better leaders than others. And unexpected situations arise that defy all logic. Trust me, I've been in business long enough to say I've seen it all -- until I see the next crazy event.

To become the best leader you can be, you must take advantage of every opportunity to learn and improve. Learning from others' mistakes and experiences can save you plenty of misery and embarrassment.

But even more important, in my view, is setting standards for what you will and will not do, and what you will and will not tolerate. Take the time to determine what values are important to you and your organization. Make sure that everyone you lead understands what is expected. Then practice what you preach.

One of my favorite examples of well-defined leadership comes from Kent Keith, under what he calls the "paradoxical commandments of leadership." I've added my thoughts to these "10 commandments" and hope they help you prepare your value statement.

1. People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered. Love them anyway.

I've learned that co-workers and customers do not always respond as I would hope. But if I want to keep them as colleagues and customers, I need to cut them some slack.

2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway.

If you are doing well, then you should be doing good. The good you do will outweigh the criticism you endure. In truth, it would be more selfish to abandon your good works in order to avoid conflict.

3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.

There will always be those who will want to jump on your bandwagon or be jealous of your good fortune. That shouldn't prevent you from doing the best you can do.

4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Do good because it's the right thing to do, not because you are looking for lifetime recognition. Remember, virtue is its own reward.

5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.

I maintain that lying and cheating make you more vulnerable. Being honest and frank translates into trust, which is the most important five-letter word in business.

6. The biggest men with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.

Small-minded people rarely accomplish big things, and they are not leaders. Take some risks and trust your judgment.

7. People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

Top dogs were underdogs once, too. Great leaders mentor their replacements because they know they won't be the top dogs forever. They also have a knack for recognizing talent.

8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.

You can't predict the future, but you can be prepared to face problems with careful planning.

9. People really need help, but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.

A helping hand might get slapped away. But if you stand by and do nothing when you have the capacity to be helpful, shame on you. That's not leadership, that's cowardice.

10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

Put a smile on your face and give your detractors a big, toothy target. You never have to apologize for doing your best. You should apologize if you do less than your best.

A well-defined purpose is central to effective leadership. It doesn't just happen. You have to know why you are doing what you are doing. Otherwise, how will you know where you are going?

Mackay's Moral: When you lead with a purpose, people have a reason to follow you.

I've always considered myself quite bold when it comes to business and risk-taking. I can live with failing a few times, knowing that I will eventually be successful because I am determined to be.

I've found a like-minded colleague in Jeffrey Hayzlett, host of Bloomberg Television's "C-Suite With Jeffrey Hayzlett" and author of an inspirational new book, "Think Big, Act Bigger."

Hayzlett embraces big and bold without apology or inhibition. "Thinking big and acting bigger is all about action and attitude: being fearless and bold, steamrolling obstacles, ignoring perceived limitations, and even being a little irrational and pigheaded at times," he writes. "I've learned it is about being relentless in all I do but especially trusting in who I am because I can."

He shared an important philosophy in an earlier book, "Running the Gauntlet," where he wrote: "No one is going to die from changes you make in business." He has since refined that idea, but the importance of the message remains.

He shares five important lessons in that vein:

-- No one is going to die when you think big and act bigger, so get over yourself.

-- Stop overthinking things, coming up with reasons not to do something and then playing it safe. You still might fail. And that's OK.

-- Succeeding fast is better than failing fast: Stop wearing failure as a badge of honor.

-- Passion fuels that momentum and drowns out the negative voices in your head.

-- Passion can override your fears and inhibitions, but it cannot override facts. Yet it can also lead to overindulgence, obsession and lost perspective.

"Passion comes from our hearts and guts, not our heads," he continues. "It's a strong emotion and can lead us into bad decisions and questionable actions. But it is the adrenaline we need to succeed."

My opinion is that it's OK to be passionate, but you better be good at what you're passionate about.

Hayzlett says successful leaders have to strongly identify with what they don't want as well as what they do want. Being genuine in character makes people willing to follow them even when they are pigheaded or irrational.

Does that ever strike a chord with me! As long as people know what to expect from me and I live up to my ideals, I can honestly say that while my staff may wonder what I am up to, they support my actions almost 100 percent of the time. They assume I have some information or experience that is guiding my decisions. That's how you earn trust, and it's critical that you don't abuse it.

Hayzlett's friend Greg Lucier, the former CEO of Life Technologies, introduced him to the term "irrational leadership," explaining that you have to be so far out there sometimes to pull people along to where you want them to go. Hayzlettt writes: "I had said for years that leaders need to create tension and results by pushing farther and farther to move the rest of their teams in that direction. Now I had a name for it."

"Think Big, Act Bigger" is full of no-nonsense lessons that even successful leaders should study and review to keep their perspective. One of my favorites is the following story, which Hayzlett tells in a chapter about the importance of maintaining a constant state of awareness: On a fishing trip to Canada, Hayzlett's guide served a specific brand of blueberry jam, which came in a can, and which he liked so much that he bought a case and shipped it home to South Dakota at a very high price.

His wife was stunned. Why would he do that? Despite his best explanation about the special jam, she was unimpressed and teased him about it over the next couple of weeks.

On a trip to their local supermarket together, she needled him again about his expensive purchase. He responded, telling her that she really didn't understand how special this jam really was. The clincher: "You can't get this anywhere else ..."

And that's when she told him to turn around. There, on the shelf, was his prized jam -- for $2 a can. A constant state of awareness, indeed!

Mackay’s Moral: Bigger risks reap bigger rewards.

It's getting easier and easier to navigate the highways and byways through the magic of GPS -- the Global Positioning System. The service is in your car, your phone, your tablet, your watch. You are running out of excuses for not getting to where you want to go.

Wouldn't it be great if such a tool existed for finding your way through life's challenges? If you're like most ambitious people, you're always trying to get more done. The secret is paying attention to what you want to achieve. You can devise your own GPS formula by changing the words just a bit.

G is for goals. Make a list of what you want to accomplish so everything is clear and detailed in your mind. Make sure your goals are specific, including deadlines for completion and your measurements for success. Don't overload yourself. Concentrate on just one or two objectives at a time.

Goals give you more than a reason to get up in the morning; they are an incentive to keep you going all day. Goals tend to tap the deeper resources and draw the best out of life.

Most important, goals need to be realistic -- beyond your grasp but within your reach in the foreseeable future. Achieving goals produces significant accomplishments.

I remember a particular Peanuts cartoon in which Charlie Brown is having a bad day. He has struck out for the third straight time in a baseball game.

Back in the dugout, he buries his face in his hands and tells Lucy how he will never achieve his dreams of becoming a big-league ballplayer.

Lucy tells him that he's thinking too far ahead and needs to set more immediate goals. When Charlie Brown asks for an example, she tells him to see if he can walk out to the pitcher's mound without falling down.

P is for plans. Work out a general plan for achieving each goal over the long term. For instance, if you want a high-level position in your organization, your plan might include earning one or two intermediate promotions, getting additional training or volunteering for specific important committees. Each phase in your plan is a goal in itself. Approach each interim goal methodically, and follow a consistent process for completing each one.

People don't plan to fail; they fail to plan.

Try a process that I often use: working backward from the goal. If you want to arrive at Point X within a certain timeframe, you need to think about what you have to achieve to get there. That leads to your "S."

S is for segments. Break your plan down into separate segments that are small enough to tackle one after another, and large enough to stretch your skills at least a little. Think in terms of what you can accomplish in a single day, where you want to be at the end of the first month and so forth. This gives you a sense of direction and also helps you monitor progress.

Your personal GPS is not an app or option. It is basically standard equipment that doesn't cost extra. But you'll pay dearly if you don't activate it.

You can achieve your goals. But there's one catch. You have to commit to actually taking those steps and sticking to your plan. Staying motivated can be challenging, but keep your eye on the prize. Visualize your new business card, your corner office, your dream vacation ... whatever marks the achievement of your goal.

Otherwise, you'll just be another Marvin. Marvin dreamed of winning the lottery. Every time there was a drawing, he prayed loud and long that he would win. One day, as Marvin was beseeching the Almighty, the clouds parted and a voice boomed out from the heavens. "Marvin, Marvin," the voice said.

"Is that you?" gasped Marvin.

"It is I," intoned the voice.

"Are you here to answer my prayer? Will you let me win the lottery?"

"I will," said the voice, "but you have to meet me halfway. Marvin, buy a ticket!"

Buy your ticket. Set your goals. Follow your plans. Make your steps. Then take them out and look at them often. That's the only way you will achieve them.

Mackay's Moral: Life is full of detours, but you can always get back on track if you use your GPS.