Never underestimate the tremendous impact teachers have on students, helping set the direction of their lives. Studies show that people give credit for their success in the business world to the role models they encountered in youth.

I've shared these stories before, but I think they bear repeating. Two teachers played major roles in helping me become a successful businessman.

Professor Harold Deutsch was my academic adviser at the University of Minnesota. I was enrolled in his class on the history of World War II. Professor Deutsch had been one of the interpreters at the Nuremberg Trials. He did not teach history; he was PART of history.

In the spring quarter of my sophomore year, professor Deutsch gave me a D. I went in to plead my case: I said being on the golf team prevented me from giving my class work my best effort.

"Harvey," he said, "keep this up and you will be able to devote your full time -- and it looks like you already have -- to pushing that little white ball across a big green lawn. Your excuse is pathetic. I'm not changing the grade. However, I'm going to challenge you, not just to raise your grade, but to get an A in this course when it continues in the fall."

In the fall quarter, I got an A in professor Deutsch's class. He should have been graded, too -- an A in psychology.

My other mentor was Les Bolstad, the University of Minnesota golf coach. Like all great coaches and teachers, Les did not teach golf. He taught life. If you learned a little golf on the side, well, so much the better. Les was a second father to me.

Both men taught me tools that I've honed in the business world -- to stay focused, to set realistic goals, and the arts of persuasion, leadership and visualization.

Today, Mary Mackbee is the principal of St. Paul (Minn.) Central High School, from which I graduated a few (!) decades ago. She's been there 22 years.

To teachers, she is the boss who is willing to fight to preserve their programs. To parents, she is accessible and approachable and willing to listen. To students, she is simply Ms. Mackbee, who knows 99 percent of the kids' names.

Central is one of the city's most culturally and economically diverse, not to mention popular, high schools, boasting a 92 percent overall graduation rate. Ms. Mackbee champions the advanced placement, International Baccalaureate and Quest programs and Central's performing arts offerings. She responded positively to funding for cup stacking supplies when she saw data showing that dexterity activities help reading, math and cognitive abilities.

Ms. Mackbee commands respect because everyone knows she is behind them all the way.

Taylor Mali, poet, humorist and teacher, tells a story about the value of teachers as role models.

One night at dinner, a CEO decided to explain the problem with education: "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher? You know, it's true what they say about teachers: Those who can do, do. And those who can't do, teach." He challenged another guest, "Hey, Susan, you're a teacher. Be honest, what do you make?"

After some thought, Susan replied: "You want to know what I make? I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could, and I can make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence. I can make a C-plus feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor and an A feel like a slap in the face if the student didn't do his or her very best. I can make parents tremble when I call their home or feel almost like they won the lottery when I tell them how well their child is progressing.

"You want to know what I make? I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them criticize. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them write. I make them read, read and read. I make them understand that if you have the brains, then follow your heart. And if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make in money, you pay them no attention."

Susan then paused. "You want to know what I make? I make a difference."

I couldn't agree more.

Mackay's Moral: Teachers strive not to teach students to make a living, but to make a life.

With the possible exception of what the Treasury Department turns out, "Money: Master the Game" -- Tony Robbins' new book -- may be the most valuable stuff in print. It's absolutely jammed with advice you can take all the way to the bank.

Tony boils his message down to "7 simple steps to financial freedom." I, in turn, have seven compelling reasons why you absolutely have to sink your teeth into "Money" cover-to-cover:

-- Tony's stories sing. For Tony, caring and giving are the most powerful urges to build financial stability in the first place. When Tony was 11, a stranger saved Thanksgiving Day by appearing like magic at his family's front door with bags chock-full of groceries. At 17, "working nights as a janitor," Tony spent Turkey Day treating a couple of families to dinner himself. He describes one young woman whose motivating financial dream was to "buy a ranch and turn it into a church camp." As the old saying wisely put it: "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."

-- Tony's all-star team of financial experts is jaw-dropping. They include David Swensen, "the rock star of institutional investing ... who grew Yale University's endowment from $1 billion to more than $23.9 billion in less than two decades." Then there's Mary Callahan Erdoes, who "oversees more than $2.5 trillion as CEO of J.P. Morgan Asset Management." She offers families some very sage advice about asset allocation, the delicate balancing art of not stacking all your investment nest eggs in one basket. And we hear from Carl Icahn, one of the world's most successful investors the last 25 years.

-- Wisdom whacks you at every corner. Whether it be Mark Twain, saying: "The secret of getting ahead is getting started," or Doug Warren, author of "The Synergy Effect," who contends, "Baby boomers have been the primary mice used in the great 401(k) retirement experiment." The longer we live, the more knowledge we acquire. But, knowledge isn't power until we put it to work. "Knowledge is not mastery. Execution is mastery," Tony declares. "Execution will trump knowledge every day of the week."

-- Commonplace conclusions are always out of place. How do you get started? Tony recommends asking yourself: "What's the price of your dreams?" On money matters, Tony stresses, "We've been taught to think, 'This is too complex' or 'This is not my field.'" Tony is intent on making you an insider. His mission is for you to "know the rules before you get in the game." Tony has some attention-getting ideas: "You'll learn why chasing returns never works (and) why nobody beats the market long-term." He'll also equip you with some energizing skills that really work: "You'll ... learn about a proven way of growing your money with 100 percent principal protection, and tax free to boot (IRS-approved)."

-- Tony's candor is unflinching. There's no substitute for experience, and you have to be prepared to acquire it, no matter what age you are. Tony points to the sobering setback all adults have likely tasted: being on the losing end of a video game with a youngster. "So why do these kids always win? Is it because they have better reflexes? Is it because they're faster? No! It's because they've played the game before."

-- "Money" is tool-rich. There are quick links to sites that help you do a quick self-assessment and actually design a workable plan. Not all of this is easy, but every inch of it is clear.

-- Constructive advice is the heart of Tony's message. "Money" combs the complex wilderness and etches expert maps to guide you. But you still need to be able to size up talent. As Tony says, "not all professionals have equal skill or experience."

Tony Robbins is the hands-down master of behavioral breakthroughs. As he maintains, "I'm not a positive-thinking coach. Quite the opposite: I'm a prepare-for-anything coach." Bottom line: You'll not find a better heads-up map.

Mackay's Moral: When it comes to money, get the sense right and the dollars are sure to follow.

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.