Departing Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning's determination to win Super Bowl 50 against the favored Carolina Panthers was riveting. It reminded me of a quote he gave earlier in his career: "Being there every week for my teammates is really important to me. It's about accountability."

That's discipline, and it's rooted in little things. Isn't everything? Little things sow the seeds. The harvest comes when you can discipline yourself to routinely face life's toughest complications and frustrations. That's a crystal-clear window on the success of the oldest quarterback in Super Bowl history and the only starting quarterback to win with two different teams.

Denver's discipline shone in both directions. Wade Phillips, coordinator of the Broncos' imposing defensive machine, is the son of Bum Phillips -- the former head coach of the Houston Oilers and the New Orleans Saints, who always wore a cowboy hat. According to Bum: "The only discipline that lasts is self-discipline."

Whenever I eyeball the resume of someone applying for a management job, I look for evidence of self-discipline: As candidates have prepared themselves for past jobs, did they identify and master at least three to five key self-disciplines essential to future success?

Did the candidates stick to their routines -- even their daily exercise program -- after suffering a career setback? Dedicated self-discipliners invariably bounce back the fastest.

Does a prospective manager grasp that the self-disciplines needed by the people around her or him probably differ from the ones that bosses master themselves? Managers shore up their strengths with diverse players, not copycats of the head honcho.

Uncommonly strong self-discipline is a hallmark of success in any era. Elon Musk, who's worth a comfy $12 billion-plus, tops today's list for innovative business thinkers. He will turn 45 later this year. After co-founding PayPal, Musk masterminded the product architecture of Tesla Motors, founded SpaceX and provided the initial concept and financial capital for Solar City. Tesla Motors' battery technology has electrified the industry, if you'll excuse the figure of speech. SpaceX is redefining space travel with reusable launch components, and may one day colonize Mars.

Management guru Peter Drucker once quipped: "There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." The relevance? Be careful about those self-disciplines you choose to hammer into habits:

-- These days, everyone is hot to develop abs of steel. Fitness training technologies have evolved like every other discipline. It pays to learn them. If you spend valuable time working up a sweat, best practices produce the premier payoff.

Roy Neuberger, who lived to be 107, made several fortunes, and thereby endowed numerous art museums. At 94, he paid a personal trainer $45 three times a week to help him through a 45-minute workout. At a buck a minute, it helped keep Neuberger spry enough to collect his National Medal of the Arts at the White House at age 104.

-- You may bust your buttons with pride about how regularly you stay in touch with your network, but are you using the cutting edge of social media to do so? Or are you still sending pals press clippings when everyone else is routing them links?

-- I have readers hooked on audiobooks: a great habit to make. If you listen on airplanes, do you also use noise-canceling headphones? A number of physicists and ear doctors point out that these more expensive headsets allow lower-volume playback, and that spares precious hearing.

Be choosy about the number of self-disciplines you adopt. You don't want to morph into a robot. Focus on doing a few well. And always remember: The only way up is up to you.

Mackay's Moral: Long-haul winners listen to their built-in drill sergeant all the way to the finish line.

Over my decades in business, I've noticed a baffling trend: "Sales" has become a dirty word. I'm on a lifelong campaign to change that.

In fact, many companies no longer call salespeople salespeople. They have account executives or account specialists, business developers, client advisers, relationship consultants, territory managers and numerous other monikers. I even received an email from a radio station saying that they call their salespeople business improvement planners.

I'm not sure why the word "sales" seems to have such a negative connotation. I still have "Envelope Salesman" on my business cards -- and am proud of it. Companies cannot succeed without salespeople bringing the business through the front door. It's that simple.

You don't even have to be writing up orders to be in sales, because everyone in the company is selling something -- ideas, customer service, reputation.

You already believe in your products -- or you should -- so that ought to be the least of your challenges. Sales is really about selling yourself! You may not have a formal sales quota to fill, or get paid on commission, but a good knowledge of how to sell can be very useful to your success, no matter what your career goals are.

Here are some sales tips that apply to any endeavor:

-- Manage your time wisely. Keep track of how much time you spend on your sales process. Identify the activities with the greatest payoff and maximize them, while delegating or cutting down on any that don't add value. Remember the 80/20 rule: In many cases, 80 percent of your business comes from 20 percent of your customers. Focus on the 20 percent first.

-- Do your research. Whether you're selling a book or just trying to get a job, start by learning as much as you can about your industry and the people in it. The more you know, the better you'll be able to present your product when the time comes. And don't forget that knowing something about your customer is just as important as knowing your product.

-- Get in front of prospects. Every sale starts with a prospect: a potential customer with an interest in what you've got to sell. Identify those who need what you're offering. Find out where they are so you can target your sales efforts effectively.

-- Listen more than you talk. Don't think of sales as the art of pressuring a reluctant customer into buying something he or she doesn't want. You'll get better results by asking questions about your prospect's problems and really listening to his or her needs. Then it will be easier to position yourself effectively.

-- Get into the customer's mind. You've got to tailor your approach to match individual buyers, not take a one-size-fits-all attitude. Once you've targeted specific prospects, spend some time getting to know their personal priorities, professional preferences and what they're looking for when they consider products like yours.

-- Create the demand. It's not how much it's worth, it's how much people think it's worth. Customers often buy products if they can be sure that product will help them solve a problem, and do it quickly and easily. Show how your product or service will make life easier for the person whose support you need.

-- Stop selling and let them buy. Most people like to buy things, but we really dislike being pushed into a purchase. Don't be overly aggressive. Be ready to answer questions and present your product as an opportunity. Never ask a person a yes-or-no question when it could be yes-or-yes instead.

-- Eliminate the risk. Money-back guarantees and other sales tactics limit the customer's risk of making a mistake. You can't offer a "warranty" on your ideas, but know the risks of your product or service ahead of time, and have solutions ready when you are questioned.

-- Develop your sense of humor. You don't have to memorize a string of stale jokes, but you should learn how to see the humor in every situation. If you can make a customer smile, your job is halfway complete.

-- Follow up. Persistence pays. Don't make a pest of yourself, but check in regularly with your customers and prospects to find out what they need. You don't want them to forget about you.

-- Accept rejection gracefully. Rejection is, and always will be, part of business. The sooner you move on, the sooner you'll make another sale.

Mackay's Moral: Whatever you're selling, you're selling yourself first.

We are in the thick of the most unusual political seasons I can remember. Who would have imagined the slate of presidential hopefuls that spans the spectrum? And what will it take for the candidates to convince voters that they should lead the country?

Qualifications? Sure. Campaign promises? Perhaps. Appearance? Doesn't hurt. The best opposition research? Not necessarily.

But the one factor that will always make the difference? Persuasion -- the same sales skill that sets the successful apart from the competition.

Simply said, it doesn't matter who has the best ideas or the most workable plans or the nicest smile. It all comes down to persuasion. Who can get their point across and bring others over to their side? They could all take a lesson from my favorite president, Abraham Lincoln.

One of Lincoln's most valuable skills was his ability to persuade others to his point of view, no matter how entrenched their position. Lincoln described the art of persuasion in an 1842 speech to the Springfield Washington Temperance Society:

"When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted. ... If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend. Therein a drop of honey that catches his heart, which, say what he will, is the great high road to his reason, and which, when once granted, you will find but little trouble in convincing his judgment of the justice of your cause, if indeed that cause really be a just one.

"On the contrary, assume to dictate to his judgment, or to command his action, or to mark him as one to be shunned and despised, and he will retreat within himself, close all the avenues to his head and his heart; and though your cause be naked truth itself ... you shall no more be able to reach him than to penetrate the hard shell of a tortoise with a rye straw."

An eloquent argument, for sure, and it is timeless advice. You can bully your way into power, but your effectiveness is greatly reduced. Lincoln understood that you must demonstrate respect for the other party or your efforts will be wasted.

Here are some persuasion techniques that have served me well.

-- Speak their language. Listen to how people express themselves. Acknowledge their concerns and use the same language to respond to them to let them know you hear their concerns. It will help them accept your point more readily.

-- Use their names. What's the sweetest sound in the world? Your name on someone else's lips. Just don't overdo it. For a new acquaintance, make sure you're pronouncing it right, and don't use it before you've established some sort of rapport.

-- Use action words. Be direct. You've got to ask for the response you want. Don't ask someone to try to do something or to think about doing it if you need an immediate response. But if you are negotiating for the longer term, give them time to think about your request so they don't feel pressured.

-- Get your foot in the door. You don't have to lead off with your main point. First get the other person's attention, and then apply some persuasive techniques -- offering an additional benefit, changing your request to what you really want, or letting him or her turn you down now while leaving the door open to agree with you later.

Two key words will make you more persuasive, according to Jerald M. Jellison in his book "Overcoming Resistance." Those words are "if" and "then." Whether you are trying to sell a car or an idea, the message that works is: "If you will take this action, then you'll get this reward."

Let me phrase that another way: If you want to be persuasive, then don't be evasive.

Mackay's Moral: Persuasion is an art. The tongue can paint what the eye can't see.