When I was embarking on my "second career," public speaking, I had a little experience under my belt -- member of a Toastmasters group, graduate of Dale Carnegie and a long list of speeches I'd made to community groups and on behalf of various causes like getting a stadium built.

Sometimes, I would speak several times in a day, trying to reach as many groups as possible. My message was often only as good as my voice.

So I did what I always do when I know I can do better: I went out and hired a public speaking coach. As it turns out, the fellow I have been working with is more than a coach. He is just a few ticks shy of being a miracle worker.

I'm talking about Roger Love, who has coached speakers, singers, internet marketers and plenty of folks who understand the power of the voice and the impact it has on careers. His updated version of "Set Your Voice Free," first published in 1999, presents material that helps readers "showcase the best of yourself -- your talents, your passion, your originality, your authenticity."

I was quite fascinated by the anatomy lessons that form the basis of Roger's research and teaching. When you know how your voice works from the inside out and how to best take care of it, your attitude will change. As Roger says, "The human voice is set up to speak or sing 24 hours a day without getting hoarse or strained or creating any physical problems."

That information was especially helpful to me, because my voice is my living. Whether I am delivering a speech, making a sales call, making contacts for charitable or community causes or mentoring future entrepreneurs, my voice needs to be strong and convincing.

He helped Reese Witherspoon and Jeff Bridges find their singing voices when they were preparing for movie roles that required them to stretch their limits. He worked with John Mayer and Gwen Stefani to expand their ranges and keep their voices in top shape despite demanding performance schedules.

Roger's techniques are clearly explained in his book, which makes it simple to practice them on your own. He says, "If you know how to control the pitch, pace, tone, volume and melody of your voice, you can consciously use them to guide the emotions of your listeners and magnify the impact of every communication you have."

He acknowledges that great speaking and singing are not about being the best, but about being unique. "It's about expressing who you are and what's particularly special about you," he says. "If you learn to use your own instrument with confidence, people will open their ears to you and recognize what sets you apart from everyone else."

This updated edition includes techniques he has developed to help people with speech disorders such as stuttering and spasmodic dysphonia.

"True artistry in speaking comes from creating a convincing blend of three elements: what you say, the way you say it and who you are," Roger says.

The real take-home for me is that how I use my voice is nearly as important as my message. We learn how to talk at a very young age, and I suppose we figure out soon after which cute little voices will help us get our way. But through years of school and career, are we really using our voices to generate the best effects?

Roger discusses four key feelings you need to evoke in people to make them like and believe you: happiness, gratefulness, passion and confidence. But his explanations take readers beyond typical descriptions of these emotions. Learning how to project these key feelings will have marked effects on how your message is received.

The impetus for updating his masterwork now is the result of an interesting observation: The advent of television singing competitions and videos that go viral have "changed the landscape for singers, offering them new opportunities ... and opening the public's imagination to the possibilities of where our voices can be."

Coincidentally, he credits the revolution to "The Voice," the television competition that asked its judges to do blind auditions, facing away from the contestants while they sang. The voice alone did the selling, he said. "All of us realized that no matter what you look like, no matter what your age or background, if you can create the right sounds, people will see beauty, kindness, intelligence and uniqueness in you."

Mackay's Moral: How you use your voice speaks volumes about you.

My definition of success is having a predetermined plan, successfully carrying it out over a long period of time and having a good time doing it.

That's what John Calipari does as the men's basketball coach at the University of Kentucky. Coach Cal is able to recruit the country's top high-school talent with this simple message: "Commit to each other, be about each other without sacrificing your goals and by doing this you can achieve all your dreams and more."

Because many of his players are one and done -- meaning they leave for the pros after their freshman season -- Coach Cal views each new team like a start-up business, as the constant flow of new players brings new relationships and new challenges. His job is to mold them into championship material when the season comes to an end in the spring.

I read Coach Cal's new book, "Success Is the Only Option: The Art of Coaching Extreme Talent," and discovered that it contains lessons for CEOs, business owners, coaches, teachers and leaders of all kinds.

First, you have to assemble the talent, as Coach Cal writes: "Talent matters. There's no way around it. But the gold standard is to get your talented team to play with desperation." He says that he looks for players who have a purpose.

"I always ask my players: What's your why? Why do you want to have success? Is it just for fame and fortune, and if you attained that, who would it be for? ... What's driving them forward is a cause bigger than their own self-interest."

When I was building my envelope manufacturing company, I looked for employees who embraced TGIM -- Thank God It's Monday. I wanted people who were excited to come to work.

Similarly, Coach Cal writes: "When I'm recruiting, I'm looking for a kid who's alive. He's got a bounce in his step. A smile on his face. Love for his teammates." He mentions a former player who "came into the gym every day like it was Christmas morning."

Passion and persistence are common themes at the top of the list of skills you need to excel, whether you're in sales, playing basketball or any other profession. There simply is no substitute. If you don't have an intense, burning desire for what you are doing, there's no way you'll be able to work the long, hard hours it takes to become successful.

Calipari looks for an athlete's spirit and appetite for work. He wants players who have a pure love of the game and a fierce will to get better, plus the right physical attributes.

"You have to learn to love the grind," Calipari writes. "Loving the grind and feeling fulfilled at the end of a hard day should be part of the culture that extreme talent embraces."

Another important business principle that Coach Cal touches on is trust. He writes, "For a coach, there is nothing more unsettling than having a point guard you can't trust."

To me, trust is the most important word in business. Trust is central to doing business with anyone. Without it, you have another word that begins with T: Trouble.

Coach Cal also touches on self-confidence, which I believe is extremely important in almost every aspect of our lives. Confidence enables you to perform to the best of your abilities, without the fear of failure holding you back.

He talks about "red flags," starting with disrespect. When he is recruiting someone, he takes note of how the player treats family members. If he shows any disrespect, Coach Cal moves on.

I've found that treating people with respect begins at the top of an organization. Senior managers set the stage by treating each other and their subordinates with respect. Be respectful or be regretful.

Another red flag is playing the blame game. We live in a rampant culture of blaming others for our problems. "Truly owning up to our mistakes is a learned behavior, a part of growing up," writes Calipari.

Finally, Coach Cal talks about creating joy. "From the moment my players arrive, we talk about the concept of how we create joy in our lives. True joy, I tell them, comes from being a giver. On the court, among their teammates, when they are off the court and out in the world, I want every one of them to be a person who lifts up others."

Mackay's Moral: Success is not just the only option; it's the best option.

The Hewlett-Packard Company was famously founded in a one-car garage by William Hewlett and Dave Packard. It has become one of the world's most innovative and successful technology companies, but it's never lost sight of its founders' original vision.

According to legend, Hewlett and Packard operated under a strict set of rules, which were later put into words by an HP CEO:

-- Believe you can change the world.

-- Work quickly, keep the tools unlocked, work whenever.

-- Know when to work alone and when to work together.

-- Share tools, ideas. Trust your colleagues.

-- No politics. No bureaucracy.

-- The customer defines a job well done.

-- Radical ideas are not bad ideas.

-- Invent different ways of working.

-- Make a contribution every day. If it doesn't contribute, it doesn't leave the garage.

-- Believe that together we can do anything.

-- Invent.

That about sums up any doubts Hewlett and Packard had about what they were capable of doing! About the only rule that seems to be missing is "reinvent the wheel."

Innovation seems to move at the speed of light in business and education. New products and methods pop up almost every day. Your phone/computer/television is outdated as soon as you take it out of the box because of new systems constantly being developed. Your car can essentially drive itself. Your house can tell you whether the lights are on when you are across the ocean. Innovation affects every phase of our lives.

I'm way beyond wondering why I didn't think of that myself -- I'm just grateful that someone had the courage to tackle a seemingly impossible idea that made my life much easier.

Innovation is central to every organization's growth. As a manager, it's important to develop an environment where it will flourish. If you are working on your own, give yourself the gift of time to let your plans simmer.

Not all innovations have to be technical or expensive. Let me share a couple of innovations that we now take for granted.

When automobiles first came into common use, there were few roads, and none of them were striped to denote lanes. When Dr. June McCarroll, who lived in the California desert, made house calls, she couldn't tell what side of the desert road she was on, especially at night. She bought a brush and a can of white paint, and painted a line down the center of the road as a guide to other travelers. The California Highway Commission adopted her innovation for all the roads in California.

A Florida citrus grower lost 85 percent of his trees in a tropical hurricane. Instead of being discouraged, he formulated a plan. Before the storm, his trees had been planted far apart because land was cheap and he had plenty of space. But when he replanted after the storm, he put them close together, almost like a hedge, to protect each other. His yield was twice what it was before the storm destroyed most of his trees.

Where do you find inspiration for innovative ideas? Some days, ideas pop into your head without any effort at all. Other days you probably feel like you're digging for them at the bottom of the ocean. Don't get frustrated. When you are looking to develop a new concept, there are some steps that will make it easier.

-- Gather information. Do some research into whatever you're trying to develop. Don't worry about solutions right now; just immerse yourself in the subject. Put your concept into simple language that won't limit your scope.

-- Mix everything together. Look for underlying assumptions, common concepts and roads not taken. Don't force any ideas, but take notes on anything that stands out.

-- Brainstorm. Invest some time in generating more ideas from the information you've processed. Let ideas flow freely, because sometimes parts of ideas can blend together to lead to an even better result.

-- Take risks. New ideas usually involve failure. There's no guarantee that everything you try will succeed, but sometimes you have to see what doesn't work in order to see what will be successful.

-- Share your idea. Run it past someone you trust for feedback. An outside perspective can help you shape and mold your idea into something you can put into action.

-- Expect some frustration. Remember the adage: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." You will often stub your toe, maybe even fall flat on your face, before you are satisfied with your results. Innovation isn't instant -- it can take years.

Mackay's Moral: Bright ideas light the way.