I am a movie fanatic and love to hit the cineplex whenever I get a chance. It doesn’t hurt that I have a son who is a film director in Hollywood. Plus, I had the pleasure of serving on Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute Board for 14 years.

I’ve observed that we can learn a lot from the movies. For example, lighting a single match in a dark room will provide sufficient light to see everything. Ventilation ducts are roomy enough to allow anyone to wiggle through them. The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any Paris hotel room. And, all police departments make sure to pair partners who are exact opposites. OK, so those examples might require a little artistic license.

Seriously, I have learned many lessons from the movies, such as the oft-repeated Michael Corleone line, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” When I first saw “The Godfather Part II,” I thought that line was brilliant. I viewed my enemies as my competitors. That’s why I now have a speech lesson called “Know Thy Competitor.”

“The Intern” offered many lessons, including working with different generations and their contrasting styles, communications and language, problem-solving and leadership. It’s important to get everyone’s participation and perspective.

“The Bucket List” taught me the valuable lesson to live my life to the fullest. As I get older, I’m doing my best to fulfill some specific dreams. I had the good fortune to attend games six and seven of this year’s World Series with my son, and recently returned from golfing at Ireland’s greatest courses.

“The Founder,” the story of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, was like deja vu for me. It brought back a lot of memories of experiences in building my envelope manufacturing company. When you are an entrepreneur, you need to sell your vision, think big, be an innovator, hire well, select good partners, be able to handle rejection and frustration, negotiate with the best of them, and above all, never give up. As the boss, you need to work harder than anyone else.

The importance of teamwork is a message that comes through loud and clear in “Ocean’s 11.” Danny Ocean and Rusty Ryan spent a lot of time recruiting a team with unique skills to pull off the heist of the century. Yes, they were thieves, but they were master planners!

I took away a couple business lessons from “Legally Blonde.” The first is to never judge a book by its cover. People can surprise you. The second is that no matter what other people think, you control your own destiny. If you are willing to work hard, you can achieve most anything you put your mind to.

Chief among the many lessons from the movie “Moneyball,” the true story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, were bucking the system and tackling problems in an unorthodox way. The small-market team with a limited budget used analytics and statistical probabilities to build the roster, going against coaches and scouts.

Yoda, the little green Jedi master in the “Star Wars” movies had a number of great lines, but two in particular stood out to me. In “The Empire Strikes Back,” he said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” In “The Phantom Menace,” he uttered, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

Some movies serve as warnings, like “Wall Street.” We live in an instant-gratification world, and this movie provides a good example. Gordon Gekko has everything and always wants more, constantly looking for quick riches through any means necessary. Bud Fox is similar, but the two characters are at different stages in their careers. Still, both are looking for shortcuts to give them the results they want. And as we all know, there are few shortcuts in real life.

Another character who eschews his conscience for a quick profit is Rick Blaine in “Casablanca.” He’s an opportunist running a bar and casino, but fortunately his good sense and virtue make him do the right thing in the end. Quality rather than opportunity allows you to not only survive the unexpected, but thrive because of it.

One of the best holiday movies of all time, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” shows the principles of leadership. George Bailey put his customers, employees and family first by taking responsibility. It’s the way many great American businesses were built. George’s angel, Clarence, uttered an unforgettable line: “... no man is a failure who has friends.”

Mackay’s Moral: When you write your life script, include some life lessons.

I don’t care if you’re the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, a small business owner or a manager or supervisor -- you are only as good as the people around you. In other words, it’s important to surround yourself with success-oriented people.

When hiring, always try to pick future leaders. They may not be easy to recognize, but they’re crucial to an organization that wants to be innovative and entrepreneurial. Here’s a list of factors that can help you identify and develop potential leaders on your staff:

-- Collaboration. Look for employees who communicate well, delegate effectively and build strong personal relationships with their co-workers, managers and customers. They’re committed to their own personal success, of course, but they’re also dedicated to helping other people.

-- Self-determination. Entrepreneurial employees value their freedom and autonomy. They like being their own boss as much as possible, if they’re doing something they enjoy. Allow employees to make their own decisions, as long as they’re moving firmly toward your organization’s objectives.

-- Planning skills. You want employees who look beyond today’s tasks, who can focus on the long term as well as the short. They’re good at strategizing and weighing options, and at making decisions that minimize risk and maximize opportunity.

-- Curiosity. Most great ideas start with simple questions: “What if I did this? Why does that happen?” Listen to employees’ questions to spot those who are interested in solving problems and learning more about how things work.

-- Comfort with technology. Every good leader or potential leader stays on top of the tools that can mean success or failure. He or she isn’t afraid to use whatever’s available -- as long as it works.

-- Drive for action. Focus on employees who take initiative without waiting until conditions are perfect. They like to try things quickly, experiment and then move on to the next challenge. They’re also not discouraged by setbacks.

Those are traits that employees bring to the job. Now it’s up to you to help them develop the skills that will enable them to use those traits most effectively.

First and foremost, you need to be a role model. People will learn much more from your actions than from anything you say. If you want to be an effective manager, you must be comfortable knowing that your employees might be smarter or more tech-savvy than you, or have new ways of doing business. Try to remember your early career and what you did to prove yourself. Give them enough latitude to develop their own style, but be ready to offer a guiding hand when necessary.

Teach the importance of networking. Learning how to make contacts is a necessary skill for every leader. Stress the importance of both internal and external networks. I frequently preach, “If I had to name the single characteristic shared by all the truly successful people I’ve met over a lifetime, I’d say it is the ability to create and nurture a network of contacts.”

Share the value of perspective. Maintaining an even keel in good and bad times prevents the temptation to jump to rash conclusions when a challenge arises, or conversely, when you have had the biggest success of your career. Emotions have a place, but not in business decisions. As I like to say, “Make decisions with your heart and you’ll end up with heart disease.”

Insist on respect: for authority, for co-workers and for yourself. Good leaders treat people like people, not property. Successful leaders won’t stoop to doing deeds that go against their principles just to make a buck. Good leaders have standards that cannot be compromised because it would destroy their self-respect.

Remind employees constantly: Cream doesn’t rise to the top; it works its way up. There is no substitute for hard work. When employees see you working harder than they do, you are reinforcing that a dedicated work ethic is a necessary characteristic of a good leader.

Instill confidence. Give credit where it is due. Encourage employees to take charge of projects that will allow them to take appropriate risks and take responsibility for outcomes.

Make sure they understand responsibility. As writer Max DePree puts it: “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor. ... A friend of mine characterized leaders simply like this: ‘Leaders don’t inflict pain; they bear pain.’”

Mackay’s Moral: If you want to grow tomorrow’s leaders, plant seeds of wisdom today.

We all deal with disappointment in different ways. Some pout, a few get angry and others go into denial.

Repressing your feelings is a recipe for disaster. Ignoring things or holding them in only makes you feel worse. And it often magnifies the issue so that you cannot deal with it reasonably.

Getting angry isn’t any better. Remember, anger is just one letter short of danger. You risk taking your anger out on someone who doesn’t deserve it, making things worse.

Pouting -- feeling sorry for yourself -- is probably the most common response. But it’s not the best way to deal with the situation. When you dwell on the negative aspects of a disappointing situation, you are blinded to the opportunities that could be staring you in the face.

Leadership consultant Kevin Eikenberry explains: “We can become much better leaders and professionals if we can get past our internal language and live in the present moment. The present offers us opportunities to learn, opportunities to teach, opportunities to reinforce positive behaviors in others, opportunities to see our world in new ways and opportunities to enjoy our day more fully.

“Staying in pouting mode closes the door to all of these opportunities because we don’t see them -- we are too busy thinking about ourselves.”

How will you possibly reach your potential if you are busy fretting about the past? Allow me to share a little secret: Life is full of disappointments, but it’s also full of opportunity.

The first step to getting over a letdown is to let your feelings out -- appropriately. Talk to a trusted friend or write in a journal. Resist the temptation to lash out at the offender or your co-workers. Be extremely careful what you post on social media because, as you already know, the post will outlast the problem and potentially follow you indefinitely.

Next, put your worries in perspective. Was this just a blip on the radar or a life-and-death situation? Did you lose out on a promotion or lose your entire career? Was this more of a fender-bender or 50-car pile-up? Ask yourself: Will this matter a year from now, a month from now, two days from now? Few disappointments will have the kind of lasting impact that are worth allowing to fester. Carrying a grudge is a very heavy burden.

Then stop and think about the things that are going right for you. As my mother used to say, “There is always something to be grateful for.” Focus on positive thinking and see if your attitude doesn’t improve dramatically.

Step back and analyze the outcome. What did you learn from your disappointment? Would it have mattered if you had handled the situation differently? And perhaps the hardest question to ask yourself: Did I set myself up to fail? There is an important lesson in every disappointment. You can learn a lot from some self-examination.

Finally, don’t give up. Many people have surmounted enormous odds to overcome significant disappointments and have risen to the top. No matter what your life goals are, you owe it to yourself to jump over the hurdle and get back in the race. You might have to change your plans, you might adjust your thinking, you might take a different direction. But you will be open to surprising opportunities if you keep hope alive.

Over my lifetime in business, I’ve had plenty of disappointments. It would have been easier to throw in the towel on several different occasions. But I could not imagine what would happen to me if I let problems dictate my future. I am in charge of my fate, not some outside influences.

You may not be able to prevent disappointment, but you can control your response to it.

Mackay’s Moral: Disappointment might knock you down, but don’t let it knock you out.