Seems like every conversation these days begins with “How are you doing?” or “Are you managing to keep busy during lockdown?” and ends with “Stay safe!”

Those questions have taken on new meaning for me, as I was recently hospitalized for 14 days with coronavirus. I am recovering well, thanks to wonderful medicines and incredibly attentive care by a team of doctors, nurses and hospital staff, who I am guessing were not entirely sorry to see me go home.

I was exposed to the virus and was promptly tested. Negative. Repeated the test a couple days later. Again, negative. Then the next day I started to feel ill. This time, the test was positive, and because of a couple of issues, my doctor decided to admit me to the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona.

I am not a patient patient. Understand, in a COVID unit, there are no visitors. There is no walking the halls for a change of scenery. There is no business as usual, which for me, is torture. It’s surreal, and, at times, frightening.

But this is not a story about being sick; this is about how the hospital and health care providers and staff adjusted to accommodate patients. They truly are health care heroes.

From my business perspective, they are also champions of customer service, being resourceful for clients/customers (patients) in the face of extreme circumstances. Teamwork is evident everywhere.

More than 30 nurses cared for this challenging patient, and every one was kind, caring and gracious. They all had to change clothes every time they entered a different room -- hospital garb, gloves, masks and face shields. If they go outside your room and come back a minute later, they have to change again. Therefore, they don’t come to your room unless you really need something.

The door to the room is never opened for more than a couple of seconds. They don’t want air to get out in the hallway. You can’t poke your head out the door to ask a question. There was a computer screen in front of my bed where I was monitored every second. Most communication is through that monitor, at the touch of a button.

And no matter how pesky I got, the rules were there for my protection. Let me give you an example. My doctor was in to see me, and when he left he said he had to see a patient next door. As soon as he left, I thought of something else and wrote a note and asked the nurse to give it to him. The nurse kindly explained that you couldn't even take a piece of paper out of the room.

I was fortunate also to have the ear of my daughter-in-law’s brother, Aaron Stern, a doctor at Elmhurst Hospital in the New York City borough of Queens. Dr. Stern was working at least 12-hour days, seven days a week at peak. He’s been helping coronavirus patients for nine months and shared information on treatment options and provided explanations on the course of the disease. I wanted to know everything about this illness.

It’s fair to say I am not used to being away from my office and limited in my activity. I was so eager to get back to work, and business was waiting. I didn’t have time to be sick. But this amazing group of people took my attitude in stride. I guess that’s what you call healing body and mind.

I’ve always had tremendous respect for those in the medical profession, who aren’t afraid to treat people with horrible conditions without concern for their own well-being. This pandemic has tested all of us, but the doctors, nurses and healthcare workers have had a challenge that few of us will ever have to face.

To say I was impressed with the experience would be an understatement. I am so grateful that we have this level of care available. I am thankful for the researchers who have made remarkable discoveries in the treatment, and soon, prevention of this disease.

And I will always be indebted to my family and friends, who continue to watch out for me and make me stop and smell the roses.

My life is settling down now, and I am convalescing at home. I hope to get back to near normal in the next 30 days. The outcome could have been very different, and I realize how lucky I am.

Mackay’s Moral: An attitude of gratitude does wonders for your health.

We never stop needing role models.

That notion has been around since forever, and it’s just as true today as it was in ancient Greece. In mythology, Mentor was a friend of the Greek king of Ithaca, Odysseus, who was known as Ulysses in Latin. When Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, needed to drop a hint to Odysseus, she would take the form of Mentor to do it.

Mentoring, as we know it, is hardly mythology. It is a time-honored tradition of helping the next generation of leaders reach their potential.

January is National Mentoring Month, the perfect time to show that we care with the knowledge that we share. Mentoring is a win-win situation. Just remember to be a mentor, not a tormentor.

To mentor effectively, we have to command more than just technical expertise. We also have to master the principles of human nature. We have to be able to detect what makes people tick and what unique capabilities they have.

When I enrolled at the University of Minnesota, professor Harold Deutsch was my academic adviser. He played a role in helping me mature. I took professor Deutsch’s class on the history of World War II. He had been one of the interpreters at the Nuremberg Trials. To say he made history come alive would be an understatement. He did not teach history; he was part of history. He was a wonderful mentor to me and made me realize how important it is for everyone to have a mentor in life.

Professor Deutsch and my golf coach at the University of Minnesota, Les Bolstad, were both great mentors. They taught me how to stay focused and to set realistic goals. They also taught me the art of persuasion, leadership and visualization. A mentor will often help shape fine distinctions in the mind of the protege or mentee. These are refinements that the mentee couldn’t even imagine beforehand.

I’ve learned from multiple mentors throughout my career. Fortunately, I’ve been able to select mentors at various times as I have advanced. The following list of seven criteria has been useful in helping me do so:

1. What major leadership or business trades are my foremost business shortcomings right now?

2. What networking voids do I have and who could mentor me to overcome them?

3. Who has a basic chemistry compatible with mine, but is playing the game I’d like to play one or two levels higher?

4. Who has the skillset and success level I’d like to enjoy five years from now?

5. Who is very much like me, but seems to have an easy time doing what I find hard to do?

6. Who has a powerful need to teach what I need to learn?

7. What can I offer a potential mentor in exchange for their dedication, time and trust?

On the other side of the desk, being a mentor is a tremendous responsibility, as well as an opportunity to return the favor to those who have pulled you along. Mentors push people toward the broader, bigger goals.

I’ve been asked, “What do I get out of mentoring?” There’s the enormous satisfaction of helping others, but there’s also the test of sizing people up quickly. How sharp is your eye for talent? How could this person help build my network in an important way? Can I crosslink this individual to others in my network, so that the connections benefit everyone involved? Could this individual give me valuable, personalized intelligence about a company or sector of the market?

What can this individual teach me about skills or work challenges that are totally unknown to me? Provided I am a successful mentor, how can this person bring my messages and ideas to new audiences? How can I distill all my lived experience and advise this person? What can I say that will make a life-changing impression? At what moment, in what place, in what way can I say it that will be unforgettable?

As successful business leaders, we owe it to the next generation to help them achieve their full potential. It’s a privilege. Don’t take it lightly.

Mackay’s Moral: A mentor is someone whose hindsight can become your foresight.

A recruiter asked a job candidate, “Why did you leave your last job?”

The job applicant replied, “It was something my boss said.”

“What did he say?”

“You’re fired.”

This person definitely needs a copy of my new book, “Getting a Job Is a Job,” which comes out Jan. 5. In it, I focus on bouncing back after being fired, dealing with rejection and the emotions people feel after losing a job. And I explain why you can’t take it personally.

The book is chockful of helpful hints on not only getting a job but landing the job you want. Job hunting is a contact sport. You might have to work eight days a week. Networking is very important, and it’s even harder during a pandemic. But there are still effective ways to get out there. Be visible. Keeping a low profile is for people ducking bullets. With LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media platforms, networking has never been easier. The key is to use social media properly.

I would highly recommend you check out Sam Richter, president of SBR Worldwide, at samrichter.com. He has taught me how to take the cold out of cold calling by using the internet to find important information on the people you might be interviewing with or the decision-makers at companies.

The Mackay 66 Customer Profile, which I wrote about in my first book, “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive,” has never been more important. You need to learn about what your prospective employers are interested in and what turns them on. If you can do this well, your odds of landing a job will go up dramatically. The Mackay 66 is available free on my website, www.harveymackay.com.

And don’t overlook the importance of gatekeepers, the assistants who control access to the people you need to connect with. They are invaluable. Getting through the fence to the top dog is easy if you know the gatekeeper.

I share helpful information on resumes that help you resume employment, such as what terminology to use to describe your experiences that makes sense to both applicant-screening software and human readers.

Because many people have a section in their resume that is constantly questioned, there’s also a chapter on addressing chinks in your armor -- because flaws scar you the worst when you can’t or won’t explain them.

Do you have an elevator pitch? If not, you need to develop one that sizzles, and is dead accurate and crystal clear.

I also devote a lot of space to prepping for job interviews -- what questions to ask and what to listen for. Be perceptive, not contentious. Read the walls and desks. Even though you are not interviewing for a sales job, you are always selling yourself.

Second interviews are even more important. You should prepare rigorously. Recall topic threads from your earlier conversation to identify themes you can build on. Remember, the closer you get, the harder they’ll look.

If you get a job offer, know what you can and cannot negotiate. Do your homework to get superior information. Stay calm. Anticipate questions. Learn to be a spin doctor and finesse certain queries. The smartest thing you can do in any negotiation is to keep your mouth shut and your eyes and ears wide open.

I conclude the book with a toolkit that includes the Mackay Sweet 16 for acing first impressions, the Mackay 44 Interview Checklist and the Mackay 22 Post-Interview Wrap Up.

Many people have lost their jobs due to the current pandemic, but this situation may present new opportunities. The famous British author W. Somerset Maugham told this story about a janitor at St. Peter’s Church in London, who was fired when it was discovered he was illiterate.

Jobless, the man invested his meager savings in a tiny tobacco shop, where he immediately prospered. He then opened another shop and another and soon owned a large chain of tobacco stores all over Britain.

One day he was dining in a fancy club with his banker who observed, “You’ve done quite well for an illiterate man. I wonder where you would be today if you could read and write.”

“That’s easy,” replied the man, “I’d still be the janitor in St. Peter’s Church.”

Mackay’s Moral: It bears repeating: Getting a Job Is a Job.