What gift can we all possess that costs nothing, but is worth everything? That we can demonstrate daily, but lose in seconds if we don’t guard it carefully? That determines the quality of our relationships and directs our choices in life?

That great treasure is good character.

President Ronald Reagan focused on character in his 1993 commencement speech to the graduates at Citadel Military College in South Carolina.

“The character that takes command in moments of crucial choices has already been determined,” Reagan said. “It has been determined by a thousand other choices made earlier in seemingly unimportant moments.

“It has been determined by all the little choices of years past -- by all those times when the voice of conscience was at war with the voice of temptation, whispering the lie that it really doesn’t matter.

“It has been determined by all the day-to-day decisions made when life seemed easy and crises seemed far away -- the decisions that piece by piece, bit by bit, developed habits of discipline or of laziness, habits of self-sacrifice or self-indulgence, habits of duty and honor and integrity -- or dishonor and shame.

“Because, when life does get tough, and the crisis is undeniably at hand -- when we must, in an instant, look inward for strength of character to see us through -- we will find nothing inside ourselves that we have not already put there.”

A solid character foundation includes honesty, loyalty, respect and unselfishness. Let’s take them one at a time.

Honesty. Telling the truth at all times builds character. Your word must be your bond. Complete honesty in little things is not a little thing at all. Honesty, ethics, integrity, values, morals -- all mean the same thing. In my estimation, you can interchange them, because they all convey the single attribute that determines whether a person or an organization can be trusted. If truth ever stands in your way, you are headed in the wrong direction.

Loyalty is royalty. The first quality I look for in employees or friends is loyalty. I would rather have a terrific employee work for us for a few years and be true to our company values than someone who still shows up every day, punches the clock and hangs around just to collect a paycheck.

Respect. You must respect other people and their property. You don’t have to fear your competition, but respect their abilities. Showing respect is not a sign of weakness -- it’s a show of strength. As baseball great Jackie Robinson said, “I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me ... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”

Unselfishness. The reason I love team sports is that players learn the power of teamwork and how to be unselfish, regardless of their individual abilities. Basketball superstar Michael Jordan's accomplishments on the court give him bragging rights beyond compare. Yet he wrote in his book, “I Can’t Accept Not Trying”: “There are plenty of teams in every sport that have great players and never win championships. Most of the time, those players aren't willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the team. The funny thing is, in the end, their unwillingness to sacrifice only makes individual goals more difficult to achieve.”

Character is revealed when pressure is applied. You’ve probably heard the saying that sports do not build character -- they reveal it. How a person plays the game shows something of their character; how they lose shows all of it. The same is true for business.

Hall of Fame college football coach Lou Holtz describes character this way: “The answers to three questions will determine your success or failure:

1. Can people trust me to do my best?

2. Am I committed to the task at hand?

3. Do I care about other people and show it?

“If the answers to these questions are yes, there is no way you can fail,” Holtz said.

Helen Keller was born perfectly healthy, but was left completely blind and deaf when she suffered an illness as a toddler. For five years she was isolated from the world until a special teacher named Anne Sullivan helped her fight back against her challenges.

Helen Keller said: “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”

Mackay’s Moral: Character is what you are when no one is watching.

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.