I love sports and all the business lessons we learn from competition, whether playing or watching. It doesn’t matter what sport or what level, there are always multiple teaching moments.

The NCAA basketball tournaments for men and women, also known as the Big Dance, are probably my favorite sporting events. I’ve had the privilege of attending numerous Final Fours as a longtime member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Governors. After last year’s cancellations, it was exciting to see this year’s teams have an opportunity to showcase their talents.

It’s win or go home for these exceptional young athletes. The intensity is palpable, yet you can sense their joy and excitement in doing what they love. They are having fun.

It starts with preparation. I have written eight business books, three that hit No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list, and the title of each of them could have been “Prepare to Win.” Life is all about preparation, and preparation is all about hard work, sacrifice, discipline, organization, practicing the right concepts and more.

These athletes have a desire and determination to succeed. They love what they are doing, and it shows, game in and game out, in their enthusiasm. There’s no question the spark that ignites our lives is enthusiasm, and it’s the one critical trait that cannot be taught. Enthusiasm is about passion, gusto, excitement and infectious energy. Enthusiasm is crucial in every profession.

My good friend Brandon Steiner, CEO of CollectibleXchange and Athlete Direct, pointed out to me that the same coaches manage to advance deep in the NCAA tournament because they stay consistent.

Big goals require three things: a plan, a commitment to carry out that plan and consistency. Getting started is hard enough, but consistently carrying out your plan is more difficult. Even the best business plans will fail without a dedication to consistency.

These basketball athletes never, ever give up. They have confidence and a positive mental attitude. No matter what happens in business, life or sports, don’t quit.

Hustlers never quit. There are a number of attributes a person needs to succeed in life. Two of them are outside our control -- talent and luck. Hustle is a third component, and it can definitely be developed and cultivated. Hustling is essential for anyone who wants to be successful.

Hustlers have intense, laserlike focus. Hustlers don’t do things because they have to. They do things because they choose to. They have self-determination. They embrace risk-taking. They believe taking no risks is the biggest risk. Hustlers love what they do. They have grit. They love to practice and get better each day.

And speaking of hustling, I have an expression I use frequently when I am speaking publicly. Little things mean a lot, not true. Little things mean everything. You can’t put a price on the people who are willing to get tough rebounds, loose balls, deflections and so on. It’s the same for business.

When you work or play with urgency and emotion, good things happen. Same with sticking together and working hard for each other. We saw examples of this in almost every game.

It’s possible to fight ferociously on the court and still have class and respect for your opponent. In fact, the harder you fight to win, the more people will respect you. Competition should bring out the best in you, not the worst.

The team with the best teamwork usually wins. For championship results, you need to be a team player. You have to understand that sometimes you will be the star and other times you will be part of the supporting cast. Every member of the team is important and contributes to the overall success of the project. Bring whatever talents you have and be grateful that others have different skill sets that complement each other.

As legendary college basketball coach John Wooden said, “A player who makes his team great is more valuable than a great player.”

A big part of winning is dreaming big. I often joke that it takes years to become an overnight success. But it starts with a dream. And dreams come true -- with a lot of wide-awake work.

Finally, the game is never over until the final buzzer sounds. Miracles can and do happen.

Mackay’s Moral: Getting to the Big Dance involves learning a lot of steps.

When the office photocopies began to look faint, the office manager called in a local repair service. The friendly technician inspected the equipment and informed the manager that the machine was in need of a good cleaning. The tech suggested that someone could read the operator’s manual and perform the job themself, since it would cost $100 if he did the work.

Pleasantly surprised by his candor, the office manager asked, “Does your boss know you are discouraging business?”

“Actually, my boss demands we explain this to all our customers. After people try first to fix things themselves, we end up making much more money on repairs.”

Good advice is always a good investment. If you don’t know how to do something or don’t have time to learn how to do it properly, hire an expert. Knowledge is power. You will save time and money in the long term.

Over the years, I’ve hired experts to help with specific projects so that my staff and I can learn from professionals and gain valuable experience.

My philosophy is that if you can’t be an expert or don't know an expert, you should always hire an expert. But how do you find the best experts? It’s not as simple as doing a Google search -- finding the best lawyer, accountant, doctor, mechanic or whatever professional you’re looking for requires a few more steps.

Here are some strategies I use in picking an expert:

-- Go to someone you already know and trust. When a problem hits is a lousy time to look for someone you can trust. I would rather rely on someone I knew I could count on, even if their experience is limited. And if I don’t know the right person, I’ll check with some trusted colleagues for their recommendations.

-- Use an expert to find another expert in the same profession. Don't ask an accountant to help you pick a doctor. But I have asked many doctors to recommend other doctors in other specialties. Nurses are also great resources. I want the best, someone who stays current in their area of expertise.

-- Be prepared to pay for any advice you get, even when all you are asking your first expert to do is recommend a second expert. That makes expert No. 1 think twice about making a solid recommendation. Good advice is never cheap. And cheap advice is rarely good.

-- Don't be afraid to ask questions ... and a lot of them. When I interview experts, I want a time and action calendar and a deadline before I hire them. For example, one of my favorite investment probes is: “Are you putting your own money in the investment that you are recommending to me?”

-- Don’t confuse being a good friend with being a good businessperson. Hiring a buddy or family member as a favor or to save a buck may end up costing you dearly. Unless that person is actually an expert, keep looking.

-- It bears repeating: Look for experts before you need them. Anticipate challenges you might face at some point in the future and dig your well before you’re thirsty. Get to know them -- or about them -- in advance.

-- Be prepared to hire a second expert. If you are not confident in the advice you get from the first expert, a second opinion is in order.

One of my favorite books while cutting my teeth in business was “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. He wrote a story about a Colorado gold rush miner who found a lot of gold and thought he had hit a rich seam. He covered up his work, went home and told relatives and friends about his find and raised lots of money to buy equipment. They set it up and started mining. They filled a cart with gold the first few weeks, but it wasn’t enough to pay for all the equipment, and suddenly, the gold dried up. They kept digging and spent more money on equipment, but still no gold. They ended up selling their equipment to a junk dealer and went home.

The junk dealer thought he’d give it another try and got expert help from a mining engineer who did an assessment of the lease. He said the earlier miners failed because they didn’t understand fold lines and gold seams. One of the richest seams of gold in Colorado was less than 3 feet from where they were digging.

Mackay’s Moral: An old broom knows the dirty corners best.

On the first day his son joined the family firm, the founder took him on to the roof of the factory building and said, “I am going to give you your very first lesson in business. Stand on the edge of the roof.”

Reluctantly, the boy went to stand on the edge of the roof.

“Now,” said his father, “when I say jump, I want you to jump off the roof.”

“But, Dad,” said the boy, “that’s 10 feet down!”

“Do you want to succeed in business?”

“Yes, Dad.”

“And you trust me, don’t you?”

“Yes, Dad.”

“So do as I say and jump.”

The boy jumped. He crashed to the ground and lay there, winded and bruised.

His father ran up to him and said, “That was your first lesson in business, son. Never trust anyone.”

We would live in a sad world if we couldn’t trust anyone. But trust does take years to build, mere seconds to destroy and forever to repair. Trust is fragile. It’s easy to break, easy to lose and one of the most difficult things to ever get back.

David Horsager, who I consider THE trust expert, has written a follow-up book to his national best-seller “The Trust Edge.” The new book is called “Trusted Leader: 8 Pillars That Drive Results.” It’s every bit as good as the first.

The book follows CEO Ethan Parker as he discovers the root problem in his company and a way to solve it, even amid the complexities of leading in a quickly changing business and cultural environment.

The plot unfolds as a true-to-life story of a senior leader who thought success was certain. While his fast-growing organization had huge potential, Ethan faces a series of unexpected challenges that awaken him to a deeper gap in his business.

The book elaborates on the eight pillars of trust that are key attributes of successful leaders: clarity, compassion, character, competency, commitment, connection, contribution and consistency.

Building on theses eight pillars, Horsager explains that “trust will always increase effectiveness and create results in your organization.” I can surely attest to that from my own experience.

When you ask for a sale from a customer, they will judge whether your proposal is fair and meets their needs, and if you can be trusted to deliver what you promised. Mess up on one of those points, and you can assume that customer will have a hard time trusting you again. And perhaps even more damaging, that customer could share their experience with others who had considered doing business with you.

Think about how you choose vendors. Have you given repeat business to someone who has broken your trust? Not likely -- those transactions tend to be very expensive.

Management guru Peter Drucker said of trust: “In the ethics of interdependence there are only obligations, and all obligations are mutual obligations. Harmony and trust -- that is, interdependence -- require that each side be obligated to provide what the other side needs to achieve its goals and to fulfill itself.”

“Obligated” is a pretty serious word -- and it’s one that needs to be taken quite seriously. When you couch it in those terms, trust assumes the huge responsibility that it is. Your word is everything, not just in business, but life in general.

Stephen Covey, author of “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People,” said: “Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication."

“Everything of value is built on trust,” Horsager writes.

Take it from all these experts: Trust is more than just a word. In fact, in my opinion, trust is the most important word in business.

Never make your customers or colleagues feel like the little fellow who jumped off the roof. His father was wrong -- you CAN trust people in business. Establish your reputation as someone who can be trusted.

Mackay’s Moral: Trust is a must, or else you’ll go bust.