Harvey Mackay - Fired Up!: How the Best of the Best Survived and Thrived After Getting the Boot

Table of Contents

This book is dedicated to the millions of people who have lost their jobs, especially the victims of mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, downsizings, restructurings, reorganizations, and so-called right-sizings.

Being fired wasnt your choice. Whether you rise up from it... is.

All the winnersand winners they all arewho contributed to this book have very personal stories to tell. I have relied on them to recall the facts of their stories accurately. No doubt these gifted and successful people have done that to the best of their abilities. This is also a diverse bunch of achievers. Im simply amazed at the similarities in their comebacks. There are differences, too. Most slight. Some dramatic. Were not all built the same. We all bounce differently when we take a tumble.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Because of tight deadlines, Ron Beyma was a miracle worker for me. Rons perceptions polished everything I wrote.

Margie Resnick Blickman was her yeoman self, as usual. With an eagles eye for detail, shes not only my editor, shes my sister and my best friend.

Greg Bailey is my right-hand man. His phenomenal attention to detail coordinated the entire series of interviews and the overall book. I simply could not have done it without him.

Nancy Miller, senior vice president and editor-in-chief of Ballantine, and her assistant, Deirdre Lanninga better editorial team you cannot replicate.

Due to his great intellect, Scott Mitchell is invaluable at bouncing off strategies and tactics.

My assistant, Kathy Hanlin, who is always in the wings to pick up the ball and isnt afraid to run with it.

Lynne Lancaster, for being an editing star in the Mackay Kitchen Cabinet.

My agent, Jonathon Lazear, has been with me for six books, which spells L-O-Y-A-L-T-Y and trust through the years.

Neil NaftalinMr. Resultsa sharp mind and key strategist with endless ideas.

Mary Anne Bailey helped enormously with research, fact checking, and proofreading.

Christi Cardenas is also a great agent at Lazear and a quick-wit and great personality.

Vickie Abrahamson is a major player on my creative team and never lets me down.

Pat Fallon deliveredas he always doesthis books jacket designer, Jim Landry. I love the cover, and Jim was spectacular.

Judy Olausen is known as one of the best photographers in the world. She again took my photo for the cover.

David Hahn is publicist extraordinaire. He has the moves of a true pro.

Kim Hovey is a publicists publicist. A winner in my book.

In between interviewing Hollywoods biggest stars, Pat OBrien helped gain access to some of the great names. Maybe thats why they call his show Access Hollywood.

Bob Dilenschneider is truly the man with the golden Rolodex.

Dr. William Brody is another indispensable friend who knows where the keys to the kingdom are buried.

Mitch Modell is a friend whos a whos whoa great connector.

Al Annexstada man for all seasons and reasonsa spectacular guy.

Thanks to the Korn/Ferry Organization for sharing Tierney Remick with me, and to Don Spetner and Amy Saruwatari for helping oversee the Korn/Ferry survey in the book.

Special kudos to Kim Vidt, who is incredibly helpful and brilliant.

Ed Breslin is the best backup guy around.

Joel Rippel is a guy who knows that little things dont mean a lot... they mean everything.

Thanks to Lee Iacocca for my excerpting of his famous bestseller Iacocca: An Autobiography.

A big thank-you to the pros at United Feature Syndicate who send my column throughout the country.

To everyone at Mackay Envelope Company, as always, youve taught me how far loyalty and dedication go, and I cant thank each of you enough.

Always, always, always, my wife, Carol Ann. Her inspiration and overall support have made my life happier than I ever dreamed.

MY SECRET

How do you define a secret? When one person knows it.

Right now, I know something you dont. I got fired, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me! IHarvey Mackay, who has been sharkproofing the world against job loss with over 10 million books sold since 1988was fired. Im now out of the closet. It wasnt that I tried to hide a black spot on my career. It was that I didnt think the whole deal was all that important. Last year I thought about it further. And then I realized itwas important. Not maybe the firing itself, but the lessons I learned as a result of it. It literally changed my life. But it was embarrassing. So I had dodged giving it any significance for more than half a century.

Heres the straight story. My father, Jack Mackay, was the Associated Press correspondent in St. Paul, Minnesota. He virtually had only one job his entire life... and yes, he stayed around for thirty-five years to collect his gold watch. He was the best of the best. He took a backseat to no one, especially when it came to delivering scoops... the lifeline of a reporter.

Growing up as a kid, I came from modest beginnings, and my father was insistent there was no substitute for working odd jobs during summer vacations and Christmas holidays. I had a myriad of short stints from setting pins at a bowling alley to delivering newspapers to working at a driving range.

It was summer vacation my junior year in high school and I had just landed a neat job at a downtown St. Paul mens clothing store... and, of course, my father with his connections got me the job.

Now, peddling pants, socks, underwear, ties, hankies, and occasionally a shirt or two may not sound like the most glamorous position in the world... but in retrospect, it was a great gig. At a young age, I had an opportunity to learn about business... having a boss to report to... showing up for work on time... handling money and credit... understanding how customers shop... and, learning a little about the retail clothing industry. Overnight, I was plying the tricks of the retail trade. My boss, Chris, hammered these principles into my brain bank:

Before you could count to one-Mississippi, you greeted acustomer at the front door with a million-dollar, megawattsmile and said Howdy... may I help you! The howdywas a hammy slice of creativity in those days because the store I worked at was Howard s and their theme was Howdy from Howard s. No way would that advertising theme win first place in the 2004 Cleo Awards!

Never put more than three ties on the counter... it will onlyconfuse the customer.

Always, and I mean always, play to the spouse (female). She will make the buying decision 99 percent of the time.

Once you get the customer to try on the pants, consider it adone deal.

Never ring up a sale without asking: What else do you havein mind? and Would you like me to introduce you to ourbest suit salesman?

Walk the customer to the front door and sometimes even out onto Wabasha Street and look im in the eye... sayThanks!... and then say: Be sure and bring it back if youare not happy with it.

Never, never, never start to lock up if a customer misses closing time by a few minutes.

And, dont come to work in competitors clothes, even if youare just a young kid peddling mens accessories.

The above eight points are the short list because my memory is what I forget with, andbe kindit was many decades ago. Looking back, probably the greatest plus of the job was, whether I realized it or not, I was polishing my sales skills at a very early age.