Everyone thinks practice makes perfect. But they're wrong.

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi said you have to add one word -- "Perfect practice makes perfect."

I heard a man complaining that he had 10 years of experience at work, but never got promoted. Here's the real question. Did he have 10 years of experience? Or did he just have one year of experience repeated 10 times?

Practicing only works if you correct, not repeat, your mistakes.

If you're putting in a lot of work but not getting the results you want, you may be working hard doing what will never help you. It's not about how long or hard you work; it's always about the results you produce.

Just watch ants carrying grains of sand. At first their efforts look hopeless, but each time another ant piles on another grain of sand, the pile gets a little bit bigger. Before you know it, all those tiny grains of sand have created a massive anthill.

Practice the right things today to get the results you want tomorrow.

That's what practicing any skill can do for you. The key is persistence, consistency and correctness. And this advice is true across disciplines.

Persistence means you practice regularly, no matter what. Even if you don't feel like practicing, do it anyway. Once you break your routine, it's harder to get back at it again.

In my case, it was learning a language. Mandarin Chinese is one of the hardest languages to learn. But by studying for 20 to 30 minutes every day for three months, I was able to get up in front of a Chinese audience of 3,000 and address them in Mandarin for the first five minutes of my speech.

Consistency means practicing at the same intensity. NBA great Larry Bird used to spend hours alone on the basketball court, practicing his shots. Each time he practiced, he imagined that the game was on the line and he had to make the shot or his team would lose. That's the intensity you need for your practice.

Novelist Sinclair Lewis didn't mince words. Once, he was giving a lecture at Middlebury College on the subject of writing. "How many here are really serious about being writers?" he asked the audience. Almost everyone in the audience raised their hand.

"Then why aren't you home writing?" challenged Lewis, and walked off stage.

Don't practice or train as if it doesn't matter. Training isn't always a life-or-death affair, but one story from a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor illustrates how important thorough training can be.

In 1941, Robert Kronberger was a 23-year-old petty officer serving aboard the USS West Virginia, stationed at Pearl Harbor. When the Japanese bombers commenced their surprise attack, Kronberger was in charge of the boiler room.

As numerous torpedoes ripped through the ship, the lights went out and water began pouring in. The bulkhead seemed to be collapsing around Kronberger and his men.

But no one panicked. "I just did what I was trained to do," he recalled many years later. "When the lights went out, you did the same things you did when the lights were on. You secured your firearms and your space, got the people that you were responsible for out, and tried to keep the ship from sinking."

His ship lost more than 100 men that day, including the captain. But during the crisis, Kronberger said, everyone was too busy to think about being scared.

In the days after the attack, when the fear crept in, his training continued to serve him. "When you'd start to look for people, you'd feel a lot of sickness in your body. You'd wonder where your best friend was -- but it didn't stop you from doing the job that you were trained to do."

Maybe you'll never be shot at while your ship is sinking beneath you, but knowing what to do and practicing it until it's second nature will keep you safe no matter what happens.

Mackay's Moral: The difference between ineffective and effective practice means the difference between mediocrity and mastery.

One of my favorite old comedians, the late Rodney Dangerfield, was famous for his line, "I get no respect." Then he would usually add something like, "I remember when I was a kid and played hide-and-seek. The other kids wouldn't even look for me."

If you want those who work with you to respect you more, try this simple tactic. Ask their opinions, and really listen to what they have to say. When done well, this is a powerful workplace practice that produces tremendously positive outcomes. Then, take action from what you learn. Employees will feel validated, and you will become someone people will flock to.

Example: Jack, a manager, is talking to Judy, who works for him. He asks her what she thinks of a new company policy. Judy answers with a thoughtful opinion. But as she is telling Jack what she thinks, Jack sees his boss walk by. Jack wants to ask his boss something important, and his mind focuses on that instead of on what Judy is saying.

Judy sees that Jack is no longer making eye contact or listening to her -- even though he solicited her opinion. She stops mid-sentence. Jack is so lost in thinking about his question to his boss that he doesn't even notice that Judy has stopped talking for a few seconds.

Embarrassed that he has been caught being inattentive, Jack tries to cover up the fact that he wasn't listening. Judy politely skims over the incident and says she needs to get back to work. Later, Jack overhears Judy telling a co-worker about the incident. "What a jerk," she says. "He asked me for my opinion like he cared. And I was dumb enough to think he did."

Jack flinched at her words. He knew he appeared not to care, even though he wanted to hear her ideas. He realized that he had damaged his relationship with an employee. He knew that he had to make an effort to be a better listener in the future, and vowed to repair the damage over time. He also knew that he had learned one of the most valuable lessons a manager can learn: Listening to what his employees have to say is a priority and should be treated as one.

Of course, when I think about respect, Aretha Franklin immediately comes to mind. Her blockbuster hit "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" is timeless. As the lyrics advise, find out what respect means to employees.

Half of all American employees think they're not treated with respect by their employers or managers, according to the website discoverysurveys.com. When this happens, employees tend to lose respect for their bosses and don't trust them. They also become resentful, less motivated and no longer committed to their employers.

To minimize this problem, treating people with respect has to begin at the top of an organization. If senior managers treat each other and their subordinates with respect, this sets the stage for respect among all employees.

Employee suggestions should be acted upon, rather than just ignored or ridiculed. Simply asking for input will gain some employee respect, but acting upon good suggestions is an imperative. Employees must also be given credit for the idea.

Allowing for scheduling flexibility gives employees the idea that their employers respect them enough to let them get their work done according to their own schedule. Letting them come in late or leave early on occasion is a strong way of showing respect and trust.

Making employees aware of the financial condition of the company and the reasons for various decisions also lets them know the company trusts them. If cost-cutting is necessary, solicit ideas from them. Inviting their input demonstrates respect for their opinions. An added bonus is that the people in the trenches have a unique and valuable perspective.

Investing in employee training and career development is an investment in the employees themselves. They will respect the company that provides it.

As you work to reach your goals, remember that others also have goals and are also working hard. Respect people for what they are and for what they stand for -- even if you don't agree.

Mackay's Moral: Be respectful or be regretful.

As a history major, I am intrigued by the origins of our great country. George Washington is a logical place to start.

This week, we celebrate his and Abraham Lincoln's birthday on Presidents Day.

But what do we really know about this Founding Father who led our country through the Revolutionary War?

In 2002, Stephen Kinzer wrote in The New York Times: "By comparing textbooks used in the 1960s with those of today, researchers at Mount Vernon, Washington's home in Virginia, have concluded that Washington now occupies just 10 percent of the space he had then."

This is a shame, because, besides many other reasons, some of the business lessons that Washington espoused are still relevant today. He was the definition of a pragmatist. He was very practical and had a straightforward, matter-of-fact approach. He was always focused on reaching a goal.

He was incredibly smart and shrewd. As commander in chief of the American forces, Washington refused a regular salary and worked for expenses only. When offered the U.S. presidency, he volunteered to work for expenses again -- but this time Congress insisted he have a fixed salary.

Among his writings was this advice to his nephew, Bushrod Washington, on Jan. 15, 1783: "Be courteous to all, but intimate with few; and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation. Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of every one, and let your hand give in proportion to your purse, remembering ... that it is not everyone that asketh that deserveth charity; all, however, are worthy of the inquiry, or the deserving may suffer."

And to General William Woodford, he wrote: "... be strict in your discipline; that is, to require nothing unreasonable of your officers and men, but see that whatever is required be punctually complied with. Reward and punish every man according to his merit, without partiality or prejudice; hear his complaints, if well founded, redress them; if otherwise, discourage them, in order to prevent frivolous ones. Discourage vice in every shape, and impress upon the mind of every man, from the first to the lowest, the importance of the cause, and what it is they are contending for."

His leadership lessons are worth noting also.

One reason the U.S. Congress has two houses can be found in the following conversation attributed to Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson, who did not attend the Constitutional Convention, was not happy with the proposed bicameral system for the legislative branch of the new government. During a visit to Washington at his home, Jefferson argued for the French unicameral system, one legislative house.

After much discussion around the tea table, Washington turned sharply to Jefferson and said, "You, sir, have just demonstrated by your own hand the superior excellence of the bicameral system."

"How is that?" asked Jefferson.

"You just poured your tea from your cup into its saucer to cool. In the same manner, we want the bicameral system to cool things. A measure originates in one house, and in heat is passed. The other house will serve as a wonderful cooler, and by the time it is debated and modified by various amendments, it is much more likely to become an equitable law. No, we can't get along without the saucer in our system."