You do not have to like the Alabama Crimson Tide or its head coach, Nick Saban to appreciate what Saban has accomplished. He has had an unprecedented level of success. When asked, Saban credits it to “the process.”
The approach that Saban uses to win championship after championship can be applied to your business so that win more often.
Saban defined the process by stating, “The process is really what you have to do day in and day out to be successful, we try to define the standard that we want everybody to sort of work toward, adhere to, and do it on a consistent basis. And the things that I talked about before, being responsible for your own self-determination, having a positive attitude, having great work ethic, having discipline to be able to execute on a consistent basis, whatever it is you’re trying to do, those are the things that we try to focus on, and we don’t try to focus as much on the outcomes as we do on being all that you can be.”
So what does this mean for contractors? Here are seven things that Saban practices, which can be applied to your business.
1. Live in the Present
Living in the present means focusing on the immediate task and blocking out everything else. What is the thing you must work on now? What is the next step? Don’t worry about anything else. Focus on what you need to do right now. Saban coaches his player to block out the score and focus on the next play. Win that play, then focus on the next. Win enough and winning takes care of itself.
2. Actions Over Outcomes
Related to living in the present is a focus on actions over outcomes. If you do enough things right, outcomes will result. Saban said, “Becoming a champion is not an easy process… It is done by focusing on what it takes to get there and not on getting there.”
We begin with the end in mind as Michael Gerber says. The end is the win. Yet, we cannot merely focus on the end. We need to identify the steps we need to take, the actions we need to take that will result in the end win.
Saban says, “Don’t think about winning the SEC Championship. Don’t think about the national championship. Think about what you needed to do in this drill, on this play, in this moment. That’s the process: Let’s think about what we can do today, the task at hand.”
3. Details Matter
Saban is a demon for details. He believes the details matter. Saban says, “I think everybody should take the attitude that we’re working to be a champion, that we want to be a champion in everything that we do. Every choice, every decision, everything that we do every day, we want to be a champion.”
An example of how Saban is detail focused is his no-droop rule. Players are not allowed to droop their shoulders, no matter how tired they are. It’s a detail and it’s important.
4. Focus on What You Can Control
Saban says, “Eliminate the clutter and all the things that are going on outside and focus on the things that you can control with how you sort of go about and take care of your business. That’s something that’s ongoing, and it can never change.”
It all goes back to the process. The weather is hot. It is cold. You cannot control it. What can you control?
5. Be Internally Driven, Not Externally Driven
Saban is often seen pacing the sideline, scowling, despite his team destroying an opponent. People wonder if he’s ever happy. In truth, he comparing himself and his team’s performance against the standard set internally. His standard is perfection.
Saban said, “Everybody says, ‘He just won 31–3. What’s he complaining about?’ But it goes back to the inner scoreboard versus the outer scoreboard. Which one is more important? If you’re going to accomplish your goals, it’s always the inner scoreboard.”
6. Maintain Discipline
According to Saban, “There are two pains in life. There is the pain of discipline and the pain of disappointment. If you can handle the pain of discipline, then you’ll never have to deal with the pain of disappointment.”
Discipline requires willpower. It requires doing the work, doing the training, ensuring you execute the same way day after day.
7. Be Accountable
Saban asks his players to seek personal excellence, but to also hold themselves accountable to the team. “Everything you do, you do to the team,” says Saban. He adds, “Get out of yourself and into the team.”
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