Leadership and Business Growth

I once heard a podcast with John Maxwell and he was asked how you can identity the leader in the room?

His answer was simple:

“The person who has the highest standards & expectations……of him/herself.”

This is very true. 

Strong leadership first requires a higher expectation of yourself, long before you can lead others.

Want to increase your leadership?

Raise your own personal standards and expectation of yourself. Then watch your leadership & life grow.

Nick Saban’s Leadership Final Recap

Team, I trust you have enjoyed the leadership lessons from one of the all time best leaders in sports history. Since repetition is the mother of skill, here is a recap of what we have learned over the last 11 weeks.

And remember, you are a leader in our organization so please apply these principles in your role to better your leadership skills. And most importantly, so we can continue to win as an organization which positively impacts the world as our desired outcome. 

1. There is no I in team but there is an I in win.  Coach Saban preaches individual responsibility.  His teams perform their best when individuals put the group first and do what is best for the team.
2. Everything you do, you do to the team.  This speaks to personal responsibility and accountability.
3. Get out of yourself and into the team.  Coach Saban wants his players to rise above their own selfishness and ambitions and dissolve themselves into the team.
4. Don’t forget the fundamentals.  This can be lost in the rush to prepare.
5. You can have no flickering lights.  The torch must be fully lit when passed from the upperclassmen to the underclassmen.
6. Do not allow mistakes to go uncorrected.  You must evaluate the previous game and ensure mistakes are corrected for the upcoming game.
7. Having skill is not having talent.  Brilliant!  Coach Saban says, “Skill alone does not equate to talent.  Talent is putting skills into productive use.”
8. You must trust, not just believe.  Belief is trust that is firm.  Are you willing to put your success in someone else’s hands?
9. Sometimes what is best for the individual is not what is best for the team.  Winning is not the only thing.  How you win matters just as much.
10. Teams must take ownership of themselves and their personalities.  The most successful teams have a culture where all the members have a say.
11. Teams that play together often end up lucky.  Coach Saban firmly believes in luck but you must put yourself in position to be lucky.  The luckiest teams are the teams that play well together.

This week is Nick Saban’s Leadership Lesson #11

Teams that play together often end up lucky. Coach Saban firmly believes in luck but you must put yourself in position to be lucky.  The luckiest teams are the teams that play well together.

Extremely well said. 

The bottom line, team?

The harder we work, the luckier we get. 

This is the universe’s way of rewarding massive action.

This week is Nick Saban’s Leadership Lesson #10

Teams must take ownership of themselves and their personalities.  The most successful teams have a culture where all the members have a say.

Team – this is why I teach leadership to empower YOUR leadership! 

Humbling myself as your CEO, the success we have seen in the last 3+ years is not because of me. Instead, it’s because of YOU and your leadership development. 

Situational authority is at the foundation of this philosophy.

Meaning many times “boots on the ground” teammates have the best insight to make decisions. And/or at the very least need to have space to provide feedback. 

Therefore, as an organization, we need to continue promoting a feedback culture so everyone feels empowered to lead.

That’s my vision and focus and appreciate your massive help in continuing this culture!

This week is Nick Saban’s Leadership Lesson #9

Sometimes what is best for the individual is not what is best for the team.  

The goal of a leader is to align-self & team interests in as many opportunities as humanly possible. 

However, sometimes it’s not. 

When this happens, the dichotomy of leadership holds true for effective teams and leaders. 

Yes, it’s incredibly challenging. But a leader must put the group’s interest in front of self-interest to ensure the team wins.

That goes for everyone in the organization as everyone in our organization leads.

This week is Nick Saban’s Leadership Lesson #8

You must trust, not just believe.  Belief is trust that is firm.  Are you willing to put your success in someone else’s hands?

Trust is hard to come by. But it’s the foundation of strong teams. Without trust, a team cannot be effective. 

How to earn trust?

Make and keep promises. Rinse, repeat, and don’t stop.

This week is Nick Saban’s Leadership Lesson #7

Having skill is not having talent.  Brilliant!  Coach Saban says, “Skill alone does not equate to talent.  Talent is putting skills into productive use.”

This week is Nick Saban’s Leadership Lesson #6

Do not allow mistakes to go uncorrected.  You must evaluate the previous game and ensure mistakes are corrected for the upcoming game.

This is the value of having a feedback culture.

No, it’s not easy giving candid feedback to your team especially in pointing out opportunities to improve. But your primary job as a leader is to get the team better, not be over-sensitive on hurting feelings. 

Yes, continue to develop you’re soft interpersonal skills so the feedback you provide is better received by your team. But ultimately, your job as a leader remains to provide feedback to those you lead. So do your job.

This week is Nick Saban’s Leadership Lesson #5

You can have no flickering lights.  The torch must be fully lit when passed from the upperclassmen to the underclassmen.

This mindset and standard shows the importance of your whole team being bought into and having a deep understanding of your mission, vision, and values.

While team training should never be tribal. Culture is shared and passed down through the organization. 

This week is Nick Saban’s Leadership Lesson #3

Get out of yourself and into the team.  Coach Saban wants his players to rise above their own selfishness and ambitions and dissolve themselves into the team.

In the study of human nature, humans default to acting in their own self-interest. This is a bi-product of evolution. 

And while there can be many points of value in that.

Long term and if you want to accomplish a BIG GOAL, you have to focus on the team and not yourself.

Teamwork makes the dream work.

Another way to look at that is to play work on yourself to look for the long-game perspective. 

As the long game, eventually becomes the short game, quicker than you would like.

Not convinced?

Have a chat with anyone over the age of 60 and ask their perception of time’s speed and the value of a long-game perspective.