Success Leaves Clues: Nick Saban’s Leadership Final Recap

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.