Financial Services, Speaker and Coach

Four short months ago I wrote a post called The Process. This post discussed The Alabama Crimson Tide football program coached and run by Nick Saban. Last night, execution of “The Process” resulted in Alabama’s third Bowl Championship Series (BCS) national championship in the last four years.

Born sixty-one years ago in Fairmont, West Virginia, Saban is at the top of the sports world. He appeared on the September 1, 2008 cover of Forbes magazine as “The Most Powerful Coach in Sports”. So what makes this man possibly the best coach in the history of college football? His passion? Standards? His knowledge of the game? Recruiting? Work ethic? His assistants?

The answer is simple; it’s EVERYTHING. Saban’s success is a product of all of these things and more… it’s called THE PROCESS. It’s doing everything according to a predetermined standard, never satisfied with anything less than perfection. Saban does not allow his players to talk of “Repeats” in coming seasons, or to refer to the Alabama Program as a “Dynasty.” He demands focus upon and execution of those things in The Process designed to achieve Alabama Football’s objectives on an hourly, daily, and weekly basis. Alabama’s All-American center Barrett Jones said “it’s all about playing to a standard.”

What lessons can we learn from the Alabama Crimson Tide Football Program that apply to our businesses? While it is not easy, it really is pretty simple. Consider these four steps to maximizing the value of your business:

  1. Define your objectives with the clarity of the crystal in the BCS National Championship Trophy.
  2. Develop a Process that is unique to your business rooted in foundational principles, but also subject to constant, never-ending improvement. Leave no stone unturned.
  3. Execute The Process.
  4. Never, NEVER be satisfied with anything less than perfection.

Congratulation to those associated with Alabama Football. At least for today, we applaud you. At least for today we can say… Roll Tide!

Work Hard & Have Fun!™