Leaders all have something in common!

So if you’re a college football fan then you most likely have heard of Nick Saban. He is the head coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He has been said to be one of the most powerful head coaches in college football today, and his record stands for itself.

My reason for talking about him is based on his 5 leadership lessons. Much of his philosophy applies directly to business owners today.

1. Surround yourself with talent. When you are building a business you want to have strong successful individuals that are good at what they do. It happens all the time when there is an owner who fully believes he knows it all. Remember you don’t have to know everything you just have to hire smart people that know and understand the concept of team.

2. Create a process. When you have a system that creates consistency then positive outcome is the end result. My son plays baseball. He is 9 and during the game all they want to know is what is the score. My response is focus on hitting, fielding, and throwing and the score will take care of itself. Too many times we just want to focus on the outcome but don’t put the process in place to learn and master the fundamentals.

3. Manage your message! Do you have a message that can be spoken in one voice by all? This starts with your vision. Your team players share in the vision which will produce a consistent message to your customers. Have you created this vision? If not, then you may be a ship with out a rudder.

4.Keep it simple. Don’t over think stuff. Many times if you listen to your gut it is the right decision. I have often seen business owners always getting ready to get ready. I sometimes believe in fire read aim method. If your a bit off the mark then re aim.

5. Make wise investments in the future. Many times if you’re thinking about what is happening now and you’re basing investment decisions on now time then you are way behind the 8 ball. In order to be in front of momentum you need to take off your now blinders and look up ahead of you. What is coming? Often the signs of where we are going is just in front of us be we are so focused on the now that we don’t look up.

Here is the link to the Forbes article about Nick Saban. Football coaches are much like the CEO of any company. They have a job to unite, and direct talent to work together to share a common goal and vision. The outcome will vary based on your success of the 5 lessons above.