Nick Saban has built the most dominant program in modern college football history.
The winner of six national championships (five at Alabama over the last nine seasons), Saban has set a standard of college football dominance that may never again be matched.
While Saban has worked hard to create an entire culture of excellence to achieve this level of success for this long of a period, three key rules serve as the foundation for his program’s dominance…
1- Create a nightmare for your opponent.
I always felt it was good to create a mantra that would hold true no matter the score or situation. Here is ours: “Create a nightmare for your opponent.”
When we step onto the field, we want to so greatly dominate our opponents in every phase of the game that they walk off the field at the end saying to themselves, “I never want to play (them) again.”
From the players’ standpoint, it changes the outlook—from the score to individual responsibility. If each player dominates the player he is going against, then the team will dominate.
2- If you think you are dominant, you will be.
Part of being dominant is believing that you are. The truly dominating teams not only believe they are going to win every time they step onto the field, but also believe they are going to crush their opponents. One cannot accept anything less.
Develop an attitude that you simply cannot be beaten—that you are an overpowering force. You may be surprised how positive thinking impacts your performance.
3- Dominant people don’t care what the score is.
Never relax. Never take your lead or dominance for granted.
Just because you’re ahead doesn’t mean it will always be that way, so don’t look at the scoreboard, and keep doing what you’ve been doing to be successful.
— Nick Saban, from his book How Good Do You Want to Be?
All three of the rules listed above emphasize Nick Saban’s belief in only worrying about what you can control. This is what he refers to as, “The Process.”
Effort: Give maximum effort to dominate your opponent.
Attitude: Have the attitude that you are dominant.
Focus: Ignore the scoreboard and never give in or give up, regardless of whether you’re winning or losing.
Notice how all three of Saban’s rules have nothing to do with the outcome of a game. It is completely up to each individual whether to follow the rule or not.
Regardless of the outcomes—in sports, in business, in any area of life—we are all in complete control of our effort, our attitude, and what we choose to focus on.
