How Good Do You Want to Be? Quotes

“recognize certain traits that seem to be in every champion: passion, commitment, confidence, pride in performance, high standards of excellence, relentlessness, perseverance, and the ability to perform in adverse circumstances.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“Baseball manager Casey Stengel once quipped, “The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the guys who are undecided.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“Great leaders are not always popular.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“Character is what you do when no one else is watching.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“Dominant teams rarely are outplayed or outclassed, but they sometimes beat themselves. Just because you are dominant does not mean you are infallible. Remember that dominance does not mean perfection; a lack of focus for even a short period of time can cost you. Do not relax when you are far ahead or dominating your marketplace. That is the time to push even harder.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“don’t want to see, you must decide if the battle is worth your time and effort. In your life, only you can decide what is worth going to battle for, keeping in mind what may be sacrificed in the process.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“A truly unselfish team player does not care who gets credit for success and is willing to take on blame when things don’t go right. Unfortunately, we live in a world when the selfish seem to outnumber the unselfish. Pat Riley points out that the people who create 20 percent of a team’s effectiveness may feel that they are deserving of 80 percent of the credit and rewards. The weaker links on a team or in an organization are often the ones who clamor for more credit.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“Psychologist Dr. Terry Orlick has been studying excellence in sports, business, and life for decades. He is world renowned for his motivational and mental approach to peak performance. Orlick has determined that there are seven components of excellence: commitment, focus, confidence/trust/belief, positive imagination, mental readiness, controlling distractions, and constant learning.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“Champions are rare. Everybody has some chance, some opportunity to change and improve, but not everybody takes advantage. Be somebody who does.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“Do the right thing. It’s that simple. Do the right thing when the right thing is not popular. Do the right thing when no one else is around. Do the right thing when temptation tells you otherwise. Do the right thing all the time.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“Some of the great leaders in history were not adored, but respected. My advice to leaders—stop trying to please everyone and do what you believe is best.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“Great leaders do not rush to make changes because of failure.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“By definition, a leader is “a person who rules or guides or inspires others.” But that’s not entirely true. A person “who rules” may or may not be a leader, even if he or she is the ruler or manager. You see, just because you’re in command of a company, a team, or an army battalion, that does not qualify you as a leader. Perhaps you attained that position by experience or success, or maybe you simply outlasted everyone else. Regardless, how you lead defines you as a leader.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“The Disease of Me Dominance Lesson 1. There is no i in team but there is an i in win. Lesson 2. Everything you do, you do to the team. Lesson 3. Get out of yourself and into the team. Lesson 4. Don’t forget the fundamentals. Lesson 5. You can have no flickering lights. Lesson 6. Do not allow mistakes to go uncorrected. Lesson 7. Having skill is not having talent. Lesson 8. You must trust, not just believe. Lesson 9. Sometimes what is best for the individual is not what is best for the team. Lesson 10. Teams must take ownership for themselves and their personalities. Lesson 11. Teams that play together often end up lucky. Lesson 12. With your A game, you can beat anybody; anything less and they can beat you.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“As a leader, you cannot force the opposition to feel they can’t succeed— they will do that on their own. But you can lead your team to such dominance that giving in becomes the opposition’s only solution. Keep on your team to push hard and, eventually, the other team will submit.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“That’s the mentality champions have. Winning on the road in sports or going into a rival company’s region and winning just feels better. Instead of seeing the challenge as We have to, we should see all challenges as We get to.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“Chronic feelings of underappreciation. The players who suffer from the “disease of me” syndrome constantly feel that they are overlooked in praise. We all want to be patted on the back, but some individuals demand constant attention and sulk when they believe, rightly or wrongly, that their skills and efforts are being underappreciated. It leads to jealousy and bad chemistry.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“The difference between belief and trust can be monumental. We may believe in others, but do we really trust them? To firmly trust people means putting your own successes and health in their hands.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“we had more skill than you can imagine, at almost every position. But guys didn’t want to put in the effort or to play with toughness and togetherness, and the incredible skills never developed into talent.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“In my forty years as a player and coach, one team of mine stands out as defining the concept of team. And that team won the national championship. Obviously, that is no coincidence. At the start of the 2003 season, I had a sense that this group of young men understood. I had no idea we would get so far, but I knew the ingredients were there. We elected no captains as we had no dominant leader, but we had lots of character. We had conviction and consistency, and the players bought into the team concept. It seemed like every game someone else stepped up, from freshman running back Justin Vincent to defensive tackle Chad Lavalais to our punter, Donnie Jones. Somehow, some way, we managed to win all but one of our games. Even after our one loss, at home to Florida, the players didn’t point fingers, but rather looked at how each one of us could get better. It was remarkable. The fact that one team that I have been associated with in forty years was truly a team should tell you just how difficult it is. On the flip side of the national championship LSU team is the Michigan State team of 1998. We were loaded headed into the season, and expectations were high. But distractions and personal agendas crippled the team concept. Star defender Dimitrius Underwood decided to sit out the entire season, refusing to suit up. Other guys were more concerned about their draft position than winning games. It was the most talented team I’d had in East Lansing but we struggled to a 6–6 record. Remarkably, the following year, when we were less talented but more of a team, we won nine games and then beat Florida in the Citrus Bowl to end up 10–2. It just isn’t a coincidence.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“Finally, your attitude is critical to success. Having a positive attitude can have a tremendous effect on how you react and respond to challenges, successes, and failures. And attitude is directly affected by expectations. If you expect things to be difficult, it will always be easier to solve problems, overcome adversity, and have an enthusiastic energy about how you go about and enjoy your work.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“No matter what your chosen profession, be prepared for opportunity and be willing to take it—your destiny may depend on it.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“If you know you will not be perfect, then those mistakes can roll off your shoulders as you move on to the next play. But if perfection is your ideal, those mistakes will cripple you with frustration. So be realistic, understand that you and others will make mistakes, and use those as building blocks for the future.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“Education does not promise success, but makes it easier.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“Your message should be constant. Talk to your kids about drugs and alcohol from an early age and don’t stop. Encourage your employees every day—not simply after successes, but through the tough times as well.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“It’s sometimes difficult for employees to respect individual differences in their coworkers. Often I remind our various staff groups that we treat everyone fairly and honestly—but we don’t treat them all the same.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“If you get word that a co-worker is saying things about you behind your back, confront him or her on it. If an evaluation of your work is false and biased, challenge it. Doing nothing will only worsen the damage. Understand that you can’t control everything, so pick your spots and stand up for what you know and believe is right. Communicate when there is a miscommunication.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“Lesson 2. Great leaders allow the team to take ownership of the rules.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“In your business and personal life, think of those who are dominant. What do they all have in common? Do you have it in you to be like them?”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

“Paranoia over being cheated out of one’s rightful share. Along with feeling that they are not appreciated, these individuals are routinely concerned about who gets credit and who gets blame. No credit given to them is ever enough, and too much offered to a teammate is flat-out wrong. They are concerned not with the team’s success, but with whether they are going to get credit for any success.”
― Nick Saban, How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life