🏆 The Saban Standard

The secret behind Saban’s success wasn’t talent or luck. It was how he led every single day.

Author

Greg Berge
November 27, 2025

👋 Good morning! Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃

Today’s a good day to pause, reflect, and give thanks for the people, teams, and moments that make what we do meaningful.

Coaching and leadership are about more than wins; they’re about impact. And few have modeled that impact better than Nick Saban.

‘Great Teams Better Leaders’ is written by Greg Berge. Do you have an idea or something to share? Just hit reply - I read and respond to every message. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe for free.

Let’s dive in.

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💭 ONE THOUGHT
The Saban Standard

Nick Saban didn’t just win football games.
He built a system that defined an era.

Seven national championships. Six at Alabama.

And a culture that became the gold standard for college football.

What made him different wasn’t talent or luck.
It was how he led.

In studying his career, from Toledo to LSU to Alabama, three lessons stand out. Three things that turned him from a great coach into the greatest of all time.

1: The Process

This is where it all begins. Saban’s greatest innovation wasn’t a play call. It was a mindset.

It was a complete focus on ‘The Process.’

A daily commitment to doing your job with discipline and focus, no matter the situation.

He didn’t want players thinking about championships or rankings. He wanted them thinking about the next rep, the next meeting, the next assignment.

The Process turned pressure into preparation.
It built habits that held under stress.
It shifted attention from the outcome to the effort required to achieve it.

When you follow the process, success becomes a byproduct.

Lesson for coaches: Teach players to fall in love with doing things right, not just winning.

Video: Nick Saban on the “Process.”

2: Relentless Adaptation

Most coaches build a system and spend their careers defending it.
Saban built systems and rebuilt them when the game changed.

When college football shifted from defense and power to tempo and spread, he didn’t fight it. He evolved.

He hired Lane Kiffin to modernize the offense.
He embraced analytics, sports science, and technology.
He adjusted recruiting and player development to match the modern game.

He wasn’t loyal to his way. He was loyal to winning.

That is why he stayed ahead of everyone else. He changed faster than they did.

Lesson for coaches: Stay consistent in standards but flexible in strategy.

3: Leadership Through Accountability

Saban led with clarity.
Everyone in the program knew the standard.

He didn’t sugarcoat.
He told the truth.
He held everyone accountable, including himself.

That honesty built belief. His players didn’t just play for him. They trusted him.

He called it alignment.

Every person in the organization understood their role and how it connected to the team’s success.

That kind of clarity built one of the most dependable cultures in all of sports.

Lesson for coaches: Clarity creates confidence. Accountability builds alignment.

Closing Thought

Nick Saban’s legacy isn’t just about championships.
It’s about consistency.

He mastered three things every leader can learn from:

  1. The Process – Focus on the work, not the reward.

  2. Adaptation – Evolve or get passed.

  3. Accountability – Say what you mean. Mean what you say.

The Saban Standard isn’t about football. It’s about leadership that lasts.

Which part of Saban’s approach do you need most right now?

  • Discipline in your process?

  • Adaptability in your strategy?

  • Or accountability in your culture?

Building that kind of culture doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens when leaders teach, model, and repeat it… every day.

That’s exactly what Team Leader OS helps you do.
It gives your athletes the leadership tools and mindset to live “The Saban Standard.” 👉 Explore Team Leader OS

Good Luck!
Greg

📜 GREAT QUOTES

"A great coach can lead you to a place where you don’t need him (her) anymore."

Andre Agassi

"Bad coaching comes from the ego. Good coaching comes from the heart."

John Wooden

🔗 LINKS FOR LEADERS

🎥 Video: Nick Saban on Culture [LINK]

🆇 ICYMI: Are you coachable? No “Yeah, Buts” allowed [LINK]

📰 Article: “Dad, I did it!”

🏆 Dad...I did it!

A story about grit, belief, and why we coach.

gregberge.beehiiv.com/p/dad-i-did-it

𝐗 POSTS FROM OTHERS

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