How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life

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As a Patriots fan, I was depressed when Nick Saban became the Dolphins' new head coach because Saban is as similar a football coach to Bill Belichick as you will ever find until scientists perfect cloning. In his new book, Saban lays out his philosophy very clearly. His philosophy helps individuals take control of their lives, work well with others, etc. It also helps leaders build more team-oriented organizations. Everyone can benefit from this book, not just football fans:"focus... on what it takes to get to [become a champion], and not on getting there," "[Players] encouraged one another and kept each other in line," "no selfishness," "we shared a purpose," "the opponent should never determine your level of competitive spirit," "anyone can be successful with the right attitude," "a road map... allows everyone... to know where you are headed," "what you need are players who have good ability, but who can reach their potential consistently... every time out," "be honest and candid and let the players know their prospects," "we have a vision for the organization and, more importantly, for the people," "create... a culture of expectations [so] everyone knows what to expect," etc. I could go on for many pages.I know Saban's philosophy works because it helped Saban's LSU Tigers (consistent losers before Saban took over) win a share of the 2003 NCAA championship and also helped Belichick's Patriots win two of the past three Super Bowls. It's the same philosophy. I expected great similarities because Saban coordinated the defense of Belichick's Cleveland Browns in the early '90s when the two became closest of friends. But I was shocked reading Saban's book because almost every principle Saban advocates is presented in my book ("Management Secrets of the New England Patriots") as what I term a "success factor" underlying the success of Belichick's Patriots.One of the few things in Saban's book that Belichick might disagree with is Saban's argument that "Not only should you not concern yourself with the score, you should also avoid setting the bar or establishing the benchmarks for success" (p. 58) because, he claims, it's more productive to "Stay focused on the next play to dominate [your opponent]" (p. 59). Belichick believes strongly in benchmarks: personal and team, short-term, medium-term, and long-term. And Belichick also wants his players to play to the score. If they have a lead late in the game, he wants them to stay in-bounds to run down the clock, for example. I'm not sure Belichick and Saban disagree as much on this as Saban's book suggests. One of Saban's running themes is the importance of focusing on the minute-by-minute process rather than the long-term goal (national championship, winning the game, etc.). Belichick certainly preaches this too.The principles in this book are valuable and clearly explained. My only disappointment is that the book lacks drama. The opening chapter ("Part 1") is a tedious list of plays from LSU's championship season. I didn't know the players or care about them, so I nearly fell asleep. This material could have been fun had it been integrated into the rest of the book to illustrate particular principles.Aside from Saban's stellar ideas, the book's highlights are occasional colorful examples, many involving his dad. To illustrate "Disappointment is a part of life," he cites his dad saying, "Be like the grass--the more manure they throw on you, the stronger you get." My favorite part is actually his father's story (36-39). Like Belichick, Saban received a brilliant education from his father, in both football and life: "Invest your time, don't spend it." "It's not just about the results. It's about perfect execution." "You reap what you sow." Someone could write a great book about the fathers of great football coaches.Three stars for writing. Seven stars for content. Averages to 5 stars!

People can say what they want about Nick Saban, but he's taken his gift of coaching and extended it to life coaching, made a process out of it and changed PEOPLES' LIVES! I don't care one wit about college football, but I do care about people and I am a firm believer in processes. Striving for perfection and achieving excellence...is a process. You can easily define the process, executing it every day is what separates those that want it from those that achieve it. At the end of this years' championship game between GA and AL, they started to ask Nick how he felt and he interrupted them wearing a rare grin and said (paraphrasing), "You have to admit, that was a great game! You know why it was great? Our guys never gave up and their resiliency when things didn't look good proved to them that the discipline to execute pays off when it counts." Most people don't want to be THAT good. More life lessons in this book than most people ever learn, much less hear. The saddest thing about Nick Saban's legacy is that most people will only know him as the greatest football coach ever to coach the sport and miss the more important legacy of the lives he changed for the better because he cared enough to demand more of them than they would have ever demanded of themselves and, in the "process", became champions and showed them what true character is. To a man, those that have worked with him and for him, would say he's a task master but, I'd bet they'd also say they're a better person because of it.

A few pages came folded and it doesn’t look like the pages were cut properly… I had to make some adjustments… I hope the book is better than it looks .. it’s supposed to be a present to someone

The book speaks to basic leadership skills with nice examples from Coach Saban’s experiences. It is written right after his LSU championship season, so it might feel a bit dated.

Great Book!!! I bought it for a friend.

Its a good read, but not particularly exciting. Much like a business book. It is written in Sabans voice,which sounds a lot like Bill Bellichick, quite, calm, steady. "Don't know what all the fuss is about. I do my job the same way you do yours! Except I spend 16 hours a day to preparing to do my job in front of 100,00 screaming fans and television... Sabans description of his days at LSU are used to sell a book that is sold by his wins at Alabama. He learned football at his perfectionist/mechanic father's knee. Learning well enough to become a player/coach, (like Dan Reeves of the Cowboys). Becoming a graduate assistant,and, discovering his life's passion. It's tone is quite, calm, steady. 'Just do it this way boys...and we win.' 'This way' meaning spending 16 hours a day thinking about how to account for his, and the rest of his staffs time, preparing to do what they do, better than any other coaching staff in college football. Many, many lists of things to do and reasons why those things work.

As a huge fan of Coach Saban, I love his focus on the process. Not letting success of failure steer you away from your position, plan, and commitment is inspiring.

Llego en tiempo

Everything is great, thanks

Brilliant book, so full of the things I need to improve my life.

Full of knowledge. I bought it in UK and it arrived quite quick from USA. Thanks