Are you failing to plan, or failing the process? Nick Saban knows.
J.P. Montalvan • April 17, 2023
“Focus on the process of what it takes to be successful.”
-- Nick Saban
Photos courtesy Carol M Highsmith and the U.S. Library of Congress
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Are you failing to plan, or failing the process? Nick Saban knows.
If we fail to plan, are we planning to fail? Or is it not following through on our plans that causes us to fail? Or is it having the wrong plan to begin with?
Nick Saban, the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, has won eight SEC Championships and seven national championships. He knows something about both planning and following through.
He was put to a big test during the 2017-2018 football season when his team faced the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football National Championship game. In that game, the Alabama Crimson Tide found themselves down 13-0 at halftime. Things weren’t looking good.
Saban didn't panic. He reminded his team of the process they had been working on all season and urged them to focus on executing their game plan one play at a time.
Nick Saban's "the process" is a coaching philosophy that emphasizes a focus on the small, incremental steps that lead to success. In my Leadership Circle this month, I broke “the process” down into 3 steps – planning, execution, and evaluation.
When our group talked about where most of our time was spent, it was in in planning.
That's a big part of what holds us back.
Saban believes in a larger process.
It starts by breaking down the game into its smallest parts and emphasizing the importance of each play, so his team will be better prepared to achieve their ultimate goal. That’s planning. But he also encourages his players to stay focused on executing each play to the best of their ability, without worrying about the outcome of the game or the score. That’s execution. And based on what he sees, he analyzes what’s happening and revises his plan. That’s evaluation.
Saban made some key adjustments at halftime, and freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa entered the game to replace starting quarterback Jalen Hurts. Tagovailoa immediately sparked Alabama's offense, throwing a 6-yard touchdown pass to Henry Ruggs III. Georgia responded with a field goal, but Alabama answered with another touchdown to make the score 20-14. With just over three minutes remaining in the game, Tagovailoa led Alabama on a game-tying drive and a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Jeudy.
Is Saban’s “the process” real? Or does he just recruit better players than other schools? Recent studies have found that process goals are more effective than outcome goals when it comes to enhancing performance, improving self-efficacy, and increasing overall success in pursing goals. Process goals focus go beyond the “what” to the "how" – how you go about attaining a result rather than focusing solely on the result.
Saban’s Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs went into overtime. Georgia drove the ball down to the Alabama 27-yard line, setting up a 51-yard field goal attempt for kicker Rodrigo Blankenship. It sailed wide left, giving Alabama the ball with a chance to win the game.
Alabama's offense took the field and quickly found itself in a 2nd-and-26 situation after a sack and a penalty. Tagovailoa dropped back to pass and launched a deep ball down the left sideline to DeVonta Smith, who had beaten his defender and was streaking towards the end zone. Smith caught the ball in stride and ran into the end zone for a 41-yard touchdown, giving Alabama a dramatic 26-23 victory.
How can you get more wins and reach your goals?
If an effective process includes planning, execution, and evaluation, how much time are you spending in each? You might draw a pie chart for yourself, following what I call our “Intention & Execution Tracker”:
Saban’s 2017-2018 Crimson Tide team mounted what was called an "improbable" comeback to beat their arch-rivals from the University of Georgia 26-23 in overtime, clinching their fifth national championship under Saban. But was it really improbable?
If you commit to the entire process – spending roughly equal time in planning, executing, and evaluating what you do – I bet you too will reach more goals and win more championships.
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