Review: HOW GOOD DO YOU WANT TO BE?

People who follow college football usually fall into one of two catagories. People that love Nick Saban and people who hate him. Personally, I fall into the first category. Not only do I have a great deal of respect for Coach Saban and the success that he has had over his career, but I also admire his work ethic and ideas for what a program should be. In his book, How Good Do You Want To Be?, Saban outlines his blueprint for success. This is not an X&Os book, and though his anecdotes relate to football, the lessons learned can easily be incorporated into other walks of life.

This is the first "coaching book" that I have suggested to people outside the coaching profession. As stated previously, Saban uses football stories to get his points across, but that does not mean the lessons are relegated only to the gridiron. An individual could use this book to motivate himself/herself to achieve their own personal goals just as a business owner could read this book and get a few pointers on how to motivate and manage employees.

One of my favorite principals outlined in the book is to not focus on the scoreboard, but rather worry about the process. How often do you see players let up because they are ahead or behind in a game, or how many of you have had players focus so much on the end result that they neglect the here and now? Saban illustrates this point with is LSU players, "Every time you think of winning the national championship - stop. Instead, think of what you have to do to dominate your opponent for sixty minutes." By focusing on dominating your opponent you can focus on improving in the here and now on the practice field, in the film room, and in the weight room so you can dominate your opponents during games.

Coach Saban truly wants his players to focus on dominating their opponents on every play and not let up. What coach doesn't love this principal? He uses companies, teams, and even the Roman Empire as examples of how dominating your opponents leads to competitive advantages in the future. "When we step onto the field, we want to so greatly dominate our opponents in every phase of the game that they walk off of the field at the end saying to themselves, "I never want to play LSU again... From the players' standpoint, it changes the outlook - from the score to individual responsibility. If each player dominates the player across from him, then the team will dominate."

This is a great book for anyone to read, in my opinion it is a must read for any coach.