What do Nick Saban, Domino’s Pizza, and Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers have in common? Adaptability. Every equipment dealer everywhere has uttered the words, ‘because that’s the way we’ve always done it’. I’ve heard it a million times and I may have said it once or twice. Adaptability is becoming a larger separator between the dominant players in an industry and the middle/lower tier companies. I’ve always been impressed by market leaders that continually work to improve and adapt to changing market conditions even when they don’t have much incentive to. As a huge sports fan, I’ve always enjoyed the parallels between sports and business. Nick Saban is undoubtedly the most successful college football coach ever, having won seven national championships. For those who don’t follow college football closely, they may view him as a hard ass, but to me his success stems from a willingness to adapt. Saban’s early teams were the conservative type, focusing on suffocating defense and a run-first offensive approach that limited mistakes. No one could argue with the approach as SEC titles and national titles piled up. If there ever was a person who could rest on his laurels and point to the “this is the way we’ve always done it”, it was Nick Saban. But what makes Coach Saban a legend is that he’s never satisfied and he’s constantly seeking improvement. READ FULL ARTICLE>>
