Wisdom sometimes comes from unusual places

Many of you know that I am an Alabama football fan. I certainly don’t want to boast or bore anyone. However, I am simply impressed with Nick Saban and his Sytems thinking. The following note is from a former teammate of mine at Bama who is now a High School football Coach (Jay Mathews, he was a fine QB). He writes about an experience of listening to Coach Saban at a Coaching Clinic. I was blown away with the parallels of his insight as applied to any organization in existence in which people are employed.

Nick Saban’s Process
Now that Nick Saban has coached two national champion football teams at two different universities, his ‘process’ will be getting a lot of headlines. I thought I would give it to you as he presents it to his coaches and team.

• COME TO WORK- GET TO WORK
• GRIND IT OUT EVERY PLAY-EVERY DAY- IN THE RIGHT WAY
• FINISH YOUR PREP-YOUR PRACTICE-YOUR DUTY
• FOCUS ON THE PROCESS NOT THE RESULTS. The results will take care of themselves.

In some ways these are coaching cliché’s, but everyone I know who is around Saban speak of his relentless work ethic and demand for others to grind it out with him. He also studies human psychology and understands techniques needed to motivate today’s players. He is more of a positive energetic pusher to the players in public and just rips his coaches in private. Love him or hate him, he has command and everyone around him keeps in step.

I heard Saban speak at a clinic when he was at LSU and he spoke of how he needed to adjust his coaching style. Here are the notes I took:
“Never before has coaching had a greater challenge or greater responsibility. I have found it difficult coaching players who are a product of this culture.
Kids have too many choices and too few commitments and very few consequences. They are self-absorbed (not selfish), it’s just a mentality. They want to know “how does this benefit me?” Very few of our players coming into our program have ever experienced consequences and that means they do not know suffering. But if you don’t suffer, you never get hungry, and you never learn to fight

It is tough on coaches today. We have fewer coaches, less time with the athletes, and greater expectations.

So here are some adjustments I have had to make in my coaching style over the years.
I want to inspire learning. I bring in people and talk to my players about why I need to learn and why they need to learn. This involves character education: commitment-perseverance- integrity. We tell them, ‘there are no victories without adversity. That’s tough to teach when there’s a re-set button on the X-box.

I constantly put before them a roadmap: ‘graduate- perform with confidence and consistency’. I create their expectations- I tell them to not let the media or public do it. A kid coming in our program today believes he needs to win the Heisman or go to the NFL to validate his career. We need to make his expectations realistic and give him a day- by -day plan to get there

I’ve learned to coach and not criticize. If you do not praise their good techniques, you better be careful about chewing on them. I want to catch them doing it right and point it out. The worst coaching ever is to scream, ‘CATCH THE BALL!’. Instead teach then how to catch the ball.

I tell them regardless of the game circumstances, NEVER show frustration. Don’t hit/ lash out/ throw things/argue – if you do that your opponent grows. If you always look determined and fighting- I have found a lot of these opponents crumble. Kids are front -runners. I tell my coaches- don’t vent on players or officials- it is a sign of weakness,not confidence.

A word about ‘character’. My definition of character is: my thoughts- habits- and priorities as shown daily in my choices

To put it this way- if all my players get is x’s and o’s , I’m not coaching. Today’s kids need character training first.”

Lean inspiration from an atypical situation

The University of Alabama football team recently won their 13th National Title. Though a fan, I am simply trying to illustrate a point. Nick Saban joined a struggling Bama program three years ago. Bama fans are very spoiled from the Bear Bryant days and Saban stated very clearly that our process was broken. He said that he would focus on the process and that if we fixed our process, a national championship would be the outcome. It was sometimes frustrating for fans when Saban would only speak of process. He hired outstanding Coaches and recruited top athletes. Not many can out work or out coach Saban. The reality is that going from a mediocre program to a championship in 3 years is incredible. The take away is that great things can be accomplished in any organization with an unwavering focus on process.

Economy, Seth Godin & Networking

The economy is picking up. We can breathe now. I actually scheduled an onsite interview on Christmas Eve. That is a first in my career. Companies are getting desperate as top talent is leaving. It is going to be fun for Recruiters like me, but I feel sympathy for corporate HR and Hiring Managers as it is going to get crazy. I truly believe that we will see the long anticipated “war for talent”.

Do you ever wonder if you stand out in the sea of Lean talent? Does your background reflect success? These are things we all think about on occasion. These days good just isn’t enough. People and companies are looking for “remarkable”. Remarkable requires risk. I have been a fan of Seth Godin’s blog for a few years (Seth’s Blog). I had never read his books until recently. Purple Cow is a remarkable book about marketing, but it will get you thinking about your personal brand and that of your company.

If you need to strengthen your network or need to learn some networking skills, read Love Is The Killer App by Tim Sanders. One of my favorite books period. Tim says “your network is your net worth” and I agree.

Hey Employers – Are you looking for a competitive advantage in attracting top talent?

Want to know one of the most powerful tips available to help you seal the deal in hiring a new employee in this increasingly competitive talent market?  Match the candidate’s vacation when he/she joins your company.  A frequent comment when working with candidates who have been five to fifteen years with their current company is, “I have four weeks vacation—I don’t want to lose that. . .”  Picyune complaint when we are talking six-figure jobs.  Somewhere in the back of the candidate’s mind I think they equate that extended vacation with a gold watch.  It’s not about the value—it’s about the recognition.  In fact, candidates seem more concerned about losing an extra couple of weeks vacation than they do about losing their unvested matching 401(k) contributions.

Matching earned vacation “up to four weeks” will give your company an absolute edge in hiring the candidates your competitors are trying to hire or retain.  It costs you the equivalent of a couple of weeks’ base salary for the first few years the employee works for you, because you have only accelerated his/her vacation benefit, not used it as an accumulative vacation base.

Speed = Better Hire Rates For Top Talent

Speed = Talent Capture + Enhanced Reputation

No Sense of Urgency = Zero Ability to Capture Top Talent + Lackluster Reputation

The equations referenced above should be a “no brainer”.  Many Hiring Managers talk about hiring talent quickly but do not follow through in reality.

A lack of a sense of urgency is hurting many companies today.  Not only are they unable to capture the top talent they need desperately, they are painting an image of a company that is indecisive, possibly not competitive, and creating doubts about leadership ability.  Most companies will adamantly say that they can’t afford this perception, yet many companies have it.  There seems to be a disconnect between Hiring Managers and the talent acquisition process.  Talent acquisition is not just the Human Resource Manager’s responsibility.  All Hiring Managers have a responsibility to be involved and the best are continuously networking for talent.

Bottom line – You have one to two weeks to engage top talent and hold their attention.  They will probably have other interviews ongoing and may have an offer on the table.  So what…..they are worth the effort.  If you wait for two or three weeks to begin scheduling interviews, you will probably lose the talent to another company.  If they aren’t taken already, you may begin the interview process, but you will have created the perception that we discussed earlier.

The 4-L’s

I was taking my morning shower recently and an idea sprang into my head.  The shower happens to be one of my most creative thinking spots.  I guess I get relaxed and the Right Brain kicks in.  I firmly believe that God gives ideas and direction during quiet moments.  He gets full credit for this one.

Best selling books and Business Gurus expound on ideas to be a better leader and person.  Here is an idea to excel in life and business.  The 4-L’s.  The 4-L’s are Living, Loving, Learning and Leading.

Living – I mean really living not just existing.  Do you have balance?  Is it all about your career?  Does your work bring you joy?  If you place too much priority on any one part of your life, then the other parts will suffer and balance is lost.  Yes, work and career are important.  But family, community, spirituality and health need attention too.  Proper attention to the other segments of life will rejuvenate the spirit and help you find meaning and joy in work.

Loving – Who do you love?  Do you love yourself?  If not, don’t keep doing the same old thing.  Make a change and ignite good things.  Is your relationship good with your spouse, children, parents or extended family?  If not, remember, we are only on this earth for a fleeting moment.  Patch things up.  Do you know that you can actually have love for your co-workers?  Where is the love in Corporate America?  Greed hinders love.  Achieving goals together and sharing credit/profits helps foster love/respect/excellence.

Learning – What are you reading that is expanding your capability?  Leaders are readers.  Never stop learning.  I wonder if Depression and/or Alzheimers could be prevented or delayed if we maintained a zest for continuous learning.  Corporate America is very demanding and expects new ideas and energy.  I have seen many leaders plateau because they stopped learning and did not have anything new to give.

Leading – I heard someone say that Managers give direction but Leaders inspire others to do great things.  John Maxwell said “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”  Be the leader that God intended you to be.  Don’t know how?  Start reading.  Emulate other leaders that you respect.  Take on new challenges.  Get out of your comfort zone.  Ask God to help you and he will.

Don’t misunderstand me, I personally need to improve in the 4-L’s, but I am willing to take a risk.  I pray that you will take a risk and that joy finds you.

Why the adversarial relationship?

I continue to read about the so-called tension between Headhunters and Corporate Human Resource professionals.  Given the difficulty of finding top-talent, I don’t understand why this tension continues to exist.  Being a former HR Executive, I do understand the pressures that HR people are under and the fact that very little time exists for them to search for talent.  I also think that the Headhunting community is too critical of HR.  I think we can all work together and realize the value that each of us bring and focus on long-term relationships.  Headhunters must add value and deliver to Clients and HR Pro’s must expand their networks and understand that Headhunters are some of the very best networkers by nature.  We can all benefit from each other and we certainly need to support each other as the “War for Talent” heats up.

The Beginning

Well, you have to start somewhere.  What a great day to be a HeadHunter!  As I gaze out the office window at the stunningly beautiful Crepe Myrtle’s, I think about the amazing grace of God.  How lucky I am to be blessed with this profession and the talent to do it well.  The technology we have at our disposal is miraculous.  Who would have thought it possible.  What will the next 5 to 10 years look like?  Finally, I wonder what God thinks of blogs?