With the retirement from coaching college football, 7-time National Champion Nick Saban, we won’t see him anymore on the field inspiring his student-athletes with ‘the Process’. The process had been built and dominated for years at Alabama. However, the 2020 season was the penultimate year where coach fine-tuned the ultimate process.

I was very fortunate to spend parts of that season observing the inner-workings in Tuscaloosa. One of the light build moments for me came late one evening as the then six-time national championship coach said, “it’s not about executing against this team or that. I’m trying to impress upon them [the team], that individually they are to compete against their personal best, their understanding of perfection…when we focus every day in practice, in the film room, in the classroom and in the community relative to perfection, then it doesn’t matter who we line up against.” Coach went on to win his seventh and final championship with 13-0 record.

Do you focus on results or the process to get the results you must have? 

Is it the journey you enjoy and appreciate or is it all about the destination for you?

How do you run every play to perfection? At JSP, we help every client become wildly successful by implementing a proven process. Time is your most valuable currency, right? We’re not going to waste your time. We’re certainly not going to take on a business case we don’t believe in either. Two elements of our process are going to be explained below, 1) Run 1-3-1 (no it’s not a basketball defense) and 2) Communicating Simply and Powerfully.

One of the first things we learn about your business is, can it run effectively, efficiently and profitably without you. If it can, then we’re 50% on our way to a successful exit. If not, then we have some work to do and guiding you on how to ‘cut the strings’ is how we introduce 1-3-1. Imaging holding 9 balloons. How do you expect to work on your business with one hand tied to the balloons? You’re stuck in your business wasting time, resources and labor doing their job for them. Your bookkeeper, your sales people, your service manager, warehouse manager, maintenance and so on vying for your time; asking questions most of them know where to go to get the answer, ‘but it’s just faster to ask you Dave.’ You keep holding the balloons either because you like being the answer man, or you’re uncomfortable making the time to help them resolve their own shit. It’s time to cut the strings, Dave. Some times they come to you with problems for you to solve…instead of what? Solving the problems themselves!

One-Three-One. When someone on your team has a challenge or a problem, stop solving their problem period. ONE: Before you answer, take a breath and ask, “what is the problem or challenge you’re trying to solve,” and be quiet. You’re the leader, the owner, the CEO. Help them gain clarity on what’s happening and what’s not happening. THREE: ask them, “what are the three options to solving your challenge or problem?” Be quiet and let them think and see how they arrive at the options. They may need time to think about it. Give them time. Sure, you may know the best answer. By doing it for them, you’re handicapping them perpetuating their ineffectiveness for you and making your business dependent on you! ONE: once they have provided you with the options, ask them, “what is your recommendation we must take?” Again, be quiet, listen to what they say. It’s not your job to solve the problem.

Hopefully, you can remove your ego from their recommendation and respond with a level of sophistication or business savvy. Part two is Communicating Simply and Powerfully. We’ve spent months in pre- and post-close engagements coaching sellers and their team on communicating as a system. You can read more about the “bunny rabbit” here. As we’re now in the fifth generation in the workplace, we’ve had to modify some of our framework on communications and gear more towards comprehension. Part of removing yourself from the day-to-day operations and allowing your team to carry the ball for you is delivering messages that are clear, concise and compelling.

The disconnect today is on the receiving end! Neither you or me can control how your people hear or listen to the message regardless of its importance or impact on their life and livelihoods. You can communicate simply and powerfully all you want, but if they don’t understand you it’s silent chaos. The solution? Ask the question. “I’m curious, what does that mean [whatever subject, context under discussion] to/for you?” and “how does this new information help you going forward?” Obviously, there’s more to the mechanics and detail. However, countless business owners have shared what a gamechanger these two frameworks have been in moving forward with their teams.