“Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing.”

—John D. Rockefeller

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Today’s story is about Nick Saban.

Nick was just a boy at the time. The pit of a dangerous mineshaft was no place for children… but into those dangerous depths he headed. A mandate by dad, this was clearly not Little Nick’s choice. 550 feet deep. Pitch dark. Very hot. Scary, indeed.

Thick, acrid air filled Little Nick’s lungs. It was a silent descent. Neither Nick nor his dad spoke a word. He was terrified. Any kid would be. At the bottom, this father finally acknowledged his frightened young son…

“If you don’t get a college education,” he said, “this is where you’re going to end up every day.”

Without another word, they began the long hike back to the top. Nick never forgot.

His father made an impression that day. Why? He knew what to do… the right thing at the right time in exactly the right way.

That lesson from dad set the tone for the rest of Little Nick’s life.

Today Nick Saban is “The Most Powerful Coach in Sports,” according to a cover story in Forbes a few years back. He currently heads up the University of Alabama’s storied football team. Before that, it was LSU, Michigan State, Toledo and a short stint in the pros.

For Little Nick, his success is a product of two things… the work ethic he learned from his father… and understanding the importance of doing the right thing at the right time in the right way each and every day. Just like Dad showed him that day in the mine.

Little Nick’s work ethic was acquired through years of hands on labor at his father’s service station… “In those days, everything was full service,” recalls Nick. “You would change mufflers, grease cars, change tires, wash cars…” And if you didn’t do the job right way? “I can remember on more than one occasion doing a job and not doing it right and having to do it over. Because Big Nick wasn’t satisfied.”

Big Nick’s methods had a purpose: “But I learned a lot. I learned a lot about people. And I learned how to serve other people by doing that. I think those things are important,” Saban reflects.

“I think that drive that he instilled in me to be the best you could be at whatever you choose to do is what has helped me…”

Sadly, Big Nick passed away at just 46 years old. Little Nick had just finished his very first season as a coach. “Sometimes when you’re growing up, you don’t understand it,” says Nick now.

But Big Nick’s wisdom set the tone for Little Nick’s rise to the top. Working hard is a must … but not enough. Be smarter than that. Too many people do too much irrelevant stuff. They do the wrong things… or do them at the wrong time… or in the wrong way.

Says Saban,

“Do the right thing, at the right time, the right way.
It was as simple as that.”

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