If there's one thing to be learned about elite performers in any arena, it's that their commitment spills over into everything that they do.
The instances where a special talent is at the top of their game in one area, but neglectful in others is exceedingly rare. You don't hear about ultra-marathon runners who eat whatever they want and . Their commitment to discipline in all aspects of their live, and striving to achieve their full potential in all that they do is evident.
Nick Saban is a perfect example from our world of college football. The smallest of details are of the utmost importance to Saban, and his success as the greatest college football coach of all time is the product of some very intentional choices.
That strive to be great for Saban doesn't stop at football though. A story that The Blind Side director John Lee Hancock shared on the Rich Eisen show recently illustrates that drive perfectly.
As one would expect from Saban, he was early on the set and mentally ready to attack the day, Hancock shared.
"The other thing about Nick, and the reason he is so good at what he does, he would say to me after a take - "Don't let me me be bad. Help me be better. How can I be better?'"
"That was impressive,' Hancock said.
Over the past few months I've done some extensive digging into how the best leaders display humbleness and vulnerability. This story from Saban is the latest anecdote in that journey of information.
One funny story that came from the interview and Saban's expectations of being on set for a few days, is that Nick fully expected two shots to provide Hancock all he needed. However, the director had to explain that it was going to take a half day or so to get all the shots and angles they needed to piece the shot together in the movie from multiple angles. Saban then suggested that they talk to some folks in the football photography world, where they don't get to do it multiple times and are able to get it in one shot
Hear Hancock's perspective on what makes Saban great in the Rich Eisen interview below.
https://youtu.be/O5fx1NsoBiE
Here's a clip of Saban's scene in the movie, along with an interesting personal nugget from Saban on how he got out of doing the script that was written for him.
https://youtu.be/Io9bMKWiD-U