Latest / Mental Per4mance Daily with Adam Rutz / Saban: The Standard You Tolerate
Transcript
- Adam Rutz: You want to know what the true standard of your life, your business, or your team really is. Don't tell me what you say your standards are. Show me what you're willing to accept. Nick Saban built one of the greatest dynasties in sports history, won six national championships at Alabama. But what made those teams so successful wasn't just their talent. It was the standard of excellence they were expected to live by every single day. Saban once explained that. Discipline comes down to what you're willing to accept from yourself and what you're willing to accept from the people around you. And I can tell you from personal experience as a business owner, this is one of the hardest lessons I've ever had to learn. Early in my career, I experienced plenty of failures when it came to building and leading a team. And one of the biggest lessons I learned was that you can't build a culture of excellence while continuing to tolerate mediocrity. Sometimes That means making difficult decisions and parting ways with people who simply don't align with the standards of what your team is trying to accomplish. And look, those decisions are not easy. You want to believe in people and you want to coach them and develop them and give them the opportunities to improve. But at some point, if somebody continually refuses to meet the standard, you have to recognize the impact that has on everyone else. Because here's the reality. A lot of people are perfectly comfortable just being average. They're comfortable doing just enough to barely squeak by. And if your goal is to become excellent or elite, you can't allow somebody else's acceptance of mediocrity to become your standard. Think about a college football team. If one player consistently takes shortcuts and practice and the coaching staff allows it, what message does that send to the other hundred players who are doing things the right way? Here's the mental performance lesson: the behaviors you consistently tolerate will eventually shape the culture you're surrounded by. And this isn't just about leadership or managing employees, it's about your own life. The people you surround yourself with, the habits you allow to continue, and the excuses you make, and the commitments you fail to follow through on. All of those things establish a standard. So here's your process for today. Ask yourself. One question. What have I been allowing in my life that doesn't align with the person I'm trying to become or the standards I'm trying to build? Identify one thing, have the difficult conversation, make the necessary adjustment, or take ownership of the behavior that you need to change. Because if there's one lesson I want you to take away from Saban Week, it's that elite performance. Isn't built through occasional moments of greatness. It's built through the process you follow, the choices you make, the discipline you demonstrate, and the standards you're willing to uphold. You can't expect to create a culture of excellence while consistently accepting a standard of mediocrity. Mindset, process, discipline, execution, that's mental performance daily.