Some people may not make the connection between college football and community management, but those people are not diehard ‘Bama fans either.
Every year, I look forward to heading to Tuscaloosa (sorry Auburn fans) to witness the energy that envelopes The University of Alabama campus like a blanket. I can’t wait to see the man – no, the force of nature – who for me represents everything that is right with the game of college.
I’m referring, of course, to head Coach Nick Saban, winner of four National Championships and a host of other awards.
This article isn’t meant to be about Nick Saban or even about football. But rather how he, and so many other famous sports figures, know how to play, coach, and win as a team. Easy to talk about. Much harder to execute.
As someone who has interviewed and hired a number of people at my company, I always think to myself:
- Will they work well in a team environment?
- How will they fit in with the rest of the team?
- And, of course, will this person make the team better or potentially worse?
Other questions like “is there a formula for successful team building” led me to research the strategies of famous winning coaches and players to determine what separates them from the rest of the pack and how I can leverage those methods to recruit and build my own championship team. Community management is at the heart of what I do, and having a championship team builds a strong foundation for a successful property.
My 3 Favorite Quotes
“There are three things we can’t have. We can’t have complacency, we can’t have selfishness, and we can’t lose our accountability.”— Nick Saban, Head Coach, The University of Alabama (2007-present)
Why it’s great: Winners who win consistently do so for a reason. They keep their edge and don’t rest on their laurels. Being accountable for one’s actions is the foundation for great team building. Taking responsibility means accepting the consequences for your choices and not blaming the other person for your mistakes. With my community management team, I expect the same level of transparency and accountability Saban does with his team. We’re all here to support one another and not let the others fall for our mistakes.
“On a team, it’s not the strength of the individual players, but it is the strength of the unit and how they all function together.” – Bill Belichick, Head Coach, New England Patriots (2000-Present), New York Jets (1999), Cleveland Browns (1991-95)
Why it’s great: For a team to function effectively, individuals on the team must hold their own egos in check and make both the team and the team’s goals more important than individual members or their individual contributions. Teamwork is not about getting along with everyone because, let’s face it, that will never happen. If we understand another person’s behaviors and adapt ours to a more team-centered approach, we can become better producers. That is the little secret of playing nice in the sandbox and it is a strategy I implement with community management.
“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” – Vince Lombardi, Head Coach, Green Bay Packers (1959-67)
Why it’s great: Highly effective teams have five things in common:
- They are committed to performing their best
- They never settle for average
- They pay attention to detail
- They perform with consistency
- They are dependable and don’t make excuses
These are the five things I ask of my community management team. Commitment expresses itself through consistency, particularly in the behavior of the team members.
They’re willing and able to what needs to be done in order to achieve the team’s goals. In the movie Miracle, U.S. Olympic team coach Herb Brooks (played by actor Kurt Russell) says, “I am not looking for the best players. I am looking for the right players.”
You know it when you have people on your team upon whom you cannot depend. Everyone on the team knows it. Likewise, you know the ones you can depend on. When crunch time comes, do your teammates compensate for you or are you a go-to player?
Coaches understand the importance of teamwork, and we can learn a lot from their perspective of successful football coaches. If you’re interested in working with a property management team that works as hard as University of Alabama, contact Beacon Property Management today. Roll tide!
