15. The Very Best Leaders Are Great Communicators—“Here’s what we have to offer both academically and athletically. I’ll launch you to an NFL career. Take it or leave it.” —Saban
16. The Very Best Leaders Are Great Recruiters—“Nick only hires coaches who have reputations for being good recruiters.” —Curt Cignetti
17. The Very Best Leaders Limit Surprises—“Coach Saban does not like to be surprised by anything.” —McElwain
18. The Very Best Leaders Are Resilient—“That’s what Coach preaches—check-downs are touchdowns. I’m not going to force it. It’s about living for the next play.” —A.J. McCarron
19. The Very Best Leaders Make Great Decisions—“Every choice, every decision, everything that we do every day, we want to be a champion.” —Saban
20. The Very Best Leaders Look Forward Rather Than Backward—“We’re not going to talk about what we’re going to accomplish; we’re going to talk about how we’re going to do it.” —Saban
21. The Very Best Leaders Have Great Attention to Detail—“Nick knows every part of the program and every person who touches the program.” —McElwain
22. The Very Best Leaders Work Hard Every Single Day—“Work hard today to be a champion tomorrow. The message never changes. Never.” —McElwain
23. The Very Best Leaders Give Maximum Effort—“If you’re with Nick, you have to give maximum effort, all day, every day.” —McElwain
24. The Very Best Leaders Prepare Better Than Others—“Don’t worry about accepting failure, worry about the process of preparing.” —Saban quoting Dr. Kevin Elko
25. The Very Best Leaders Are Really Not That Complicated—“I’m not really a complicated person. I just work hard.” —Saban
