University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban may be one of the most successful college coaches of all time. His teams have won six national championships and his overall coaching record at Alabama is 141-21. Part of his success may come from his willingness to reach out to other coaches for assistance.
“Well, there’s been many occasions where the guys that are coaching other places, even in our league, call on occasion and ask questions…” said Saban. “And sometimes I call them and ask for their advice and opinion on things.”
Throughout his career, Saban has developed an extensive network of resources and he has the good sense to use them. Too many professionals focus on accumulating LinkedIn connections, collecting business cards or attending networking events but then fail to take advantage of the knowledge these connections possess.
Reach out. Bounce ideas off others. Ask for help. Learn new things. Double check your assumptions. Commiserate with like-minded souls.
Having a network provides no benefit unless you use it.
Quote from “Saban’s coaching tree casts large shadow by Charles Odum for the Associated Press in the Telegraph Herald, July 22, 2018, p. 8B
