For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a person focused on commitment and trust. To me, if you aren’t committed to what you say you’ll do, and you aren’t a person of character who’s willing to back it up, can you really be trusted? 

My wife and I will celebrate 30 years of marriage in December. It’s a relationship that while not always sunshine and daisies, has been successful because we both share the same goals, values and principles. While the process of any relationship, and maybe specifically marriage, isn’t always perfect, we never quit striving to make it so. It’s the pursuit of perfection that makes you great, not necessarily achieving it. I know this… I’m a better man, husband and father because of her. And I’d like to think the same is true for her, that at least one or two of my strengths have helped her over the years.

As I was sitting in the hospital last week just after knee surgery (yes, that’s why I was on a scooter at the NASGW Expo, because the knees finally just gave up on me), I was scrolling through Instagram and came across a post about Nick Saban, coach of the Alabama football team, and his very similar view when it comes to the quality of people he believes it takes to make a solid team.

I think any objective observer can agree that Coach Saban and his views on program leadership and development are a huge reason why Alabama football has enjoyed so much recent success. Say what you want about the guy, or the program, or if you just hate the Crimson Tide, but hopefully you have respect for what they’ve accomplished as a program for that university. Saban’s view is that everyone on the team has to share in the same strong belief system. Without 100% trust that the people around you share your values and work-ethic, you will not reach the pinnacle of performance.

If an organization, an industry, a family, a couple – whatever team you want to refer to – hopes to move forward, it’s incredibly important that you get on the same page in your standards, principles and values. Those must be clearly articulated by leadership. They must be clearly embraced by all. It’s one thing to believe in someone, but do you trust them enough to put your success in their hands?

Saban goes on to talk about the fact that mediocre people don’t like high-achievers and high-achievers don’t like mediocre people. Well, that makes a lot of sense to me honestly. Mediocre or average people just want to get by and high-achievers make them uncomfortable. They don’t want to be bothered and certainly not criticized. Honestly, that’s pretty common in the world we live in.

On the flip side, high-achievers don’t like average people because they don’t care as much and are hard to trust. High-achievers are uncertain that average performers share the ultimate goal. And candidly, they don’t. Seriously, there’s probably nothing more cancerous to team morale than if some people are willing to put it all on the line, to have trust in each other, only to find out that their colleagues aren’t on the same page.

Fortunately, for as long as I’ve been at NASGW, 9-years now, we’ve had some of the most dedicated and incredibly gifted people helping us move the organization forward. From the many board members I’ve had the privilege to work with, to every person on what we affectionately call “Team Awesome,” we all believe passionately in what we’re doing. We are blessed and happy to be able to do it with and for you, our members. As the Thanksgiving holiday closes in, I want to express my incredible level of gratitude for the team and their performance in Columbus, Ohio. Reviews from attendees have been outstanding. But if there’s something we didn’t do right, or you believe we could have done better, please make sure to let us know. Great teams should never be afraid of criticism, because it will only make us stronger. And that way we can bring you an even better experience when we gather again in Kansas City next fall. Work is already underway.

The whole point of my message to you today folks is this: the best things in life are the people that you get to do those things with. Sure, I’m blessed and thankful to have things in my life, but to be surrounded by great people is to have the world at your fingertips. Working collaboratively and cooperatively with people who share your same values and principles, what more could you ask for? Strength and success come when like-minded people agree to put their trust in each other, working toward a common goal. You form an unbreakable bond, which is better than any “thing” I could ever dream of.

As I outlined in our annual membership renewal message, we’ve got a lot to be proud of and thankful for at NASGW, and we’ve got a lot to shoot for in the future. And like the Alabama football team does each week, we’ll keep trying to score touchdowns for this industry.

Enjoy the holiday and please take a moment to give thanks for those men and women who gave it all for us. A belated Happy Veteran’s Day to all of you out there who put everything on the line for our country and our freedom. We owe you more than we can ever repay. Blessings to you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

Until next time,