I remember back in 2012, we were only a few weeks into the college football season, and the University of Alabama Crimson Tide had fans shaking their heads in awe.

While they were the defending National Champions at the time, many pundits thought they would be good but not great that year. The Tide had lost many players to the NFL, leaving their lineup at the beginning of the season relatively untested and inexperienced.

Nevertheless, the Tide rolled up three pretty impressive victories, two of which were over teams that most people thought would pose a real test.

This kind of success makes folks wonder what sort of leadership makes it possible. Alabama’s coach, Nick Saban, saw his reputation grow weekly and annually because of his stellar recruiting at Alabama and previously at Michigan State and LSU. His reputation also expanded as coaches left his staff to become head coaches elsewhere, building quality programs using lessons learned under him.

A writer named Jason Selk offered some observations about Saban’s approach that would help any leader—especially those of us trying to bring “lean” thinking into the operations we influence.

Selk says that what makes Saban successful is his daily preaching of a “process focus” to his team.

According to Selk, a coach who uses a “process focus” doesn’t dwell on winning or losing. Instead, he encourages coaches and players to define success by effort. Units of the team and individual players work to outline the “processes” that help them execute their jobs better. Once these definitions are solid, the real work begins—consistently executing those processes. In Saban’s world, a continually refined process, executed consistently well, leads to good results. Good results lead to victories.

That’s lean thinking. Improve in the weight room by adding techniques that make you stronger, then execute the routine by showing up every day.

Cut down on fumbles by carrying the ball in a way that minimizes the risk of fumbling. Learn the best process and do it that way every time.

These same ideas work for us in manufacturing, in the office, or during a sales call. Think about the processes we use. Make them as good as they can be. Execute them 100% of the time. That’s process focus.

-Howe Q. Wallace Jr