The following are my favorite quotes from Lt. Col. Scott Mann's Nobody Is Coming to Save You: A Green Beret's Guide to Getting Big Sh*t Done.
- Ultimately, this is how we get big shit done: by being able to relate to the pain of others, and by being more relevant to their goals.
- Humans are ancient creatures who seek Meaning, are primarily Emotional, are definitely Social, and are all Storytellers who constantly Struggle.
- True leaders serve not only the people around them, but also the people who come long after they're gone.
- If you're already working on a legacy, then you'll know. But if you aren't, as is more likely the case, don't fret. Grab a pen and some paper, find a quiet place, and write for seven minutes about the legacy you'd like to leave. A hidden gem will reveal itself, even if it's barely twinkling.
- Clean your side of the street. In all likelihood, and I mean nobody, is going to make you get clear. That's your personal responsibility.
- My dad always said, "If you want to get back to human nature, get back to nature."
- There is a spiritual component to getting outside. The natural world has the power to shatter our fear-based, trance state and restore our sense of meaning and our connections, not just between ourselves and our environment, but between one another. We must give these actions the intentional respect they deserve.
- According to the psychiatrist and educator Ivan Tyrrell, "Movement and meaning are inextricably linked." In fact, he says, "A truly spiritual person is not a hermit sitting on a mountain contemplating his navel, but someone involved in the world, working, serving others and opposing tyranny of all kinds."
- Making a human connection and gaining initial rapport is essential before commencing with your agenda. Asking thoughtful, open-ended questions that allow the other party to respond in narrative. Striving to see the pictures in their head that drive their goals and illuminate their pain. Engaging with an intention of pure curiosity and discovery. Preparing your body through breathwork for being relatable and relevant before the next tense presentation to your boss begins. These simple moves exponentially reduce the emotional temperature in the room.
- Logic doesn't move people. Emotions do.
- The secret to a successful interaction, no matter if it's with a total stranger or the president of the United States, is to show up with an intention 100 percent built around discovery.
- Stories provide meaning, context, emotional connection, and are remembered for a long time.
- Beware of the desire to prejudge of self-edit your story when bringing it into the world. Stay the course. Fight for it. It literally has the potential to change someone's life--including your own.
- There is another universal lesson for storytelling that you can take from these rough places: It's not always the stories we tell that change hearts and minds...It's the stories we ask to hear.
- "The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek." Joseph Campbell
- The leaders I found to be the most authentic and worthy of personal sacrifice were those who were willing to admit when they had gaps in knowledge or needed advice.
