May 24, 2017
Scott Mann, storyteller, rooftop leader, military
expert, and author, shares his experiences and research into the
tribal origins of leadership. He tells of desert villages fighting
terror, and C-suites dealing with massive trust deficits, with both
groups in need of the same tools for success. He reminds us that
technology does not change what we need, or how we connect. Scott
sees a great deterioration of trust and social capital in Western
life, and, to combat that erosion, he teaches how stories work to
bridge gaps to create trust. He also expresses his concerns for
transitioning warriors, and talks about his book, Mission
America, helping veterans work in society using their
team-building skills. Listen in and tap into your team’s innate
tribal need to work together effectively.
Key Takeaways
[3:07] ‘Rooftop leader’ comes from Scott’s book
Game Changers, from the Afghanistan Village Stability
Program. Late in the war, Green Berets led improbable and dangerous
missions, inspiring locals to stand on the rooftops and fight
alongside them to defend their communities. Scott was the program
manager, taking it from village to village. Scott applies rooftop
leadership in coaching today.
[5:19] Scott’s plan on separating from the military
was to go fishing! But he started writing. He compared social
capital and trust in America and in Afghanistan, and worked with
social scientists, anthropologists, and dispute resolution experts.
In 1972, Gallup asked Americans, “Do you trust your neighbor?” and
⅓ did not. In 2016, Gallup asked the same
question, and ⅔ did not. Scott works now to
restore trust.
[7:46] Corporate America, law enforcement, and other
disciplines are dealing with massive trust deficits. The skills
necessary to restore trust are very similar to what our Green
Berets do. There’s a real demand signal for it, so Scott is
responding. It is done incrementally, one group at a time, and it
is not easily done.
[12:00] Scott talks about the warrior-diplomat role
of the Green Berets. Green Berets work by, with, and through
indigenous people to help them do things they otherwise wouldn’t
do, that result in strategic outcomes, in places most people don’t
want to go. Scott teaches Green Berets, and law enforcement going
into rough communities; his entrepreneurial training is very
similar.
[13:26] Humans haven’t changed. Electronic devices do
not revise our nature. Humans are the most tribal creatures on the
planet, and we respond tribally in danger. Turning the instincts of
physical connection, empathy, reciprocity, deep listening, and
others, into cognizant skills, will allow you to make deeper
connections in most places, than people without these skills.
Reciprocity brings people along.
[16:25] Scott discusses his nonprofit, Mission
America, and his book of the same title, helping Special Forces and
other warrior veterans transition to civilian life. Leaving the
mission creates a disconnect, isolation, and a void to fill. Scott
is passionate about helping warriors make that transition.
[20:30] Scott says that corporations may be able to
approach the purpose and trust of Special Operations, in small
steps. We can do better than we are doing now. Scott also believes
men and women in service need to be coached on the transition,
before they leave active duty. Scott wants to see a brotherhood and
sisterhood of veterans organized to help the transition
process.
[24:43] Scott says that a business can approach an
honor-based tribal society. Scott sees this culture among small
business entrepreneurs. Scott has friends at Amazon and Google who
love the cultures there. Scott cites Capital One for a fantastic
culture. He sees the problem of eroding trust as an obstacle and a
division between people, not just in the workplace, but in all of
American society.
[27:35] Scott talks about restoring trust. He cites
Simon Sinek and Bo Eason on leadership. Scott’s rooftop leader has
a crystal clear vision of a better world that doesn’t yet exist,
and a dynamic ability to inspire others to help them build it.
First, you have to restore the trust gaps. Leave tracks. Serve a
bigger purpose. Begin with the end in mind (Steven Covey). Have
clarity. Believe fully in what you are doing.
[30:06] Scott advises leaders to connect deeply. Work
for deep human connections. Scott says to value connections, meet
people where they are, and lead with stories, to build empathy.
[31:55] Scott tells of a TED Talk, where he faced a
hostile audience. He spoke first about rooftop leaders, and then
about his Dad’s battle with cancer. No one was with him, until that
story. People identify with stories that move the storyteller. That
identification elicits empathy and connection. That story, when
Scott tells it, always shifts an audience. To tell a story well,
you must reveal your pain and vulnerability.
[38:25] Scott gives another skill tip for stories:
It’s not just the stories that we tell that restore trust, it’s the
stories that we ask to hear. If you can find a way to ask questions
that let people tell you their stories, and let them tell you how
things got to this place, you not only learn what the problems are,
but you validate their humanity, at the most visceral level. Lean
in, listen, and work it into your story. It’s magical.
[45:22] Scott tells Green Berets as they start their
training: “You’re going to have to be three avatars: Jason Bourne,
Lawrence of Arabia, and the Verizon Guy.” Jason Bourne to manage
lethal and coercive threats with precision, Lawrence of Arabia to
manage emotion, perception, and status, and the Verizon Guy, to
build a network and tribe who will listen and work around a common
problem.
Book: Mission
America: Straight Talk About Military Transition, by Scott
Mann
Email: Scott@Mannup.com Veterans — ask for a free copy of
Mission America.
Website: Therealmissionamerica.org (Soon to be Warrior
Voice, The Hero’s Journey Continues)
Website: Mannup.com
Podcast: MannupReport
Twitter: @RealScottMann
LinkedIn: Scott Mann
Faceboook: Scott
Mann
Bio
Scott Mann, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) — Green Beret —
Storyteller — Rooftop Leader Scott Mann spent 23 years in the
United States Army — 18 years of that as a Green Beret in Army
Special Forces, where he specialized in unconventional, high-impact
missions all over the world, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru,
Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan. Scott’s problem-solving
abilities were honed during long deployments in places where trust
was absent, conflict rampant, and he had seconds to make real
connections with local communities using his head, his heart — and
when threats closed in against these Communities — his hands. With
those skills, Scott now helps organizations gain a better
understanding of their internal culture, and their external
relationships, while exposing the potential for conflict that
exists when trust has deteriorated.
In the same way he empowered local tribes in Iraq and
Afghanistan to make transformative decisions, using very few
resources, Scott teaches corporate leaders, special operators, law
enforcement, and high-performance entrepreneurs and their teams to
create strategic opportunities through the relationship-building
techniques that drove so many of his successful Special Forces
experiences.
Scott appears frequently on CNN, Bloomberg, Fox and
Friends, Fox Business News, News Max, and dozens of syndicated
radio shows including National Public Radio, Wall Street Journal
Radio, Fox News Radio, and the Jim Bohannon Show. His op-eds have
appeared in The Tampa Tribune, Washington Post, and the Small Wars
Journal.
Books Mentioned in This Episode
Seven Pillars of Wisdom, by T. E. Lawrence
Game Changers: Going Local to Defeat Violent Extremists,
by Scott Mann
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, by
Patrick Lencioni