Nobody Is Coming to Save You

A Green Beret's Guide to Getting Big Sh*t Done

By: Scott Mann

Narrated by: Scott Mann, Mike Rowe

A New York Times bestselling author and leadership coach shares his invaluable secrets for successfully motivating people to action in low-trust, high-stakes environments.

For years, Scott Mann worked in environments where nobody was coming to save him, his men, or the exhausted majority of Afghans they served. He learned that the best way to get big sh*t done and bridge vast divisions is to meet people where they are, not where you want them to be. He calls this approach Rooftop Leadership.

Wherever you live, work, or play—in real estate, in corporate sales, in HR, for a community volunteer group, in a non-profit, in politics—the hardest thing to find these days is authentic connection with other people. The social trends and fraying of civil society after more than two years of prolonged isolation from Covid, mass technology, organizational strain, and blinking-red stress levels on our emotional dashboards have taken a toll.

​With inspiring stories about his experiences in the military and candid reflections on civilian life, Scott Mann connects readers to a more ancient, primal aspect of their nature rendered dormant by the modern world. Nobody Is Coming to Save You shows readers how to navigate the Churn that's dividing us and learn to make new and deeper connections to ourselves, each other, and the natural world around us.

Critic reviews

“Nobody’s Coming to Save You is written by a man who knows from personal experience how teaching the sharp lessons of self-reliance, setting goals, and never giving in until the mission is accomplished makes the world a better place, as those lessons are keys to greater self-confidence and a strong sense of character. I know Lt Colonel (ret) Scott Mann as a friend and leader who knows how to get stuff done. He has seen his share of combat, has served our country well, and anyone who reads his book will benefit greatly from the stories he shares and the inspirational heroes we meet along the way.”—Gary Sinise, actor and founder of Gary Sinise Foundation

“Some people serve a term, and some a career, but only a select few serve for a lifetime. LTC Scott Mann's heart bleeds for our freedom and for our country. When he is sending us a message, we should all pay attention."—Shawn Ryan, former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor and host of the “The Shawn Ryan Show” podcast

“Why should you or I listen to a Green Beret on the subject of taking charge of our own lives in this era of divisiveness and disillusion? Because the Special Forces mindset of ‘Influence without authority’ is the key to self-motivation, self-reinforcement, and self-belief. Lt. Col. Scott Mann has not only ‘been there and done that’ in overseas combat commands but he's brought it all home through his brain-children---Rooftop Leadership, Operation Pineapple Express, the Heroes Journey; he's even written, produced, and taken the stage (and soon a movie) in Last Out, about the ordeal of the warrior's return to civilian life. The common denominator of all these ventures---and of Nobody Is Coming To Save You---is the mindset of Start-It-Yourself, Don't-Wait-To-Get-Chosen. Scott is the greatest champion I know of bottom-up leadership. In this age of polarization and catastrophization, the answer to ‘Who is coming to save us?’ can only be one thing: We ourselves. We are coming to save us. Scott Mann and Nobody Is Coming To Save You point us to the tools and the mindset to make this happen.”—Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of Gates of Fire and The War of Art

Scott Mann is a talented and lucid writer who has a lot of wise things to say about the attention deficit Internet-driven world that so many of us live in and how to reconnect to a better, calmer version of ourselves. And he should know, as someone who lived among the people in Afghanistan as a US Special Forces officer and then tried to get as many American allies out of Afghanistan when the US military withdrew from the country in 2021, he has lived through some of the most stressful episodes in recent American military history, and he brings a lot of the wisdom that he derived from these experiences to his excellent book.—Peter Bergen, author of The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden

Not what I expected

I thought this was going to be about getting a things done on your own. I was wrong. Leaning into your people, admitting what you don’t know, and making connections were not how I thought this book was going to play out. Very inspiring!

THIS title was so TIMELY FOR THIS MOST RECENT TRAGEDY IN NC

the "TIPS herein are VITAL to go VIRAL and RUN WITH!" (quoting my words with emphasis on VISION)

relatable stories

It was thought provoking and inspiring! I found it moving, and a humble man trying to share his experiences and lessons learned for the betterment of everyone who hears him.

Timeless and on time advice for all Americans and friends

LTC(R) Scott Mann hits the nail on the head with this book leaving easy tools to adapt and hone in our every day tasks and endeavors. Scott empowers us all to stand up for what is right, meet our neighbors in the middle and rise up against the loud outliers making it seem as though America is crumbling. Roof top leadership, story telling, and other lessons in this book I recommend for any and every one. I’ll be reading this again and again.

A different take

This book had a different take on leadership and how to connect. It was worth the read I think.