Uncommon Beliefs - by Stephen Mackey (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Most leaders aren't held back by what they lack. They are held back by what they have never examined.

There are seven pressures that will test every leader, and most leaders are unprepared for all of them: adversity, uncertainty, truth, standards, identity, support, and purpose. Each pressure reaches past skill and strategy and asks a harder question: What do you actually believe? The leaders who thrive under pressure aren't the ones with more talent or better systems. They are the ones whose beliefs have been examined deeply enough to govern their behavior in the hardest moments life and leadership have to offer.

Uncommon Beliefs is not a book about leading others. This is a book about leading yourself first -- the work that has to happen before you have any business leading anyone else. The work most leaders skip. The work you'll wish you had done when the pressure is on and everyone is counting on you.

Drawing on two decades of work with over 2.5 million coaches, athletes, and team leaders across the country, Wall Street Journal bestselling author Stephen Mackey makes a hard case: talent, timing, and technology all create early separation, but every one of them can be matched, copied, or taken away. The only competitive edge that holds under real pressure is character -- intentionally formed, examined, and developed long before you need it most.

Uncommon Beliefs is built around seven examined convictions that show up consistently in the leaders who don't crack under pressure:

• Hard isn't bad
• Optimism requires no evidence
• I am not my performance
• Truth is not my enemy
• Mastery is not the destination
• I don't have to do it alone
• It's not about me

Each belief is built out through stories drawn from real confessions, failures, and hard-fought victories. The book offers no formulas and no shortcuts, only a mirror to see yourself clearly with, and a refusal to let you off the hook.

For coaches, athletic directors, healthcare leaders, executives, and anyone who has achieved early success and is beginning to sense that what got them here may not be enough to sustain them, Uncommon Beliefs is not a strategy book. It is a diagnostic. It is the kind of book that shows you more of yourself the longer you read it.

From the Back Cover

PRAISE FOR UNCOMMON BELIEFS

"I've read a lot of books on leadership, but Uncommon Beliefs goes deeper. Mackey's not here to tell us what to do, but to challenge what we believe, by examining our values, and making hard choices. That's why true character is so rare, but those who have it gain something few others enjoy: peace of mind, and clarity during tough times. Uncommon Beliefs will make you rethink not just how you lead, but why."
--JOHN U. BACON, New York Times bestselling author of Let Them Lead

"Uncommon Beliefs is a gift to everyone who desires to realize their highest potential. From the seven principles to build a competitive edge that lasts, to the seven pressure tests that provide a rich framework for forever growth, Stephen Mackey gives us a treasure for building what greatness requires--a lifelong path of building your foundation."
--BRAD BLACK, President and CEO, Humanex Ventures

"If you're winning right now, you need this book more than you think--and Stephen is one of the few people honest enough to tell you why. Uncommon Beliefs goes after the thing success hides: the gap between what you say and how you show up in life's hardest moments. Most leadership books hand you a system. Stephen hands you a mirror. It's hard, it's uncomfortable, and it's the most useful thing a leader can read."
--DAMON WEST, bestselling co-author of The Coffee Bean

"Mackey is an expert at breaking down what it takes to build character and impact everyone around you. If you want to transform your leadership, he is your guy and this is your book. But be warned: it demands more than a read. Like Mackey, you have to walk the walk yourself!"
--CAT OSTERMAN, 3x U.S. Olympian and General Manager of the Texas Volts

About the Author

STEPHEN MACKEY is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, keynote speaker, and founder and CEO of 2Words Character Development, a platform used by over 2.5 million students and coaches in over 30 states. He co-founded The Texas Way, a statewide character initiative that achieved a 13% decrease in student ejections, and serves as Character and Leadership Coach for Formula Zero, founded by NBA All-Star Damian Lillard. Since 2017, he has delivered over 1,700 speeches nationwide.