BUILD UNCOMMON LEADERS
Develop Gen Z and emerging talent into resilient, trustworthy, accountable leaders.
1,700+
Keynotes and Trainings Delivered
2.5M+
Emerging Leaders And The People Who Lead Them.
20+
Years Developing The Next Generation
THE EMERGING LEADER GAP
YOUR NEXT LEADERS ARE
ALREADY ON THE TEAM
They’re just not ready. Yet.
25 IS THE
NEW 18
Adolescence now lasts into the mid-20s, and today’s teens are reaching adult milestones later than any generation before them. They’ll spend nearly as many years in adolescence after high school as they did in middle and high school combined.
Source: Sawyer et al., The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health (2018); Twenge et al., Child Development (2017)
75%
of employers call their recent grad hires unsatisfactory.
6 in 10
companies fired a recent grad they hired that year.
90%
say new grads need training.
Source: Intelligent.com survey of ~1,000 U.S. business leaders, (2024)
THEY’RE NOT LAZY.
THEY’RE UNDEVELOPED.
Everyone expects them to lead.
But no one taught them to lead.
This isn’t a Gen Z problem.
It’s a leadership problem.
AND IT’S SOLVABLE.
Trusted By
WHY MACKEY
IT TAKES EVERY GENERATION TO
REACH THE NEXT GENERATION.
From the locker room to the boardroom, Mackey equips every generation to lead and build an edge that lasts.
COACH
Twenty years alongside Gen Z, from their first locker room to their first job and beyond. Mackey knows how they think, how to reach them, and how to bring out their best.
BUILDER
Founder and CEO of 2Words Character Development, Mackey knows what it takes to build a team, a culture, and a company.
TEACHER
More than a motivator, Mackey develops and delivers clear, practical frameworks your people can use the next morning.
HOW MACKEY HELPS
LEADERSHIP, LEVEL BY LEVEL.
EDUCATION • TEAMS • ORGANIZATIONS
THE FOUR LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP
01 · Character
LEAD YOURSELF
Before you can lead others, you have to lead yourself.
02 · Relationships
Lead Your Teammates
Trust is the currency of leadership.
03 · Culture
Lead Your Team
Are you a doer, an achiever, or a leader?
04 · Impact
LEAD YOUR COMMUNITY
It's not about you.
SIGNATURE KEYNOTES
UNCOMMON BELIEFS
How to Build a Competitive Edge That Lasts
Pressure doesn’t build character. It reveals it. In this signature keynote, Mackey shares four uncommon principles from his book for building an edge no one can take away: the character that makes you a resilient, trustworthy, and accountable leader, no matter your title.
Book this when: you need one message that works for the whole team, from first-year teachers to 30-year veterans, or from new hires to executives. Convocations, kickoffs, and conference keynotes.
UNCOMMON TRUST
How to Build Trust Across Generations
Trust is the currency of leadership, and it’s running low between generations. Your staff will learn why the generations misread each other and what each side can do to earn trust back.
Book this when: your veteran staff and young hires aren’t connecting, or your managers are leading people they don’t understand.
UNCOMMON CULTURE
The Four C’s of Culture Change
Culture doesn’t change because of a slogan. It changes when leaders commit to four things: Clear objectives, Common language, Challenging curriculum, and Coach engagement. It’s the model behind The Texas Way, a statewide culture initiative in Texas high school athletics that cut ejections 28% in two years. The biggest factor? Leader engagement. Culture follows the leader. In this keynote, leaders leave with a plan to put all four C’s to work in their own team.
Book this when: you’re launching a new initiative, bringing teams together, or trying to fix a culture that isn’t working. Built for leadership teams, athletic departments, and district administrators.
UNCOMMON VALUES
The Seven-Step Process to Discover the Values That Matter Most
Most organizations have values on a wall. Few have values people actually live by. Mackey takes your team through seven steps to name what matters most and turn it into how you work every day.
Book this when: you have a new leadership team, you’re starting a strategic plan, or your stated values don’t match how people behave. Works best as a workshop or retreat session.
UNCOMMON GENERATION
How to Separate Yourself in Life and Leadership
Every student has three options when life gets hard: blame, complain, or train. Mackey challenges them to choose the third and shows them how, with a practical model for leading themselves, building the right relationships, and making an impact.
Book this when: you want students to leave with a plan, not just a pep talk. Built for college freshmen and sophomores, student-athlete programs, and high school leadership groups.
WHAT LEADERS SAY
A CHAMPION FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS
“Mackey is the bridge between generations. His ability to equip and connect with today’s leaders, and the next generation of leaders is unparalleled. A master teacher and motivator, he cuts through the noise and helps you focus on what matters most!”
Cat Ostermann
HOF Softball Player & Coach
“Stephen is an expert in leadership because he understands that lasting success isn’t built on talent, titles, or temporary motivation. As he states in his book—it’s built on character.“
Chris Singleton
Author and Speaker
Mackey’s not here to tell us what to do, but to challenge what we believe, by examining our values, and making hard choices. He will make you rethink not just how you lead, but why.
John U. Bacon
New York Times Bestselling Author
WALL STREET JOURNAL
BEST SELLING AUTHOR
Meet Stephen Mackey
Stephen Mackey is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author and one of the nation’s most trusted voices on character and leadership. His message is simple and uncommon: character isn’t an accessory to leadership. It’s the foundation.
A first-generation college graduate and Texas public school product, Mackey began working with young people in 2005. In 2017, he launched 2Words Character Development to answer one question: what would it take to help a million athletes and coaches connect the dots between sports and life? Today, 2Words has reached more than 2.5 million students and coaches across 30+ states and is used by over half of all public schools in Texas.
Now, Mackey is pursuing a bigger question: how do we develop the next generation of leaders? From the locker room to the boardroom, he has delivered more than 1,700 keynotes and trainings to students, educators, coaches, and business leaders nationwide.
BUILDING UNCOMMON LEADERS SINCE 2005
Interested in Booking?
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“Mackey Hits a home run … Every. Single. Time.
No matter how many times I hear Mackey speak, I always learn something new!”