The Locker Room: How Great Teams Heal Hurt, Overcome Adversity, and Build Unity - Hardcover

by Damon West (Author), Stephen Mackey (Author)

A Wall Street Journal Bestseller

Explore the power of communication to heal hurt, overcome adversity, and build a unified team

In The Locker Room, bestselling author Damon West and player development coach Stephen Mackey team up to explore difficult conversations about eliminating both discrimination and the cancel culture, as well as overcoming adversity. The book tells the story of four characters: two high school football coaches and two players, each of whom must deal with the fallout of an offensive comment that severely disrupts the unity and cohesion of their locker room and threatens to destroy their team.

In The Locker Room, you'll find:

• A guide to building an inclusive culture
• The blueprint for using servant leadership and a willingness to listen to break down barriers
• Encouragement to have the difficult conversations that lie at the heart of modern life
• Strategies for navigating your personal and professional life in a way that gracefully deals with the realities of prejudice, discrimination, and cancel culture
• Techniques for giving all people an equal voice and an equal chance at success through learning with humility and teaching with grace

An indispensable exploration of some of the most critical and most difficult issues faced by professionals, coaches, athletes, and students today, The Locker Room is a must-read resource that belongs in the libraries of anyone who seeks a life or culture that can not only overcome adversity, but can also use it to reach their goals and improve their communities.

Front Jacket

Integrity. Vision. Respect. For the most successful and unified teams, organizations, and families, core values like these are more than words--they are a way of living. But what happens when unforeseen conflict causes you to abandon the ideals you hold most tightly to? How do you find your way again? What does it take to restore trust, faith, and productivity?

In The Locker Room: How Great Teams Heal Hurt, Overcome Adversity, and Build Unity, Damon West and Stephen Mackey deliver an insightful and practical exploration of this kind of situation. The book tells the story of four characters--two coaches and two players--two of whom are Black and two of whom are white, who must deal with the fallout of an offensive comment made by one of the white student athletes.

After the comment destroys the unity of their previously productive locker room, the young athletes and their coaches must navigate the difficult realities of prejudice and privilege that affect the lives of people today. As they move forward in an attempt to heal the damage, the players and coaches discover strategies for gracefully communicating about--and dealing with--these difficult issues in ways that acknowledge the equal personhood of everyone in the conversation.

The Locker Room seeks to provide athletes, employees, managers, coaches, and leaders from all backgrounds the tools and techniques they need to give everyone an equal voice and an equal chance at success. It is an indispensable resource for those who seek to have the difficult conversations that lie at the heart of modern life.

Back Jacket

PRAISE FOR THE LOCKER ROOM

"The Locker Room is a riveting read that intersects fiction with reality. Thanks to Damon and Stephen, this country can learn harmony and compassion for our fellow man through the prism of an all-inclusive locker room."
--JIM NANTZ, lead CBS NFL sportscaster

"The Locker Room is an insightful portrayal of what many of us in coaching have experienced throughout our careers. I want to congratulate Damon and Stephen on this impactful narrative, and I hope many, both in and out of sports, use it to continue this critical conversation. I often say, if the world could be like a locker room, it would be a much better place."
--MACK BROWN, Head Football Coach, University of North Carolina

"When respectful conversations occur, more growth can occur. The Locker Room will impact more than athletes. Anyone and everyone needs this book."
--CAT OSTERMAN, 3x U.S. Olympian

"As a diverse executive in Corporate America, I am thrilled there is finally a book that successfully navigates the polarizing topics of racism and the cancel culture. The principles in this book are a blueprint for discussing any difficult topic, building a stronger team, and creating a better culture."
--CEDRIC CLARK, East Business Unit President, Walmart

"Damon and Stephen help us all see how listening to each other, learning from one another, loving those around us, and leading with integrity are not just strategies to overcome adversity and hurt, but the foundation of unity in sports and in life."
--JOE MARTIN, Executive Director, Texas High School Coaches Association

"Coaches everywhere, this should be your next team read. With humility and grace, Damon and Stephen navigate the ever-more challenging human dynamic facing not only America's locker rooms but also its leaders. A rim-rattling slam dunk!"
--GEORGE RAVELING, Member: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame

Author Biography

DAMON WEST is a keynote speaker, author of The Change Agent, and coauthor of the bestselling book The Coffee Bean and The Coffee Bean for Kids. His clients include Fortune 100 companies, NFL and NBA teams, and dozens of Division One college athletic programs.

STEPHEN MACKEY is a keynote speaker and player development coach whose 2Words Character Development Program reaches over 500,000 students, athletes, and educators across the country.