Stine-Cheyne Consulting, LLC: Leadership Education, Training, Coaching

Do you worry about writing? What and how you write really does make a difference. I teach graduate level leadership classes and advise Doctoral students as chair of their dissertation committees. One thing I have noticed is difficulty and sometimes downright lack of ability to write coherently. Some of my students just don't understand why I emphasize writing and devote about 15% of their grade to organization, formatting, spelling, grammar, and mechanics.
This article explains why it is so important.

A non-exhaustive list of my favorite things about working at companies with a culture of writing Gets everyone thinking more clearly, and therefore communicating more clearly, about their work: Have you ever had the feeling you know a thing inside out, but then as soon as it comes time to talk about that thing in a meeting, the words come out all wrong? I have. In

I was watching Michael Strahan interviewing Andrew Whitworth this morning on Good Morning America about winning the Superbowl. Something Whitworth said really stood out to me: "Never let someone's opinions become your reality." What a great reminder as we seek to influence others to work together toward a common goal.

Reflect on this and what it means to you as a leader.

Leaders have the responsibility and obligation to both ask for and give forgiveness. It may not be easy or a magic cure for hurt and anger, but it does remove barriers, and that's a start.

Received the message below in an email today from Gary Chapman's 5 Love Languages.

"4 things forgiveness won't do...

Have you ever struggled to forgive someone who has wronged you? If so, you are not alone. But if your intention is to remove the barrier and begin the process of restoring the relationship with that person, a sincere apology must be offered and forgiveness extended.

One might say, "I don't feel like forgiving." The truth is, not many of us do. What we need to know, though, is this: forgiveness is not a feeling. It's a decision to offer grace instead of demanding justice.

When it comes to forgiveness however, there are a lot of misconceptions that muddy the process. To better understand forgiveness, here are four things forgiveness DOES NOT do:

Forgiveness does not wipe our memory.
Forgiveness does not remove all the consequences of wrongdoing.
Forgiveness does not rebuild trust.
Forgiveness does not always result in reconciliation.

[Chapman writes] more about these in [his] book, Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married. However, as mentioned in the beginning of the email, one thing forgiveness does do is it removes barriers. If we choose not to forgive, then the barrier remains, and the relationship continues to be estranged. Time alone will not heal the relationship. Healing requires the decision to forgive. And forgiveness opens the door to the possibility of growth."

Love this! 🙌

"It's not so much what you do, but what you do after you've done what you did." ~Gary Landreth

How does this apply to leadership? Be transparent, own your flaws, ask for help, apologize. Do these things make you weak? OR Do they make you strong?

Please watch for the young lady!

So true. This takes courage and confidence in the evidence that informed your opinion.

dad always said opinions are like.... (quote by on IG and Tony Goldmark)

As I reflect and educate myself on how to be a good leader and a good educator of leaders I have been seeking to understand the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. In my research, I came across this article and think it does a good job explaining.

The Dos and Don'ts of Cultural Appropriation Borrowing from other cultures isn’t just inevitable, it’s potentially positive.

Give this a listen. It's free. There items available for purchase and proceeds purchases go toward donations of free meals. https://www.becomingunstoppable.com/join-jkl
She also has a new book available tomorrow.

Believe IT by Jamie Kern Lima Believe It: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable - Jamie Kern Lima, founder of IT Cosmetics, shares the wild but true story of how a once struggling waitress turned her against-the-grain idea into an international best-selling sensation, eventually selling the company for over a billion doll...

We've had a lot of examples of "leadership" lately - good, bad, ugly, beautiful, cruel, kind, gracious, productive, destructive, reactive, responsive, decisive, elusive, humble, arrogant, etc.

What stands out to you? What lessons learned or take aways have you gotten from the past several months?

If you were a leader within the national spotlight - what would be your message? On what priorities would you focus?

How often have you chosen not to tell a necessary truth in the name of politeness or so you wouldn't "make someone mad" at you?

I heard once heard someone say, "Leading is not a popularity contest." And someone else say, "Leaders have to be willing to have the hard conversations."

The question is, which, politeness or truth, will make the biggest difference in the long run?