Matt Paknis Leadership Development

"Giant corporations have rigged the courts to serve their own greed, all at the expense of working people." - Josh Orton #utilitarian #kindness #goodness #FightBack #LeadersArentBullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #speakout #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #StandFirm  Bullies, like Toray Plastics America, misjudge and equate kindness and goodness as weakness and go in for the kill. Sincere, strong, and unsuspecting targets are caught off guard by a bully’s attacks, but hold ground and fight back. The bully realizes, "I "f"ed with the wrong person!" Bullies fear the truth.

"I'd have to do it again, because long term, it's the only answer. You can't let Iran have a nuclear war.  I have to go with what's right for our country." - Donald Trump "Presidents with strong nerves are decisive. They don't balk at unpopular decisions. They are willing to make people angry." - Fred Barnes We must "bind up the nation's wounds" with "malice toward none" and "charity for all". - Abraham Lincoln "Be Americans." - George Washington #dowhatsright #strength #decisions #charity #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #unity #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #OneNation

"There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds." - Laurell K. Hamilton "The conflict between the will to deny horrible events and the will to proclaim them aloud is the central dialectic of psychological trauma." - Judith Lewis Herman #HealingIsPossible #proclaim #YouAreNotAlone #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #report #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #Intervene 

 Happy Sunday!

"Abuse is not a disease; it is a moral choice and a system of beliefs." — Lundy Bancroft "The ultimate tyranny in a relationship is the person who insists that their subjective reality is the only objective truth." — Dr. Ramani Durvasula "The human mind is a narrative machine. When someone wants to hurt another person, their mind will instantly construct a story where the harm was completely justified." — Unknown #choices #reality #truth #rational #maturity #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #objective #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #justice  

"A corrupt judge does not carefully search for the truth." — Horace "Corrupt judges accept secret bribes, and then justice is not done." — Proverbs 17:23 "No man is allowed to be a judge while influencing his own cause; because his interest would certainly bias his judgment, and, not improbably, corrupt his integrity." — James Madison,  "When justice is bought and sold, there is no more hope for society." — Anonymous #honesty #truth #influence #hope #character #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #honor #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #justice

"By submitting to huge hierarchies of power, we gain freedom from personal responsibility... Refuse to participate in this evil; insist on taking part in what is healthy, generous, and responsible. Stand up, speak out, and when necessary fight back. Get down off the fence and lend a hand, grab a-hold, be a citizen – not a subject.” - Edward Abbey “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” - Lord Acton “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” - Martin Luther King Jr. “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” - C.S. Lewis #power #freedom #protect #humanity #citizen #LeadersArentBullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #justice #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #ìntegrity  Bullies pick on someone who acts independently and refuses to kowtow - someone who's typically a veteran worker, highly skilled, and well-liked.

"If you don't talk about peace, you can't achieve it. An end to the war will not be achieved through silence.... Diplomacy matters, dialogue matters, and peace must never be dismissed as weakness. Young peacebuilders are not naïve. They are necessary.... I deal with the world as it is because it helps build a world I wish we would have, a world which we can build together." - Alexander Stubb #peace #dialogue #strength #BuildTogether #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #freedom #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #dignity

 

 "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts." - Abraham Lincoln  #truth #solveproblems #facts #humility #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #uplift #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #empower #happyhalloween  “The culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior the leader is willing to tolerate.” — Steve Gruenert and Todd Whitaker

"God works wonders now and then; Behold a lawyer, an honest man." - Benjamin Franklin "I have seen certain Federal judges controlled or influenced by large corporations..., by large law firms...,  and by special interests... (some) ought to be thrown right off the bench because they are breaking every code of conduct." - Orrin Hatch #conduct #honesty #integrity #character #code #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #truth #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #constitution

"Help one another. It is the only way to survive. No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has emerged from the kingdom of night. I believed that having survived by chance, I was duty-bound to give meaning to my survival, to justify each moment of my life. Nobody is stronger, nobody is weaker than someone who came back. There is nothing you can do to such a person because whatever you could do is less than what has already been done to him. We have already paid the price." - Elie Wiesel  #gratitude #meaning #Survival #strength #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #resilience  Workplace bullying victims are not weak, timid, or spineless as often portrayed by complicit and conniving managers who want to hide bullying. Bullying targets are usually highly skilled, ethical, honest, and well-liked.

"A word of truth can mobilise two peoples looking for the road to reconciliation." - Donald Tusk “A company’s value is closely related to its reputation. We understand reputation as an asset and we take every care to manage this asset with monitoring systems.”  - Miguel Setas "Those with determination will eventually succeed." - Sanders  Takaichi #truth #reconciliation #value #Reputation #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #ethics #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #determination

 ...yet less than 13% of the witnesses intervene or address or stop the abuse. “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” - Albert Einstein "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King Jr. "Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." - Leonardo da Vinci "I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." -  Elie Wiesel #takeaction #goodness #SpeakUp #liberty #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #empower #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #takeastand

International organizations are susceptible to bullying for several reasons: increased worker diversity, increased global employee dispersion, lack of management experience in new markets, and management needing advanced and consistent skills and behaviors.  #unity #dialogue #corevalues #beliefs #behaviors  #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #humane #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #future  "Bullying is more accepted in short term focus, aggressive cultures. It is less acceptable in long term return, future oriented, humane cultures. Bullying's deleterious long term impact is not worth any perceived short term gains.” - Jennifer Hancock

 

“People don’t just buy products, they buy stories and solutions to their problems. People buy on emotions first and use logic to rationalize it later.” - Brian Tracy “Over 90% of our buying decisions are made subconsciously... emotions rise faster and are more persuasive than logic.” - Gerald Zaltman #products #stories #solutions #influence #power #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #emotions #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #logical  

"The Mafia is alive and well in Rhode Island. It’s just moved its headquarters from Federal Hill to Smith Hill." -  Gerald Carbone "The toe you stepped on yesterday may be connected to the ass you have to kiss today." - Buddy Cianci   "The home of self-serving politicians living off of a self-serving electorate living off of a few unfortunate taxpayers... the Ocean State." - Edward Beaudreau "It’s getting so you can’t tell all the cases without a program." - Mary Ann Sorrentino #honorable #honesty #integrity #transparency #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces  #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #trustworthy  #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #selflessness

"People thrive on accountability and the freedom to act, but they can't do either if they don't know the boundaries." — Ken Blanchard "Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients." — Richard Branson "To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart." — Eleanor Roosevelt #accountability #freedom #boundaries #heart #LeadersArentBullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #employees #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #satisfaction  Bullying undermines retention, productivity, safety, equipment, goodwill, morale, and innovation.

“He’s one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced... a modern-day Thomas Edison. We have to protect our geniuses, we don't have that many of them.”- Donald Trump “I fully expect to be scrutinized and get a daily proctology exam, basically. Might as well just camp out there.” - Elon Musk #innovations #geniuses #protection #trust #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #success #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #Transparency

"The target is chosen because they possess some strength or virtue that the bully lacks—most often competence, popularity, or integrity." -  Tim Field "Envy is a factor in most workplace bullying. The bully is terrified that the target’s superior skills will make them look incompetent by comparison." - Dr. Heinz Leymann "The problem isn't that you are doing a bad job; the problem is that you are doing a good job, and your success threatens a fragile ego above or beside you." - Workplace Psychology Proverb #strength #virtue #talent #integrity #success #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #skills #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #competence #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #confidence

 

"Bullying consists of the least competent most aggressive employee projecting their incompetence on to the least aggressive most competent employee." - Tim Field "Any anti-bullying scheme, initiative or policy which fails to mention accountability for the bullies is likely to meet with little, and often no, success." -  Tim Field "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." - Desmond Tutu #competence #confidence #accountability #team #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #SpeakUp #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #justice  Healthy environments and strong leaders establish anti-bullying policies to protect workers. They take reports of maltreatment seriously and address & correct demeaning behaviors. Bad companies allow bullying to fester.  They state the behavior is not illegal.

"It's a victory when the weapons fall silent and people speak up." - Volodymyr Zelensky  "Let's build a country of opportunities, where everybody is equal before the law and where the rules of the game are honest and transparent, and the same for everyone." - Volodymyr Zelensky #victory #SpeakUp #Opportunity #equality #law #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #honesty #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #Transparency

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” — Jim Rohn “Those who reign within rule passions, desires, and fears.” — John Milton “You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” — Marcus Aurelius “If you would live your life with ease; do what you ought, not what you please.” — Anonymous #discipline #goals #power #strength #control #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #persist #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #nevergiveup

"Raimondo embodies the corrupt machine that has taken over our state." - Capri Catanzaro "A system is corrupt when it is strictly profit-driven, not driven to serve the best interests of its people." - Suzy Kassem #Honorable #Transparency #integrity #Honesty #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #truth #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #democracy #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #ofthepeople

Regarding AI, "humanity is poised to receive immense power with uncertain maturity to handle it." - Dario Amodei, co-founded Anthropic “Youth ends when egotism does; maturity begins when one lives for others.” — Hermann Hesse “One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.” — Arnold Glasow #power #Maturity #selflessness #identify #solve #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #aigenerated #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #mentalhealth

 

3 months after my book was released in 2018, Toray Plastics America violated my 1st Amendment Rights by suing me in Providence, RI Federal Court.    Toray falsely claimed a common reader could identify them in my book. In a dark coincidence, Toray hired an attorney with never disclosed collective 37 years previous professional relationships with the presiding judges.  This violated my rights to a fair trial. .  Five years later the case was dismissed, with prejudice.  Toray folded, thus admitting the case was a sham.  More to come.

“What you are speaks so loudly, I can't hear what you're saying.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson “Good leaders build products. Great leaders build cultures...” - Adam Grant “People will forget what you said... but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou #character #cultures #values #behaviors #dignity #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #team #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #respect #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #actions

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams "The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership." - Harvey S. Firestone #inspire #dream #learn #grow #develop #achieve #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #actualize #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #realiz

“Bullies hide their fears with fake bravado; the opposite of courage and assertiveness.” — Nathaniel Branden “Hatred is the coward's revenge for being intimidated.” — Anonymous  "Nothing will kill a great employee faster than watching you tolerate a bad one." — Perry Belcher  "Organizational culture is shaped by the worst behavior leaders tolerate." — Core Leadership Principles #courage #assertiveness #thriving #culture ##leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #change #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #DignityAtWork  

"The law is not a shield for the weak; in the hands of massive corporations, it is a sword used to bleed truth-tellers dry before they ever see a courtroom." — Legal Proverb "Justice is open to everybody in the same way as the Ritz Hotel. But when the bench is stacked and the lawyers are bought, the truth is evicted before the trial even begins." — Jurist Lord Mathew "They will sue you for defamation not because you lied, but because you told a truth they couldn't afford to let the world hear." — Journalistic Integrity Standard #law #Truthtellers #justice #freedomofspeech #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #rights #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #constitution

“Your value doesn't decrease based on someone's inability to see your worth.” — Unknown “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” — Dr. Seuss “Every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being redirected to something better.” — Steve Maraboli #selfcare #authenticity #speakyourtruth #Moveon  #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #chooseyou #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #PowerAhead

"Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world." - Malala Yousafzai "Families of readers move the world." - Napoleon Bonaparte  "You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." - Ray Bradbury "Once you learn to read, you will be forever free." - Frederick Douglass #read #changetheworld #culture #freedom #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #growth #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #dignity

"A troublemaker is someone who wants to be noticed, but doesn't have the talent or the discipline to be noticed for doing something good." — Unknown "A clear conscience laughs at false accusations." - Proverb "As fire when thrown into water is cooled down and put out, so also a false accusation falls before a pure life." - Marcus Tullius Cicero #talent #dedication #good #clear #pure #standup #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplace#leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #conscience  #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #StandYourGround  

“It is only in sorrow bad weather masters us; in joy we face the storm and defy it.” – Amelia Barr “Healing's goal is not  papering-over trauma to preserve or present as normal. It is to acknowledge and wear life – warts, wisdom, and all – with courage.” – Catherine Woodiwiss #acknowledge #trauma #heal #live #thrive#leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplace #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatwork #itsnevertoolate  A survivor's acknowledgement of the abuse and their transparent, honest, and self-aware efforts open great opportunities and possibilities for them to thrive in life.

"Hope is the conviction something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.... "The salvation of the world lies in the human heart...... "We must not be afraid of dreaming the seemingly impossible if we want the seemingly impossible to become a reality." - Václav Havel #hope #conviction #salvation #human #heart #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #possible #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #reality

"Strong people don't put others down. They lift them up." — Michael P. Watson "Bullies target individuals for being different. Despite what they do or say, it is your right to be who you are." — Eleanor Roosevelt "Insecure people only eclipse your sun because they're jealous of your day." — Unknown #lift #rights #light #shine #excel #talent #inspire #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #liberty #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #dignity #freedom  

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt "Bullying is a distinctive sign of low self-esteem in the bully." - Ziad K. Abdelnour "Don't let the expectations and opinions of other people affect your decisions. It's your life, not theirs." - Roy T. Bennett "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." - Albert Einstein #Efficacy #power #autonomy #sprit #strength #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #RiseUp #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #NeverGiveUp  Constant belittling makes bullied employees feel unworthy of better treatment, and trapped! Their damaged self is caused by, and empowers, a bullying boss who continues to attempt to control with abuse and harassment. #LeadersArentBullies

 

"We should be partners, not rivals" and aiming to "lengthen the list of cooperation and shorten the list of issues....... Everything here is down to the highest order of perfection.” - Xi Jinping “We have a friendship built on mutual respect and the vital interests of our people; whenever we had a problem we worked it out very quickly...... Chinese restaurants in America today outnumber the five largest fast food chains in the United States, all combined. That’s a pretty big statement." - Donald Trump #partners #cooperation #respect #peace #food #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #elevate #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #STEPUP

"Bad managers "try to catch employees doing things wrong" to manufacture a constant state of anxiety, keeping workers off-balance and compliant." - Ken Blanchard “Criticism only controls you if you allow it to.” - Mark Manson #recognize #appreciate #setupforsuccess #win #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #accomplish #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #Confidence

The Book Corporate America Spent 5 Years Trying to Censor—And Lost! Toray Plastics America completely surrendered—dismissing the case with prejudice and being ordered to pay 100% of my legal expenses while I signed nothing and the book remained the same! "Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light..... There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily." - George Washington "Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away." - Elvis Healthy leadership and unyielding integrity outlast toxic intimidation.

"A great culture is not just one aspect of the business—it is the business." - Herb Kelleher  "There's no magic formula for great company culture. The key is just to treat your staff how you would like to be treated." - Richard Branson  #culture #values #beliefs #behaviors #focus #LeadersArentBullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #teamwork #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #trust  Dysfunctional workplaces are characterized by unclear goals, roles, processes, no enforcement of respectful rules of engagement and appropriate boundaries, and a lack of commitment to employee growth and development.  This dysfunction nurtures supervisory bullying.

Serial pedophiles who molest boys assault, on average, over 100 victims.  Childhood molestation is akin to soul murder.  "I wish I'd done more (to protect the boys from Sandusky)." - Joe Paterno (But he still deserves a room dedicated to his ability to bully and to turn away?) "To all who suffered from my shortcomings, I apologize and beg for forgiveness." - Cardinal Law (But he still deserves a cushy Vatican retirement?) "I am sorry and devastated there were times when we failed the children we were supposed to protect." - Jim Turley, BSA Chairman (But they still encouraged their attorneys to further abuse their victims.) Although their responses to torture and assault are comparable, how are Hitler and the Third Reich remembered?

"Cold shoulders are used to make you feel invisible and powerless.” — Dr. Ramani  “Bullies isolate. They fear your voice, your truth, and allies who defend you.” — Unknown “Silence is the chosen weapon of the coward. It inflicts pain without leaving visible scars.” — Unknown #beseen #bepowerful #SpeakUp #truth #allies #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #courage #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #strength

 

"Bullies are always terrified of the truth because it strips them of their manufactured power." - Unknown "Bullies are like fires—they need fuel to burn, and that fuel is your fear, your silence, and your compliance. Starve them with objective reality." - Unknown #truth #power #facts #observations #reality #LeadersArentBullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #rational #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #TruthToPower  Bullies always find ways to leverage their perceived power gap to an advantage. Call them out and challenge their fantasies with facts and observations.