Matt Paknis Leadership Development

"With power comes the abuse of power. Where there are bosses, there can be crazy bosses." - Judd Rose "As a leader, you must drive effective communication and valued purpose." - Chris Fussell "Simple behavior and communication is more effective than complex." - Warren Buffett #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct Safe / credible, efficient, consistent, effective responses to bullying are critical in establishing and maintaining healthy workplaces.

"The only thing worse than a coach or CEO who doesn't care about his people is one who pretends to care. People can spot a phony every time." - Jimmy Johnson #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct

Pont du Hoc, Normandy, France.  Thank you for your sacrifice.  Happy Memorial Day.

 Happy Memorial Day! "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” ― John F. Kennedy #leadersarentbullies #stepup #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #DignityAtWorkAct Use training to ensure all employees are offered consistent information describing the organization’s anti-bullying values and bullying response policies. #LeadersArentBullies

"There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up."--John Andres Holmes #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct

 

"One of the greatest indicators of our own maturity is revealed in how we respond to the weaknesses, the inexperience, and the potentially offensive actions of others." - David A. Bednar #stepup #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #DignityAtWorkAct A healthy leader's behaviors and responses show employees the organization does not tolerate bullying.  It repels bullying.  This  leader is mature, rational, objective, realistic, equitable, and consistent when addressing problematic employee scenarios. #LeadersArentBullies

A schoolyard bully targets children who trigger the bully's great fear of being ostracized for being different or unique.  A workplace bully targets talented employees  who trigger the bully's great fear of being exposed as an incompetent fraud. "We can forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when (adults)  are afraid of the light." - Plato #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct  

"In these days of difficulty, we Americans everywhere must and shall choose the path of social justice...the path of faith, the path of hope, and the path of love toward our fellow (humans)." - Franklin Delano Roosevelt #stepup #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #DignityAtWorkAct Separate people from the problem. Identify, define, and address the problem's root cause with an acceptable and credible approach. Avoid attacking people.  Dissect, dismantle, and destroy problems. #LeadersArentBullies

"If you truly believe in the value of life, you care about all of the weakest and most vulnerable members of society." - Joni Eareckson Tada "The best thing to do when you find yourself in a hurting or vulnerable place is to surround yourself with the strongest, finest, most positive people you know." - Kristin Armstrong #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct

We're only as strong as the way we treat our weakest / most vulnerable members. "but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." - Matthew Chapter 18, Verse 6. Bible, English Standard. https://www.npr.org/2022/05/24/1101012028/southern-baptist-sex-abuse-list

"Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day." - Thomas Jefferson "Words that enlighten the soul are more precious than jewels." - Hazrat Inayat Khan #stepup #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #DignityAtWorkAct Leaders build trust. They make vulnerable workers feel safe. They generate a positive spark to their organization's interpersonal cycle of effectiveness. They shed light on bullying with transparency and self-awareness. They have integrity. #LeadersArentBullies

"When leaders throughout an organization take an active, genuine interest in the people they manage, when they invest real time to understand employees at a fundamental level, they create a climate for greater morale, loyalty, and, yes, growth." - Patrick Lencioni "If you do not treat people with the respect they deserve, do not expect any kind of commitment to your productivity goals and target." - Ian Fuhr #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct  

Lunar Eclipse II, Photo Credit: Vic Rubdi. "You can't heal what you don't acknowledge." - Jack Canfield "The real sin is ignoring bad behaviors, or worse, seeking to hide them." - Robert Zoellick #stepup #healthyworkplaces #leadersarentbullies #DignityAtWorkAct Healthy organizations are transparent and truthful when determining if their managers bully.  It is clear; bullying is not tolerated.  They respond to bullying with strong consequences, including termination.  Their leaders and employees are  respectful. #LeadersArentBullies

"There's too much darkness in the world. Everywhere you turn, someone is tryin' to tear someone down in some way; everywhere you go, there's a feeling of inadequacy, or a feeling that you're not good enough. I want to bring a certain light to the world." - Alicia Keys #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct 

 Lunar Eclipse, Credit Vic Rubdi. "A person may cause evil to others not only by his/her actions but by his/her inaction, and in either case he/she is justly accountable to them for the injury." - John Stuart Mill #leadersarentbullies #stepup #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #DignityAtWorkAct Healthy employers consider bullying illegal, like assault. They respond to abusive workplace behaviors with the right values, beliefs, and behaviors.

"While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself." - Douglas Horton "The best revenge is to be unlike those who performed the injuries." - Marcus Aurelius "Living well is the best revenge." - George Herbert #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct

"In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully ill equipped." - Eric Hoffer Learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn. - Peter Drucker #healthyworkplaces #stepup #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #DignityAtWorkAct A critical difference between thriving organizations and those struggling to survive is the capacity to learn from circumstances, experiences, and the message the environment is sending. #LeadersArentBullies

"Never underestimate the power of jealousy and the power of envy to destroy. Never underestimate that." - Oliver Stone "You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind." - Mahatma Gandhi "Let us reject violence and selfishness which could destroy our country's unity." - Mwai Kibaki #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." - Benjamin Franklin "It takes leadership to improve safety (and culture)." - Jackie Stewart #leadersarentbullies #stepup #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #DignityAtWorkAct Leaders who stop or prevent bullying balance their attention across 3 performance dimensions: Team results, personal improvement, and healthy relationships.

"It is not grey hair that makes one respectable but character." - Rana Gohar "Respect comes in two unchangeable steps: giving it and receiving it." - Edmond Mbiaka #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct

"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." - Albert Einstein “There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope.” Bernard Williams #healthyworkplaces #stepup #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #DignityAtWorkAct Great managers, coaches, teachers, and leaders inspect themselves and their organizations non stop to identify the root causes of their problems and flaws.  They then remove or reduce  these obstacles to excel. #LeadersArentBullies

 "To get greater than 100% return on a growth step, give up defensiveness. Defensiveness stifles performance, and destroys relationships." - Henry Cloud #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct

"The single most important ingredient in the recipe for success is transparency because transparency builds trust." - Denise Morrison #leadersarentbullies #stepup #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #DignityAtWorkAct Healthy orgs share understood and accepted goals, roles, processes, healthy relationships, and shared commitment. They are relentless in their desire to operate without secrets or blind spots.

 "Earn your success based on service to others, not at the expense of others." - H. Jackson Brown, Jr. "Freedom isn't to do what you want at somebody else's expense." - John Lydon #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct

Healthy organizations are earmarked by members and associates who are safe, secure, transparent, and self-aware, resulting in performance and production excellence and celebration. “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” - Vince Lombard “The power of imagination makes us infinite.” - John Muir #leadersarentbullies #stepup #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #DignityAtWorkAct

"Violence (like bullying) is the last refuge of the incompetent." - Isaac Asimov #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct

"A brave (person) dares to look  Devils in the face and tell them they are Devils." - James A. Garfield "Mama was a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love." - Stevie Wonder Happy Mother's Day! #leadersarentbullies #stepup #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #DignityAtWorkAct People and organizations who transcend bullying start the process by identifying, acknowledging, and accepting the truth about bullies and their organizations.

"Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all." - Dwight D. Eisenhower #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct

"The minute you start compromising for the sake of massaging somebody's ego, that's it, game over.” - Gordon Ramsay “If you can’t allow others to shine, you’re exhibiting signs of narcissism and showing a lack of self-confidence. It is isolation through ego.” ― Stewart Stafford #leadersarentbullies #stepup #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #DignityAtWorkAct Placating bullies’ needs, wants, and moods take precedence over performance and organizational health. The organization’s employees learn how to placate the abuser, often at the cost of performance, health, happiness, freedom, and functioning.

"The person with insight enough to admit his or her limitations comes nearest to perfection." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct

“In Order To Deal With Reality Successfully - To Pursue And Achieve The Values (A) Life Requires - (People) Need Self-esteem; They Need To Be Confident Of Their  Efficacy And Worth.” - Ayn Rand #stepup #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #DignityAtWorkAct A target who can’t stop nor address workplace bullying can experience a sense of despondency at work and at home. Bullying affects everyone, not just the victim and not just at work. #LeadersArentBullies

 Yet only 12% of these targets and victims  address or report their respective workplace bullying.  “Let not (people) pacify (their) conscience by the delusion (they) can do no harm if (they) take no part. Bad (people) need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good (people) should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #DignityAtWorkAct

 "Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul." - Mark Twain "You give loyalty, you'll get it back. You give love, you'll get it back." - Tommy Lasorda #leadersarentbullies #stepup #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #DignityAtWorkAct While disingenuous, duplicitous bullies remain in charge, HR is nothing more than a joke. If employers want loyal, trusting, and safe workers, they must drive out abusive conduct and banish bullies. Organizations that do this will have employees who stay and repay them tenfold.