Matt Paknis Leadership Development

"What we see differs through parallel worlds of perception, bounded by interests and experience. What is obvious to some is invisible to others." - George Monbiot "Call out bullies a time or two. They learn how mirrors show them what they rarely want to see.” - Deatri King-Bey #endbullying   #betransparent #metoomovement #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkenvironments #stepup #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #metoo #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct Bullies are always seeking ways to leverage the perceived power gap to their advantage. Call them out with facts.  Don’t let them normalize abusive behavior.

Below please find segment III, dated 7-30-24, of the truth about Toray Plastics America suing me in December 2018, while falsely claiming a common reader could identify TPA in my book, thus placing TPA and the case in the public domain.  51 months later, TPA dismissed the case, with prejudice, and paid my legal fees.  I signed no agreements and am free to exercise my constitutional and civil rights. On June 22, 2023, Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee signed a bill that prohibits the use of nondisclosure or non-disparagement agreements  “concerning alleged violations of civil rights or alleged unlawful conduct, or any agreement with a clause that requires alleged violations of civil rights remain confidential.” Under the law, any contractual provision that violates this prohibition is “void as a violation of public policy.” The new law took effect immediately. Also in 2023 in the US, the NLRB ruled employers may not offer severance packages and incentives to keep employees from exercis

  "Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results." - George S. Patton "Ethics and equity and the principles of justice do not change with the calendar." - D. H. Lawrence "They do not love that do not show their love." - William Shakespeare #endbullying   #betransparent #stepup #metoomovement #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkenvironments #metoo #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #happiness

  "There are forms of oppression and domination which become invisible - the new normal." - Michel Foucault "The corruption of the best things gives rise to the worst." - David Hume "Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." - Abraham Lincoln #betransparent #endbullying #metoo #steup #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkenvironments #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #metoomovement  Life, liberty, the pursuit of #happiness...it’s all manipulated to bestow power and happiness on the few, the misguided, and the bad guys in charge.

  #metoomovement   #metoo   SLAB Update #2, 7-27-24:   My relationships with Toray Plastics America (TPA) of North Kingstown, RI started in 2005 when an employee from another client of mine took a job with Toray Plastics and recommended my management and organizational development services. I served TPA as a consultant at their twelve or so American sites for eleven (11) years when TPA offered me a full time position.   Malicious and frivolous TPA behaviors, available in the public domain, lead to my receiving various forms of the following inquiry. This started in June 2019 when TPA threatened my publisher with a law suit if they did not stop printing and distributing my book.   "Hello. Is your publisher going to print more copies of Successful Leaders Aren't Bullies? It's out of stock at Amazon, Indigo Chapters, and KOBO."   Next up: Simon & Schuster's and Secretary of Commerce GIna Raimondo's role, my NDA with TPA, and the current status of NDA'

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." - Helen Keller "You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." - Marcus Aurelius "In terms of instilling the values of mental toughness and work ethic, discipline is the gift that keeps on giving." - William Baldwin #endbullying #betransparent #steup #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkenvironments #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #metoomovement

"The four cornerstones of character on which the structure of this nation was built are: Initiative, Imagination, Individuality and Independence." - Eddie Rickenbacker.   Bullies sabotage these traits. #endbullying #betransparent #leaderssrentbullies #healthyworkenvironments To maintain power and control, bullies avoid giving workers concrete goals, roles, or processes. Bad bosses hold  workers accountable for moving targets; arbitrary and unrealistic results.  This undermining escalates tension, conflict, scapegoating, and destroys trust. #steup

"A liar begins with making falsehood appear like truth, and ends with making truth itself appear like falsehood." - William Shenstone "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people." - John F. Kennedy "Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it." - Blaise Pascal #endbullying #betransparent #stepup #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact  

 

7/22/24, "Successful Leaders Aren't Bullies" update: priced on: Amazon: $77.01 E Bay: $124.95 Original Price: $18.00 September 25, 2018, my book, "Successful Leaders Aren't Bullies," is released and distributed worldwide by publishing giant, Simon & Schuster.  On December 12, 2018, Toray Plastics America (TPA) of North Kingstown, RI sued me and, ironically, put themselves and this case in the public domain.  They falsely claimed a common reader could identify TPA in my book. I looked forward to having the truth prove TPA wrong in front of a jury of my peers. Denied my US Constitutional Rights to Free Speech and to a Fair Jury Trial, I plead with you, my social media audience, to publicize this story. I also encourage you and those you know to seek the truth about my book.  Can TPA, as they claimed, be identified by a common reader (someone who has no knowledge of Toray's inner workings) in my book, "Successful Leaders Aren't Bullies?" I

"The people I know judge leaders by their deeds and abhor hypocrisy. Inconsistency does not win respect. Actions from leaders must mirror the values they claim to espouse." - Alexandra Adornetto "Inconsistency between what pastors and the faithful say and what they do, between word and manner of life, is undermining the Church's credibility." - Pope Francis #endbullying #betransparent #stepup #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct When bullying is an institutionalized part of leadership and an accepted managerial practice, the organization is unhealthy. #Management practices are inconsistent and extreme—either too aggressive or too casual. These extremes allow bullying behavior to fester and flourish.

 

"Some people think that the truth can be hidden with a little cover-up and decoration. But as time goes by, what is true is revealed, and what is fake fades away." - Ismail Haniyeh "We do not see people as they are, but as they appear to us. And these appearances are usually misleading." - Robert Greene #endbullying #betransparent #stepup #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact  

"The best weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another." - William James "In times of stress, it's best to plow anger and energy into something positive." - Lee Iacocca "The life of inner peace is the easiest type of existence." - Norman Vincent Peal #endbullying #betransparent #stepup #HealthyWorkplaces #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct Researchers have found that job insecurity and role stressors such as low job autonomy and high workload are associated with being both a perpetrator and a target of workplace bullying. #LeadersArentBullies

"If you look at history, innovation doesn't come just from giving people incentives; it comes from creating environments where their ideas can connect." - Steven Johnson "Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected." - William Plomer #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #endbullying #betransparent #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #psychologicalsafetyatworkact

"I react very badly when mediocrity throws a tantrum of entitlement." - Lee Siegel "When we feel entitled, we cheat more because the rules don't apply to awesome people like us." - Daniel H. Pink "Talent is God given. Be humble. Conceit is self-given. Be careful." - John Wooden #endbullying #betransparent #stepup #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact Bullying is a very durable behavioral style, largely because bullies get what they want—at least at first. Resist and find strength in numbers. Guess where my grand pup Annie thought she was going to sleep?

"Radical changes in world politics leave America with a heightened responsibility to be, for the world, an example of a genuinely free, democratic, just and humane society." -Pope John Paul II "The best advice for working with any large predator is don't run. If you stand confident up in its face it'll probably just wander away, but if you turn and run it triggers what's known as the predatory impulse." - Steve Backshall #endbullying #betransparent #stepup #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact

"People are afraid of things they don't understand. They don't know how to relate. It threatens their security, their existence, their career, image." - Bill Laswell "I realized that bullying never has to do with you. It's the bully who's insecure." - Shay Mitchell #endbullying #betransparent #stepup #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact A bully may pick on someone who performs very well, who is recognized, who is  promoted at work. This type of bully sometimes becomes triggered by another person's talents and successes, and frustrated with themselves.

"The first step toward change is awareness." - Nathaniel Branden "There are forms of oppression and domination which become invisible - the new normal." - Michel Foucault "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #endbullying #betransparent #psychologicalsafetyatworkact

Sculpture by Rob Greene http://www.rgreeneart.com/ "Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts." - E. B. White "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many people need it sorely." - Mark Twain "Only love can drive out hate." - Martin Luther King, Jr. #stepup #endbullying #betransparent #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact A bully’s mental models, perceptions, and criticisms can interfere with their capacity to suspend judgement and listen.  This may cause them to jump to flawed conclusions. Rise above.

"The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is." - Winston Churchill "Let them, in future, be on their guard against the traps of bad men." - Toussaint Louverture "Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that don't have brains enough to be honest." - Benjamin Franklin #leadersarentbullies #endbullying #stepup #HealthyWorkplaces #betransparent #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct

"Empathy, humanity and support for each other is more important to organizational health than revenue, than growth." - Eric Yuan "The opposite of anger is not calmness, its empathy." - Mehmet Oz #betransparent #endbullying #stepup #healthyworkplaces #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct A person’s capacity to be aware of others’ feelings and the ability to manage these feelings, allow people with emotional intelligence to manage healthy relationships. Bullies don’t care about others’ feelings. Bullying bosses lack empathy. #LeadersArentBullies

"Education is the movement from darkness to light." - Allan Bloom "Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness." -Desmond Tutu #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #endbullying #betransparent #psychologicalsafetyatworkact

"The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse." - Edmund Burke "A healthy democracy requires a decent society; it requires that we are honorable, generous, tolerant and respectful." - Charles W. Pickering #healthyworkplaces #stepup #BeTransparent #endbullying #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct This unhealthy encouragement and yearning for power over others is what facilitates bullying in the workplace. Hyper-competitive organizations place inordinate importance on being in charge and powerful and not talented, decent, and respected. #LeadersArentBullies

"There will always be obstacles and challenges that stand in your way. Building mental strength will help you develop resilience to those potential hazards so you can continue on your journey to success." - Amy Morin "Mental toughness is spartanism with qualities of sacrifice, self-denial, dedication. It is fearlessness, and it is love." - Vince Lombardi #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #BeTransparent #endbullying

"People get tired of being pushed out of the sunlight of life's July, left standing amid the piercing chill of an alpine November." - Martin Luther King, Jr. "Being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions." - John Locke #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #BeTransparent #endbullying People who bully and push others around are often driven by the need for power. It requires a conscious decision to bully and to take pleasure in sensing power over others. #LeadersArentBullies

"Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Lord Acton "When authority is total, so too is the madness of the man who declares it, and the potential for abuse of power." - Rick Wilson “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." - Martin Luther King Jr. “If I were to remain silent, I’d be guilty of complicity." - Albert Einstein #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #BeTransparent #endbullying #psychologicalsafetyatworkact

"Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind." - Theodore Roosevelt "Actions speak louder than words. All companies say they care, yet few actually exercise that care." - Simon Sinek "Talk is cheap. Actions speak." - Robin S. Sharma #HealthyWorkplaces #BeTransparent #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #stepup #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #endbullying Let actions reflecting an organization's stated values and beliefs define an organization’s culture. Behaviors and outcomes reflect the true quality of the psychosocial work environment. #LeadersArentBullies

"Self-centered indulgence, pride and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle." - Billy Graham "Those who control others may be powerful, but those who master themselves are mightier still." - Lao Tzu #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #StepUp #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #BeTransparent #endbullying

"The statement “a fish rots from the head down” means that, in addition to being a major contributing factor in an organization's success,  leadership is also the root cause of an organization's failure and demise.  - Anthony Iannarino #healthyworkplaces #stepup #Betransparent #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact Ending bullying lays squarely on the shoulders of management and executives. Because, in every bullying workplace situation, management is aware of the abuse and often chooses to do nothing,  This puts their people in harm’s way. #LeadersArentBullies #endbullying

"Defeating racism, tribalism, intolerance and all forms of discrimination will liberate us all, victim and perpetrator alike." - Ban Ki-moon "We are in this life to enlarge the soul, liberate the spirit, and light up the brain." - Tom Robbins "Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you." - Walt Whitman #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #BeTransparent

"Transparency increases credibility and accountability." - Park Won-soon "Accountability breeds response-ability." - Stephen Covey #HealthyWorkplaces #BeTransparent #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #psychologicalsafetyatworkact  Putting a stop to bullying requires turning the workplace culture upside down. Bullies must be held accountable and given just consequences for their actions. Punishment must replace non responses, promotions, and rewards. #LeadersArentBullies

"The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership." - Harvey S. Firestone "Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day." - Thomas Jefferson #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #BeTransparent