Matt Paknis Leadership Development

"Prejudice is a form of untruthfulness, and untruthfulness is an insidious form of injustice." - Miroslav Volf "The focus of subjectivity is a distorting mirror." - Hans-Georg Gadamer "Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light." - George Washington #leadersarentbullies #BeTransparent

"There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of the law and in the name of justice." - Montesquieu Corporations, like Toray Plastics America, can use their power and resources to bully individuals, like they did to me, using a colluding, complicit, and corrupt Federal Justice System.  After almost five years of intentional court delays, used to destroy my book's momentum, TPA dismissed my case, with prejudice, and paid my legal fees, basically admitting the case was a frivolous farce. 

"Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." - Leonardo da Vinci "To be silent is to be complicit." - Richard Edelman #leadersarentbullies #betransparent Bullying prevails because it is tolerated. 95% of respondents in one UNISON workplace study state bullying continues when  “bullies can get away with it” and “victims are too scared to report it.  In 100% of workplace bullying cases, senior executives are aware of the abuse.”

"Let our New Year's resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word." - Goran Persson "Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other." - Abraham Lincoln "Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed." - Cavett Robert

"Whenever you have a crisis, you're always going to have extremists taking advantage of the situation." - Abdullah II of Jordan "History reminds us that dictators and despots arise during times of severe economic crisis." - Robert Kiyosaki “Average leaders raise the bar on themselves; good leaders raise the bar for others; great leaders inspire others to raise their own bar.” -  Orrin Woodward

Japanese working culture (values, beliefs, behaviors) includes loyalty, commitment, teamwork, respect, attention to detail, consensus-building, and a strong emphasis on harmony, or "wa"; a peaceful unity with collective group, over selfish individual, outcomes.  By suing me, Toray Plastics America ignored its Japanese parent company's "wa".

 

"There's a need for accepting responsibility - for a person's life and making choices that are not just ones for immediate short-term comfort. You need to make an investment, and the investment is in health and education." - Buzz Aldrin #healthyworkplaces #endbullying #metoo #innerpeace #BeTransparent #jobtraining #leadersarentbullies #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact In bullying workplaces, formal supervisory competency based selection and development is replaced with haphazard on-the- #jobtraining where bad habits and  skills are often modeled.  Effective, consistent, and uniform management training is lost to  time and budget constraints.

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." - Dalai Lama "Quality is not an act, it is a habit." - Aristotle "There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self." - Aldous Huxley

 ...Slackers, incredible outdoor illumination in Newport, RI.  Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!  Peace!

 Yet, only 13% of those 72% of workers aware of bullying do something to stop the abuse.   Let's empower, allow, and encourage 100% bullying intervention in 2025. "What hurts the victim the most is not the cruelty of the oppressor but the silence of the bystander" - Elie Wiesel

  29, 24, 31.....how? "The doctrine of blind obedience and submission to any human power is the doctrine of despotism." - Angelina Grimke "It's most acceptable to not run with cliques." - Megan Fox “Followers. Sometimes, with some things, it’s best to keep your tally down.” -Donna Lynn Hope #endbullying Bullies derive most of their support from HR. It's a club, a clique, a veritable wagon train that defensively circles the wagons when one of their “own” is accused. #LeadersArentBullies

"Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society.." - Princess Diana “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. “Leadership is service, not position.” – Tim Fargo  

"There's just some magic in truth and honesty and openness." - Frank Ocean "Real magic in relationships means an absence of judgment of others." - Wayne Dyer "Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see." - C. S. Lewis

"Japan's just so traditional and so specific in their ways. It's kind of untouched, it's not Americanized." - Toni Collette "The main object of conciliation in Japan lies in reaching a solution to a case based upon morals and with a warm heart.'' - Derek Bok Then, why did Toray Plastics America, a Japanese Company, sue me on false grounds in Providence Federal Court in 2018 and ultimately dismiss the case with prejudice and pay my legal fees in 2023? I experienced no solution based on morals with a warm heart. Toray used the US legal system to bring me harm and to undermine my book's success. 

"Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius." - Arthur Conan Doyle #leadersarentbullies Everyone is afraid to confront “the golden” bully, the boss’s favorite or the family's heir apparent. HR misapplies the tools of traditional performance management (i.e. warnings, write ups, suspensions, terminations).  When HR does act, it’s almost always the wrong response.

"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." – Warren Bennis “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” -Ralph Nader "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." -John Quincy Adams

"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions." - Dalai Lama "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde "Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking." - Marcus Aurelius #leadersarentbullies

"Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph." - Haile Selassie

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." - Voltaire "Go where you are wanted and stray from where you aren’t. Surround yourself with positive people and environments." - Demi Lovato #endbullying #betransparent #stepup #metoo #leadersarentbullies #innerpeace #healthyworkplaces #metoomovement #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact Sometimes disgruntled and disengaged employees might punish high-performing coworkers in an attempt to "govern" them into “lowering the bar,” while bullying bosses are threatened by, and chastise, exceptional talent. Stick with your talents and high standards and take them where they are appreciated.

"A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit." - Arnold H. Glasow "A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus." - Martin Luther King, Jr. "Leadership is unlocking people's potential to become better." -Bill Bradley

“Mental health is just as important as… physical health and deserves the same quality of support.” – Kate Middleton "The triggers aggravating mental health issues in our society - bullying at work, social media negativity and anxiety, substance abuse, etc., need to be identified and we need to speak up about these more to get to the source of the problems." - Sanam Saeed

"No individual or company, no matter how large or how profitable, is above the law." - Eric Holder Toray Plastics America of North Kingston, RI was allowed to file a baseless lawsuit against me, falsely claiming a common reader could identify Toray in my book. They are not mentioned, referenced, or identifiable in my book.   Toray American managers sued me in reality to bring me harm, in retaliation for my elevating a credible shooting threat report they asked me to conduct, yet told me not to share with Japanese Expat Toray Executives.   Japanese executives asked me for the report and I shared it with them to prevent a shooting  and to address the respective plant's abysmal performance.   Toray's being one of the largest employers in the state may have influenced the Federal Judge and Magistrate assigned to the case to delay the case for over four years (Federal Lawsuits average between twelve to fourteen months from filing to hearing) and claim the c...

"The predator wants your silence. It feeds their power, entitlement, and they want it to feed your shame." - Viola Davis "Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on." - Thurgood Marshall #endbullying #BeTransparent #stepup #healthyworkplaces #innerpeace #metoo #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact Opportunistic workplace bullies often choose a victim to advance their own career. Many select talented, sincere, and decent, yet vulnerable, victims who can be more easily intimidated compared to their more savvy colleagues. #LeadersArentBullies

"Where there is injury let me sow pardon." - Francis of Assisi "The folly which we might have ourselves committed is the one which we are least ready to pardon in another." - Joseph Roux

"Most misunderstandings in the world could be avoided if people would simply take the time to ask, “What else could this mean?” – Shannon Alder "Anyone can become angry—that is easy, but to be angry with the right person at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way—that is not easy." – Aristotle

"Corruption is the enemy of development, and of good governance. It must be got rid of. Both the government and the people at large must come together to achieve this national objective." - Pratibha Patil

“What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor, but the silence of the bystander.” — Elie Wiesel "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." — Martin Luther King Jr. #leadersarentbullies #metoomovement #BeTransparent #stepup #metoo #psychologicalsafetyatworkact Workers have difficulty empathizing (as a passive bystander) with a bully’s target or victim until the bully’s gaze and focus is on them. They then never again want to be a victim. #workplaceculture

"Nepotism sometimes can be a lose-lose situation." - Vikram Chatwal "Of all presidential perks, the pardon power has a special significance. It is just the kind of authority that would attract the special attention of someone obsessed with himself and his own ability to influence events." - Barbara Olson

“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” - Japanese Proverb "You will be courteous to your elders who have explored to the point from which you may advance; and helpful to your juniors who will progress farther by reason of your labors." - Abbott L. Lowell

"The only difference between the Republican and Democratic parties is the velocities with which their knees hit the floor when corporations knock on their door. That's the only difference." - Ralph Nader

"The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority." - Ken Blanchard "One of the best ways to influence people is to make them feel important, one of the deepest human desires." – Roy Bennett "Example is the only thing when influencing."  – Albert Schweitzer #endbullying #BeTransparent #stepup #metoo #healthyworkplaces #innerpeace #leadersarentbullies #metoomovement #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact Desi couldn't bully Lucy into a traditional female role, and today's leaders can’t control with power. My audiences agree: despite its impotence, workplace aggression, abuse, bullying, incivility, social undermining, and conflict has increased over the past seven decades.

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter." - George Washington "Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?" - Abraham Lincoln

Happy Thanksgiving!   Hope Your Holidays Overflow with Positive Emotions!

"Trust not too much to appearances." - Virgil "Lawsuits - and frivolous lawsuits - are just sapping the life out of the people who perform the services and deliver the goods for the rest of the citizenry." - Conrad Burns

 "The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life." -Richard Bach "Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten." - David Ogden Stiers #leadersarentbullies #stepup Clients are asked what factors distinguish great families. Responses include: love, #communication , goals, support, encouragement, safety, trust, protection, elevation, clear goals & boundaries, a sense of team, and more. They all agree these traits help all organization thrive.

"A great (person) is a torch in the darkness, a beacon in superstition's night, an inspiration and a prophecy." - Robert Green Ingersoll "Humility is the true key to success. Successful people lose their way at times. They often embrace and overindulge from the fruits of success. Humility halts this arrogance and self-indulging trap. Humble people share the credit and wealth, remaining focused and hungry to continue the journey of success." - Rick Pitino

"In a way, bullying is a "normalized," evil. It's hugely prevalent, all too often ignored - and being ignored, it is therefore condoned." - Trudie Styler "The only way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them." - Keisha Knight Pulliam "Bullying is a cowardly act. It's easy to bully someone when they aren't looking or when they can't fight back." - Ronda Rousey

"The collusion of big business, big labor, and big government threaten the spirit of small business that makes America great." - Foster Friess #endbullying #betransparent #stepup #leadersarentbullies #metoomovement #innerpeace #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #healthyworkplaces #metoo #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct Collusion between workplace bullies, executives, Federal Courts, Politicians, and Law Enforcement Agencies corrupts.  Employees may perceive their employer, with its inappropriate ties to respective governmental institutions and officials, complicit in failing to protect employees and their civil and constitutional rights.

"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome." - William James "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill "If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself." - Henry Ford

"The world is not fair, and often fools, cowards, liars and the selfish hide in high places." - Bryant H. McGill "To sin by silence, when we should protest, Makes cowards out of (us)." - Ella Wheeler Wilcox #endbullying #BeTransparent #stepup #metoo #leadersarentbullies #metoomovement #healthyworkplaces #InnerPeace #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact

"Frivolous lawsuits are booming in this county. The U.S. has more costs of litigation per person than any other industrialized nation in the world, and it is crippling our economy." - Jack Kingston After more than four years of unusual RI federal court delays and conflicting decisions, Toray Plastics America dismissed their case against me and my book, with prejudice, and paid my requisite and extensive legal fees. I signed nothing.   It was all a waste of time.  For a firm like Toray Industries, headquartered in Japan, where corporations never sue individuals and where lawsuits are viewed with disdain, it was also shocking.   The delay intended to interrupt my book's marketing and sales momentum, but mobilized me to finish my second book, on helping readers transcend childhood and interpersonal trauma and abuse.  It's a shame individuals, like those at Toray Plastics America, can hide behind, and sue in the name of, corporations without being fined or pena...

"To be silent is to be complicit." - Richard Edelman #endbullying #betransparent #leadersarentbullies #stepup #healthyworkplaces #innerpeace #metoomovement #metoo #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact Repeated bullying only occurs in organizations that tolerate bullying behavior. Harassment, abuse, and bullying at work cannot occur without the direct or indirect agreement and condoning of senior management.

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." -John Quincy Adams "A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together." -Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe “Leadership is the art of giving people a platform for spreading ideas that work." -Seth Godin "A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves." -Lao Tzu

"We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Elie Wiesel "In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King, Jr. #endbullying #BeTransparent #innerpeace #leadersarentbullies #stepup #metoo #healthyworkenvironments #metoomovement #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact  

"Goliath was a champion, a monster who had never been beaten, and then this young guy, David, came forward, a child who believed in God and did it." - Tyson Fury "Everybody pulls for David, nobody roots for Goliath." - Wilt Chamberlain "The collusion of big business, big labor, and big government threaten the spirit of small business that makes America great." - Foster Friess

“Leaders who practice favoritism in the workplace have no chance to build a culture of trust.” — Robert Whipple “Favoritism and nepotism always prevail in the purlieus of these establishments. Incompetent persons are  admitted, to the exclusion of the worthy.” — Herman Melville #endbullying #BeTransparent #innerpeace #leadersarentbullies #metoomovement #metoo #StepUp #healthyworkenvironments #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact When a bully is a rainmaker or family member or adds a valued metric to an organization, the respective anti-bullying protocol and consequences may fall by the wayside and targets become scapegoats. This reinforces and rewards the bully’s offensive and despicable behaviors. 

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success". - Henry Ford "You're Only as Good as Your Team! For the great achiever, it's all about “me.” For the great leader, it's all about “them” - Marshall Goldsmith "Leaders who seek only power and control, will end up Losing Both" - Dr. Henry Cloud

"People who feel inadequate, insecure, or overly dependent are scarred by childhood trauma and tend to be more jealous than others." - Helen Fisher "When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something." - John Lewis #leadersarentbullies #BeTransparent #endbullying #innerpeace #stepup #metoo #healthyworkenvironments #metoomovement #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #psychologicalsafetyatworkact  

Thank you all Veterans for protecting and preserving our Great American Freedoms, and, in particular, thanks to my Grandfather Edmund Bowen (WWI Army Combat), my Godfather Joseph Salvest (WWII Army Combat), my Father William Paknis (United States Army) and my High School Football Coach Ted Monica (Korean War Marine Combat).