Matt Paknis Leadership Development

"In this society, power and money basically overrule the laws that every other person must abide by. The U.S. justice system holds back when big-name corporations are involved because of the possible impacts on our economy."— Aleida Montanez  "Moneyed interests seem to enjoy an easier road to relief in this Court than ordinary citizens."— Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson@ "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 #power #money #laws #equality #relief #justice  #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #speakout  #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #TruthWins

“HR is here to protect the company, not the employees." - Sarah Brock "The people who must never have power are the humorless. To impossible certainties of rectitude they ally tedium and uniformity." - Christopher Hitchens Bullies have little humor & can't laugh at themselves. #protect #employees #humor #laugh #power #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #equality #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #speakout  Most bullies know they won’t be punished, and corrupt HR associates and managers tolerate bullying environments, understanding their role is to protect the company, management, and HR. Targeted employees now know they have little legal precedent or leverage to protect themselves.

"The people are the rightful masters of both Congresses, and courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution." - Abraham Lincoln "The oppression of lawless corporate wealth... will ruin our Republic." – Ted Roosevelt #people #citizens #justice #Constitution #power #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #speakout #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #equality

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Ida B. Wells: "The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them." Mahatma Gandhi: "Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly." Thurgood Marshall: "Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country." #justice #truth #equality #light #speakout #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #rights  #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #courage  

"The true threat to our liberty and equality is when unelected judges with life tenure act as servants to powerful business interests." - Sheldon Whitehouse  Toray's collusion with these Federal Judges "is flat-out corruption of the judicial system... a complete miscarriage of justice and a violation of the American principle of equal treatment under the law." — Jack Reed #liberty #equality #justice #FairTrial #FreeSpeech #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #rights #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #SpeakUp

Eradicating bullying is not just a “just and right thing to do,” it’s a “must do.”  Organizational survival in the twenty-first century depends on it. #trust #respect #safety #retain #morale #ideas  #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #happy  #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #productivity "People stay where they feel respected. They grow where they feel trusted." — Sarah Rilling  "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." — Eleanor Roosevelt "Toxic workplaces destroy productivity, morale, and, ultimately, the organization." — Jim Collins

"We are going to protect the right of every citizen to speak their mind without fear of government censorship." - Donald Trump "'Representative government and trial by jury are  heart and lungs of liberty' and that no free man should be denied the right to counsel." - John Adams "The true threat to our liberty and equality is when unelected judges with life tenure act as servants to powerful business interests." - Sheldon Whitehouse  #protect #individual #rights #speech #trial #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #truth #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #liberty

"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." - Socrates "The reality is that the only way change comes is when you lead by example." — Anne Wojcicki "Modeling a behavior is stronger than telling someone to act differently." — James Clear #build #new #energy #change #lead #Model #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stength #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #influence  

"Whistleblower cases can pit laypeople—an everyday worker just trying to do the right thing—against well-heeled, powerful, experienced opponents." — Keller Grover "In these David and Goliath battles, someone has to stand up for David... you cannot put profit over people!" — Benjamin L. Crump "You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel." — David (1 Samuel 17:45) #DoTheRightThings #standup #protect #David #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #people #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #SpeakUp

"People are an organization's most valuable asset and the key to its success." — Dave Bookbinder,  "Your company's most valuable asset is it's the relationships between its people." — Scott Miller "Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers." - Stephen Covey #people #Success #assets #relationships #best #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #treatment #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #Teamwork  Bullying organizations who do not rid themselves of abusive interpersonal practices risk losing their most important competitive asset—their talented employees.

"The key to achieving optimal results is perfecting the actions that lead to them." — Frank Sonnenberg "Winning is nice if you don't lose your integrity in the process." — Arnold Horshack “To be good, and to do good, is all we have to do.” – John Adams #results #Excel #integrity #good #balance #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #winning #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #Solid #sound  

"Judge shopping is a problem because it undermines public perception in the neutrality and impartiality of the judiciary." - Steve Vladeck "'Judge shopping' allows special interests to select ideologically aligned judges, undermining the fairness of the judicial system." - Sheldon Whitehouse #neutrality #impartiality #fairness #justice #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #trust #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #integrity

"Workplace bullying is akin to domestic violence at work, where the abuser is on the payroll." — Dr. Gary Namie "Harassment becomes unlawful where the conduct is so severe it creates a work environment reasonable people would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive." — EEOC #stopabuse #welcome #Respect #dignity #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #decency #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #safety  Those who take no action now to stop bullying and who fail to discipline bullying employees will (as laws are passed) be liable for punitive damages for knowingly allowing malicious and oppressive tortious acts.

"Mental toughness is many things. Its qualities are sacrifice and self-denial combined with a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in." — Vince Lombardi "The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places." — Ernest Hemingway "It is one thing to show a man that he is in error, and another to put him in possession of truth." — John Locke #sacrifice #discipline #strength #truth #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #selfless #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #selfcritical

"When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves." -  William Arthur Ward "When you attack problems, not people, you can begin to make progress. People aren't the problem." - Carey Nieuwhof "It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." — Sir Edmund Hillary #discover #best #attack #problem #conquer #leadersarentbullies #HealthyWorkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #progress #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #encourage

"Justice can't exist when corruption has power." — Unknown "You can't find justice in a world where criminals make the rules." — Bob Marley "A corrupt judge does not carefully search for the truth." — Horace "The fight for justice vs. corruption is never easy." — Frank Serpico #justice #power #truth #fight #nevergiveup #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #hope #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #faith #love

 "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, & become more, you are a leader." - John Adams "Never tell people how. Share the goal. Let them surprise you with their ingenuity." — George Patton "Leaders are those who empower others." - Bill Gates #inspire #learn #empower #BuildLeaders #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #growth #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #innovations  Bullies survive by making subordinates feel afraid, trapped, at fault (#gaslit), unempowered, and compliant rather than committed.  These reactions reveal toxic environments.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." — Jimi Hendrix "Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding." — Albert Einstein "Greed and peace preclude each other." — Erich Fromm "If we take the common good of all humanity as our norm, instead of individual greed, peace would be possible." — Pope John Paul II #power #love #peace #understanding #good #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #humanity #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #Freedom

"It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." — W.K. Clifford "The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven." — John Milton  #truth #evidence #facts #observations #clarity  #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #heaven #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #freedom

"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution." — Abraham Lincoln  "When corporations can get away with crimes just because they are wealthy or have the right connections, the scales are tipped against fairness and equality." - Suzy Kassem "There is no greater indictment of judges than the fact that honest people are afraid to go into court, while criminals and corporations swagger out its revolving doors." — Thomas Sowell #constitution #rights #FreeSpeech #FairTrial #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #justice #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #TruthWins

“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them." - Ida B. Wells-Barnett “Do not be silent; there is no limit to the power that may be released through you.” - Howard Thurman “Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” - Elie Wiesel #speakup #light #power #ExposeTheTruth #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #protect #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #encourage Employees and children should expect / demand safe organizations and processes and encouragement to report bullying.  They need executives who won't tolerate it.  In all abuse scandals, executives were aware and chose to remain silent. “See something, do something!"

"America remains mankind's best hope. Their eyes are on us, counting on us to protect the peace, promote new prosperity, and provide for a better world." - Ronald Reagan "The future rewards those who press on. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. I don't have time to complain. I'm going to press on." - Barack Obama #Hope #protect #promote #provide #grit #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #tough #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #nevergiveup

i.e.: Sandusky/Paterno/2nd Mile/PSU Football, Predator Priests/Complicit Catholic Dioceses, Predator Scoutmasters/Complicit BSA, Enron, Madoff, Corrupt Judges/ Colluding Corps., etc... "Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There's no better rule." - Charles Dickens "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." Matthew 7:15 #truth #appearances #disguises #reality #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #real #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #transparent

Thomas Jefferson:  "I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare to challenge our government to a trial by strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country." Billy Corriher:  "Big Business tightening its grip on our courts. Instead of serving as a last resort for Americans seeking justice, judges are bending the law to satisfy the concerns of their corporate donors." #democracy #equality #justice #liberty #truth #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #freedom #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #SpeakUp

"Evil prospers in the shadows." - John Curran  #LeadersArentBullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #light  #psycholigicalsafetyatworkact #truth  For predators to be held accountable and bullying and abuse to cease, #transparency is essential. When an organization's members (workers, students, citizens, etc.) learn to distinguish healthy leaders from bullies  and thriving from toxic cultures. When people are protected and encouraged to report egregious behaviors, transparency will be normalized.

Happy Memorial Day! "For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue." — President James A. Garfield "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." — John 15:13 #sacrifice #virtue #freedom #love #liberty

"The predator wants your silence. It feeds their power, entitlement, and they want it to feed your shame." - Viola Davis "Sunlight is the best disinfectant." – Justice Louis D. Brandeis "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good (people) to do nothing." – Edmund Burke "Stop protecting predators." – Rep. Ro Khanna "We must protect those who cannot protect themselves." – Brandon Sanderson #SpeakUp #light #action #protect #truth #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #fight  #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #courage

"Global enterprises are bumbling, shambolic, bullying, bureaucratic affairs, as certain of the rightness of their cause in infancy, as they are corrupted by power in their dotage." - Felix Dennis "The corporate state has successfully captured the very agencies and courts designed to regulate it, turning the tools of justice into tools of influence." - Ralph Nader #true #noble #dedication #agile #transparent #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #earnest #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #Decent

"Adopting a continuous learning mindset ensures personal growth and resilience." - Carol Dweck  "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." — Confucius "It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see." - Henry David Thoreau #resilience #positive #silverlinings #learning #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #growth #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #hope  #Resilient people acknowledge reality and the problem and look for positive outcomes and options. Ask yourself: am I finding a silver lining or the hidden lesson or benefit in this experience?

Abraham Lincoln: "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Dwight D. Eisenhower: "The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity." Thomas Jefferson: "On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters of principle, stand like a rock." #Character #integrity #style #principles #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #honesty #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #empower

"Normalizing abuse behaviors empowers abusers, not survivors." — Anonymous  “What is happening to me? Am I crazy? It's normal?” — Anonymous “Abuse is a choice, not a given... make no excuse for abuse.” — Lundy Banroft #health #empower #ChooseWisely #protection  #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #trust #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #liberty

"[J]udge-shopping sends a terrible message to the public at large about the neutrality of the federal courts... [when] litigants' 'partisan behavior' makes the courts look like they can be so easily manipulated..." - Steve Vladeck  "Representative government and trial by jury are the heart and lungs of liberty." — Thomas Jefferson #justice #equality #FairTrial #truth #liberty #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #ethical #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #transparency

"My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me." — Jane Austen "Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There's no better rule." - Charles Dickens "False face must hide what the false heart doth know." - William Shakespeare #transparency #heart #truth #evidence  #leadersarentbullies  #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #factfind #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #courage  Bullies and bullying organizations leverage false appearances. They go to great lengths to appear competent or appealing, or they use intimidation and fear to control their followers.

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." -  Martin Luther King, Jr. "You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars. If they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime." - Babe Ruth "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." — Henry Ford #together #brothers #sisters #team #success #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #maturity #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #love

"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light." - Aristotle "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." - "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen #light #truth #Love #expose #heal #freedom #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #SpeakUp #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #nevergiveup

Miscarriages of justice, where innocent individuals are wrongfully accused or convicted or the legal system fails to uphold fairness, are often described as profound systemic failures.  "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." — Martin Luther King, Jr. "The moment you lay down—that's when it's over." — Huwe Burton "Give me the man and I will give you the case against him." — Soviet-era jurists #innocence #justice #fairness #fight #truth #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #honor #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #FreeSpeech

“We must work together to ensure the equitable distribution of wealth, opportunity, and power in our society.” – Nelson Mandela #equality #power #opportunity #wealth  #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces  #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #justice #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #freedom  Bad executives cultivate in constituents a sense of financial dependence to undermine free speech and self-efficacy. Deviant managers can manipulate and leverage worker insecurities and immaturity to force compliance, rather than empowering employee commitment.

"We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided." - J.K. Rowling "Government of the people, by the people, for the people." - Abraham Lincoln #united #strong #people #equality #together #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #team #psychologically #justice

"The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie." - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn "Cowards are cruel, but the brave love mercy and delight to save." — John Gay "The world is not fair, and often fools, cowards, liars, and the selfish hide in high places." — Bryant McGill  "Bullies are always cowards at heart." — Anna Julia Cooper "Time will inevitably uncover dishonesty and lies." — Norodom Sihanouk #courage #brave #mercy #honesty #Solid #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #strength #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #character

"The entire judicial apparatus is hopelessly corrupt and beholden to the same corporate interests that own our legislatures." — Bob Marley "The Founding Fathers deeply distrusted judges and thought that the lawyer class was dangerous and that you could not give them unbridled power or they would undermine and destroy free society." — Newt Gingrich #integrity #hope #trust #safety #freedom #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #justice #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #equality

“There is no limit to what a (person) can do so long as they do not care a straw who gets the credit for it.” – Charles Edward Montague “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” – Albert Einstein “We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone” -Sandra Day O’Connor #sharethelove #others #worth #together  #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #give #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #collective How many executives choose individual incentives for profit and status, or, despite incompetence, to fill pivotal roles, over their employees’ and constituents' safety, health, peace, and well-being? As consumers, employees, and citizens, demand multi sum, utilitarian, outcomes.

"United we stand, divided we fall." — Aesop "Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable." — Kenyan Proverb "There is not a liberal America and a conservative America – there is the United States of America." — Barack Obama "When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you." — Winston S. Churchill #united #unbreakable #community #teamwork  #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #share #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #learning

"Fall seven times, stand up eight." — Japanese Proverb "If you're going through hell, keep going." — Winston Churchill "Still I Rise." — Maya Angelou "Endure and persist." — Marcus Aurelius #StandUp #keepgoing #RiseUp #endure #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #persist #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #nevergiveup

"Big business is tightening its grip on our courts. Instead of serving as a last resort for Americans seeking justice, judges are bending the law to satisfy the concerns of their corporate donors." — Billy Corriher "The appearance of corporate influence or access... breeds cynicism and distrust." — Judge Paul A. Crotty #justice #rights #influence #Transparency #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #trust #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #integrity

A voice is a human gift; it should be cherished and used, to utter fully human speech as possible." — Margaret Atwood "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." — Martin Luther King Jr. #speak #cherish #matter #humanity  #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #stepup #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #justice Victims and targets who make bullying observations and claims are often stigmatized as troublemakers or whistleblowers, even though breaking the silence by exposing and stopping bullying and abuse is most courageous and admirable.

"I've been blessed with a deep and abiding faith in the country I love." - Barack Obama "I love the United States very much. We are one people, chasing one dream, and one magnificent destiny." - Donald Trump  #blessed #faith #love #dream #destiny #usa #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #Respect #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #dignity

"Nowadays, respect is disappearing. People no longer know how to treat one another with dignity," —Yan Keirstin Domdom "Without dignity, identity is erased." —Laura Hillenbrand "Respect is a reflection of inner strength. Choosing dignity in every interaction says more..." — Judge Frank Caprio #respect #dignity #identity #strength #stand #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #SpeakUp #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #support

"When you make threats to do physical harm, it becomes more than a prank – it becomes illegal." - Rusty Fulbright "Workplace "leaking"—when a person shares their intent to harm—should be treated as a serious red flag, not a joke." - Reid Meloy "Anger, resentment and jealousy doesn't change the heart of others-- it only changes yours." - Shannon Alder #takeaction #investigate #protection #safety #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #justice #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #truth

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." — George Orwell "Truth is mighty and will prevail." — Mark Twain "Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom." — Thomas Jefferson #truth #honesty #wisdom #prevails #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #mighty #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #light  Successful leaders seek and embrace the truth. They solve problems, influence people in positive ways, and achieve growth-perpetuating healthy outcomes.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." - Hellen Keller "Coming together is a beginning... Working together is success." - Henry Ford  "We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now". - Martin Luther King, Jr. "Individual commitment to a group effort—that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." - Vince Lombardi #together #success #team #commitment #leadersarentbullies #healthyworkplaces #leaderselevatethoughtandconduct #unity #psychologicalsafetyatworkact #sacrifice