Matt Paknis Leadership Development

On January 24, 2018, vile bully Lawrence Nassar was sentenced to forty to 175 years in a Michigan state prison after pleading guilty to seven counts of sexual assault of minors who were top-level gymnasts under his medical care as team physician for USA Gymnastics. The 332 women who sued Michigan State University over abuse by Dr. Nassar will receive $500 million from the university in a settlement approved by the university’s elected trustees in a conference call on Tuesday night, May 15, 2018. It is believed to be the largest settlement ever reached in a sexual abuse case involving an American university. Each woman will receive just under $1.3 million on average; some will get much more, and others much less, he said. As the Nassar crisis unfolded, it appeared that Michigan State, USOC, and USA Gymnastics officials went covert, just like those at Penn State concerning Sandusky, to protect a child molester, to undermine trust and the truth, and ultimately to not protect child...

Of course! Five for five for red heads in my family!

All abusive and bullying behaviors are rooted in predators', and respective organizations', disturbed needs for power and control. Shedding a bright light on this darkness with truth and transparency, and arming targets and victims with efficient, safe, protective, and reliable reporting processes, will help stop this vile behavior. The burden of proof of innocence in abuse cases must shifted to the accused. It's better to err on the side of of caution to protect vulnerable people and to encourage targets and victims to step forward than to prioritize preventing false accusation. Comfort in exposing abusive behaviors must become the norm and replace hiding and allowing abusive practices. Truth and facts must overpower fear and criticism. The key is for leaders and constituents to not tolerate bullying and to empower all people to step up to stop abuse. This and more tools for the reader to identify, stop, address, and transcend workplace abuse and bullying are av...

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 Berean Study Bible Happy Sunday! And Congratulations to Maggie Nichols, crowned yesterday as 2018's NCAA Gymnastics Champion! Ms. Nichols began the year by revealing she was the first gymnast to report abuse by Dr. Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics team physician convicted of serial sexual abuse, to USA Gymnastics’ leadership three years ago. She ended the championship meet in triumph, with a string of performances that stamped her as one of the greatest collegiate gymnasts in history! Below please find the five steps regarded by experts to help abuse victims and targets recover from trauma. These include: a. Sharing all abusive experiences and secrets with a trusted, licensed / certified, recognized, and proven trauma counselor and, when ready, ultimately going public to expose the abuse and to protect potential targets. b. Identifying cognitive distortions and irrational mental filt...

Last night HBO aired a movie about Paterno's fall from grace as Penn State's admired football coach . It failed to reveal the Paterno I experienced when coaching with him and Sandusky as an assistant Penn State football coach in 1987 and 1988 and how Paterno's true colors facilitated Sandusky's rampant pedophilia. I experienced Paterno as a bully who demanded bizarre player witch hunts and staff behaviors. These contradicted his win the right way mantra. He also threatened staff and players with personal violence, he made racist statements, and he isolated, belittled, disenfranchised, and demeaned decent players and staff with tyrannical rage while projecting a calm and concerned public persona in the media. His true self so contradicted his beloved public image to this day people refuse to acknowledge Sandusky's crimes and Paterno's culpability. Paterno's ruse and permission set the tone for Sandusky to model and create a sham of a charity where Sandus...

This weekend, HBO will release " Paterno" , and Simon & Schuster announced the September release date for my book, "Successful Leaders Aren't Bullies". The film stars Al Pacino as Paterno and chronicles Paterno's fall from grace in November 2011 when he eclipsed the NCAA's all time coaching wins record AND was fired from PSU for his culpability in allowing Sandusky to sexually molest young boys. I worked as an offensive line coach at Penn State with Paterno and Sandusky in 1987 and 1988 and their bizarre power dynamics and narcissism turned me off to coaching. It also motivated me to earn an MBA and help organizations rid themselves of bullies and bad management practices. The film appears to allow the viewer to decide whether Paterno was complicit and knowingly allowed Sandusky to molest boys for the sake of Paterno's drive to become college football's all time most winning football coach and to protect his and Penn State's reput...

A fish stinks from its head! The only root cause common in bullying and abusive organizations is it is ALLOWED by complicit officials!