British historian Arnold Toynbee concluded his 25-year study of 21 civilisations with the observation that “Great civilizations die from suicide, not by murder.” Toynbee observed that each civilisation—or cultural system—has within itself the seeds of its own change and destruction and that even the most prosperous and sophisticated civilisations are [...]
Most of my blogs are indexed to the reasons why I provide training for Courageous Conversations but I’ve seldom written directly about Courageous Conversations. This blog is different. "Tough Conversations", "Challenging Conversations", "Crucial Conversations", "Difficult Conversations" – there are a multitude of labels that suggest why communication can be fraught [...]
This month, I’ve been humbled by being acknowledged by the Think: Act magazine as a Business Disruptor, Rebel WITH a cause and a Constructive non Conformist. What an honour and a privilege to be recognised this way, not only for myself, but for all whistleblowers. Click on the picture to access the [...]
We’ve all encountered at least one. An individual in a position of power, or not, that ‘knows it all’. They lead over people with the “tacit assumption” that life is fundamentally and always a competition. That, as leaders, they are being paid for fixing problems rather than for fostering breakthrough [...]
Imagine you’ve been working at a company for six months and you’re given responsibility for a demanding, high-profile project. After months of hard work, you present your ideas to higher-ups. You receive either a positive outcome - “your project is so interesting to the senior management that you have been [...]
I learn so much when I'm invited to be a speaker by organisations and institutions. Since I began speaking and training, common questions arise across international borders and cultures. "Wendy, tell us how to become morally courageous in the moment". On reflection, it surprises me that there’s an expectation that [...]
Imagine that you are a rising star at a medium-sized investment bank (B&B), and you are currently facing a decision to choose between loyalty to your roommate or to your company and boss. There exists a cult mentality at B&B in that those who stay at the company accept that [...]
I recently returned from speaking in Cape Town, South Africa, at the invitation of the CFA SA. Even though South Africa is where I blew the whistle, it’s taken eighteen years to be invited back to share the lessons learnt from the LeisureNet disaster, aka "South Africa’s Enron". In comparison to [...]
1. Have you ever had a romantic crush on someone, believing them to be ‘the one’ but feeling too shy to tell them how you feel, you never confessed your love? Now you’re left wondering how your life might have shaped out if you had told this person how you [...]
How often have you laughed at a joke knowing that it belittles, stigmatises or prejudices others? Ever high-fived a friend or colleague when they’ve shared their ‘off-colour’, perhaps even illegal actions with you? Do you find it easier to describe yourself, and others in negative, rather than positive ways? Ever [...]