Being uncertain about the answer to the riddle below may be a pleasant reward-anticipating feeling when you know this will be revealed, but will turn into frustration if the answer is missing. Curiosity, the emotion that moved the cat. I wrote a little bit about how my own insatiable curiosity kept me alive. New parents learn a […]

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 vulnerable to self-inflicted ruin. This […]

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 with tension.  I have chosen […]

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 here to access the .48 second video to find out who else […]

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 thinking. Between their deep attachment […]

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 invited to a workshop next […]

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 invoking and nurturing moral courageousness […]

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 loyalty to the organisation goes […]

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 how institutions worldwide are engaging […]

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 felt. How much regret do […]

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 notice how many store book […]

Imagine you are in a public bus. A teenager comes in and puts her shoes on the seat across from you. Her shoes are muddy, and the next person to sit on the seat will most likely get his/her clothes dirty. Would you say something to the teenager? Or imagine you stroll in a park […]

The effects of power on individuals is different from the effects of power on teams. While power may make individuals feel empowered and lead them to pursue their goals, power within teams may actually make people more focused on their dependencies and vulnerabilities towards one another          Power struggles within teams encompass […]

I have been restless to expand my understanding of the areas in the brain that drive courageous action since returning from studying the Neuroscience and psychology of decision making at Stanford University Having won an eleven year war of attrition securing justice against corporate malfeasance, I acquired an assortment of labels. Thankfully and against the […]

"That would never happen in our organisation" is one of the push back narratives I hear when introducing myself and my services to decision making senior executives in organisations. Actually, it’s not even a narrative, it’s a defensive mantra and you know what happens with those -   they evolve into blind-spots. I often speak and write about […]

Just imagine: Your boss asks you to run a series of special training days for other employees. At first you feel rather flattered that your boss is considering you for this task. But you soon realise that there are costs involved: for one, you are expected to prepare for the training in your own time, […]

True Story: One of the LeisureNet joint CEOs, Peter, summonsed the project accountant, “Tony”, a senior manager, into his office. In rapid and hushed tones, Peter briefed Tony in the corridor saying that he had the directors of our largest offshore investors, Capvest, on the phone. The Capvest directors were irate having identified significant differences […]

“Next time I come for a meeting with you make sure you’re braless”   External Bank Manager “If you interrupt my meeting, you need to be punished and that means me ‘taking you’ on my desk”  Followed by being picked up and laid across the desk. Sales and Marketing Director “You know we only hired you for […]

Although evidence has mounted that employees speaking up helps managers identify problems and improve organisational effectiveness, voice from subordinates is still not well received by managers. In this blog I want to focus on how the process of the way we compare ourselves with others (social comparison) and gender can influence speaking-listening up in an […]

There is no wonder my whistleblowing case is known as "South Africa’s Enron". There are significant and identifiable parallels. In this blog I want to focus on the the attempt by the joint CEOs of the organisation I blew the whistle on, to persuade the Chairman of the Audit committee, a Board Director, to have […]