In the wake of tragedy, many choose silence and self censorship. I choose dialogue. For years after whistleblowing, my life’s mission has been to explore the behavioural intersection of democracy, free speech, whistleblowing, and generative dialogues. The murder of Charlie Kirk has added an urgency to this mission. In times like these, the instinct is […]

Traditional whistleblowing and “speak up” narratives often emphasise the courage required for employees to raise concerns. While well-intentioned, this framing highlights a deeper problem: if employees must be brave simply to voice concerns or fulfill their responsibilities, then the organisation’s culture is already failing them. Through the Courageous Conversations training lens, where we teach the […]

The Coronavirus captures the essence of true uncertainty and as a result, most approaches to mitigate the spread are naturally being made with a risk mindset. Every day we are constantly expected to decide between the present and the future. For example, should we spend money on a nice vacation now, or save it for […]

Aligned with the song by Daniel Powter, Bad Day, most of us can get through one bad day. But how many of us can get through many bad days, many bad weeks, bad months or even bad years?  How many of us can get through them and retain our belief in a just and fair world, in human […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

  No leader would readily say they wanted cowardice but until you’ve seen a workplace of confident, idea-sharing, risk-taking, conflict-engaging, openly dissenting people, it’s hard to know the difference. Courage is something that we want for ourselves in gluttonous portions and adore in others without qualification whilst cowardice, uncertainty, defensiveness and timidity are shunned and identified […]

Digressions from a moral code are often described as a series of small breaches that grow over time. My own experience underscores this where, in my whistleblowing case against the CEOs of LeisureNet Ltd, a part of my testimony was revealing what had begun as small ethical breaches which resulted in cascading into significant legal […]

“To see the self as deceiving itself has seemed the only way to explain what might otherwise be incomprehensible: a person’s failure to acknowledge what is too obvious to miss” (Bok, 1989) Most of us would like to believe that if we had been at Enron or at any of the growing number of failing […]

When last did you co operate without asking questions? In my own experience, as an executive team member who refused to co operate without asking, I was dismayed by my peers' bias to co operate blindly. It was partly due to their co operation that unethical practices cascaded into significant malfeasance and ultimately the demise […]

Nietzsche wrote, “arrogance on the part of the meritorious is even more offensive to us than the arrogance of those without merit, for merit itself is offensive” (1878, Aphorism 332)   While societies may differ on what it means to be moral, they agree that it is good to be so. Yet anecdotal evidence suggests […]

Afro Ethics - Understanding Corruption in Africa (Download pdf) Is it possible for Westerners to find their reflection in the African mind and vice versa and can Ubuntu (African Ethics) and Western ethical teachings interconnect to serve the greater good? Humanity is what binds us but it is the expression of this humanity in our daily […]

I am my own Hero I am my own Hero - a shortened version of my talk at United Sucess Women's Entrepreneurial Symposium in Amsterdam, June 2013 Click on Video to view.

Indeed. Why then when I offered my services to the NSPCC did I get the 'standard' email in response:'Thank you for contacting the NSPCC, if you are reporting concerns or seeking advice about the welfare of a child we will respond within 24hrs, if you are asking for information about the NSPCC, its services or […]

All companies have narratives—mission statements, principles, and core values— that communicate the identity and purpose of the firm to its stakeholders, especially the employees. A story that defines a firm’s purpose, mission, and values can empower managers to search for and identify new opportunities that fit within the company’s moral framework and handle unforeseen crises. […]

Do you know how to speak to your own truth effectively?  Do you know how to hear the truth well, when it’s spoken to you? In the world of work, conspiracies of silence are enormously damaging and all but universal. We have all worked in places where no one addressed the problem that everyone knew […]

Fear or Favour – Rank or Yank and the Golden Boy/Girl Syndrome One of the dirty little secrets of many organizations is a debilitating caste system that identifies a few as stars, who are then rewarded and afforded special privileges, and damns the rest as mediocrities who are expected to be good little soldiers who […]