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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
"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 [...]
