Whistleblowing – Not for the Faint Hearted, No Matter Where in the World You Are

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Whistleblowing – Not for the Faint Hearted, No Matter Where in the World You Are

It has come down to this. The only sure line of defense against – and let’s call it what it is – corporate and governmental evil-doing – is the whistleblower.

It takes someone on the inside to reveal that which is being concealed. It takes someone with tremendous courage. Someone who knows there is a price to pay, and is willing to pay it.

Some of them become household names – or, at least a footnote in history. This is exampled by “Deep Throat,” W. Mark Felt, who caused Richard Nixon to resign. By Jeffrey Wigand of Brown and Williamson who provided evidence that tobacco companies did, indeed, understand the deadly nature of their product and even doctored the nicotine content to “hook” the smoker.

Not to forget Sherron Williams of Enron who uncovered that company’s elaborate accounting hoax.

Two had films made based on their courage, the latter had her 15 Minutes of Fame by appearing as a co-person of the year on the front cover of Time.

But, what about the people you don’t hear about, the ones who uncovered malfeasance which, however reprehensible, couldn’t gain traction in the press or attention from government officials?

And, I’m not talking only about the U.S. Corruption and subversion of ethics is a world-wide problem. Given the less supportive government structures elsewhere, people outside our borders face even more difficult challenges and are offered few solutions.

One of these warriors is from London, England, Ms. Wendy Addison.

Ousted in 2000 as a whistleblower from the South African company LeisureNet Ltd – a major health and racquet club chain with developments in Europe, Australia and New Zealand and which subsequently became one of the biggest corporate financial disasters in that country – Wendy became a victim of their venom.

Because she was willing to “go public” with the truth and to report corruption, she not only had the potential of losing her livelihood – which, you did – but also her life. Self-exiling herself to England with her young son, she found this shadow following her.

For still unexplained reasons, in 2001 she was dismissed from her role as Group Treasurer at Virgin by none other than Sir Richard Branson when it was discovered that she was – horrors! – the whistleblower who brought LeisureNet down. That became a “problem” for Virgin when they decided to purchase that company out of bankruptcy.

Listen in to this interview to learn more about the perils – and rewards – of choosing to stand for the truth. What is it like to lose a high-paying position and then find yourself and your 12-year-old son begging on London streets? What possible “payoff” could make this sort of sacrifice worthwhile?

Learn more about this courageous lady and her work at www.Speakout-Speakup.org, or at her professional coaching site, www.lifecoach-SOS.com. Bibliophiles will want to search for her book, “Beyond Freefall,” Tweeters will find her at @BeyondFreefall, or directly via email at wendy@speakout-speakup.org.