In Christine Holman’s memo when she resigned from the WiseTech board, she described “sustained intimidation and bullying … in the form of aggressive emails, one-on-one meetings and public berating in board meetings”. Even though she had brought this unacceptable behaviour to the attention of other directors, she was dismayed to see founder Richard White’s behaviour go unaddressed.
Instead, she was told to have “founder empathy” and accept that is “how geniuses are”. When I read this, a chill ran down my spine. It’s a narrative I’ve heard before.