Over recent months we’ve refreshed our website to better reflect how WBL has evolved, in response to both the environments you’re operating in and the feedback you’ve shared with us. The update makes clearer the flexibility in how clients work with us, whether through self-service, managed services, or something in between. It also more simply articulates how we support selection and development across individuals, teams, and organisations.
While the presentation has evolved, our longstanding belief in leadership and purpose remains unchanged: Exceptional leadership. A better future.
It was heartening to see a recent example of that 'better future' in action with the success of the Artemis II. In the midst of so much global noise and pressure, the mission served as a brilliant reminder of what's possible when curiosity, courage and the desire to disrupt is met with incredible discipline. It’s a positive world event that underscores a core truth: even the most complex 'moonshots' rely on a foundation of grounded, collective leadership.
The feature blog in this month’s newsletter reflects a theme we’re seeing with growing consistency in our client work. As organisations navigate increasingly complex and uncertain conditions, the enterprise leadership role is becoming harder, not easier. Our research highlights that this step is far more than a promotion; it requires a fundamental shift in identity: in how leaders regulate pressure, move from insight to decisive change, and build influence across a much broader ecosystem of relationships.
These distinctions matter, particularly in the current global context. Volatility, ambiguity, and sustained pressure are no longer episodic, they are the backdrop against which leadership now operates. In these conditions particularly, enterprise leadership impact is shaped less by having the right answers and more by the ability to stay grounded under pressure, exercise sound judgement, and sustain trust and connection over time.
For boards, executives, and those responsible for leadership and talent, the implication is clear: developing enterprise leadership capability earlier, and more intentionally, is no longer optional. It is a critical investment in organisational resilience and long-term performance.
Sonya’s book recommendation feels very timely and relevant in our complex world and is at the top of my reading list. The Dose Effect (Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins) the key neurochemicals that influence how motivated, connected, satisfied, and energised we feel.
I hope the insights that follow prompt both reflection and some good conversations as you navigate the leadership challenges ahead!
The conference's main focus is to highlight the most human dimension of modern work: the power of collective intelligence.
It explores how learning together accelerates change, strengthens cultures of shared growth, and opens new possibilities. For L&D leaders, this means amplifying collective learning, creating safe collaborative learning spaces, and supporting people to lead confidently and responsibly in an AI‑enabled world.
Some of the key topics that will be explored:
Developing leadership for the next era of work – equipping leaders to guide people through change with empathy, clarity, and purpose
Mapping skills and capabilities with purpose – aligning learning to critical needs so people grow and the organisation is ready for what’s next
Uplifting capability as a business advantage – leveraging capability growth to create meaningful value for people and the business.
The WBL team is excited to participate in this discussion. This year our focus is on:
The DNA of Collective Intelligence:
Using Personality to Decode Strategic Change.
Project Director Leadership Self-assessment
Te Waihanga Infrastructure Commission
WBL is proud to support the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission (Te Waihanga) in strengthening Public Sector Project Director capability by designing and launching the Project Director Capability Snapshot self-reflection tool.
Delivering major infrastructure projects in the public sector is complex. The Project DirectorCapability Snapshot providespublic sector leaders with a practical, efficient, and straightforward tool tostrengthen capability while building confidence in delivery across the system.Grounded in the Te Waihanga Infrastructure Commission Project Director Capability Framework (PDCF), the Capability Snapshot offers:
- Project Directors' data-based insights about their strengths and development opportunities - Managers and SROs sector-informed development conversations - Aotearoa New Zealand a shared public-sector standard for leadership
- Te Waihanga sector-wide data to inform development programme investment
The PD Capability Snapshot captures a Project Director's self-assessment of their leadership capabilities against the PDCF, alongside feedback from their Manager and/or Senior Responsible Officer (SRO). It is designed to be self-interpreted and used to support a development conversation between a Project Director and their manager.
If you are a Leader or Project Director (or aspiring Project Director) wanting to see a sample report or access this Project Director self-assessment for yourself, a colleague or a team member, visit this link or get in touch via leadership.capability@tewaihanga.govt.nz.
Many organisations assume that the journey to senior leadership is largely cumulative: more experience, broader scope, bigger decisions. Yet research and the lived experience of CEOs tells a different story. The shift from executive leadership into enterprise leadership is not merely a step up.
It is a fundamental change in how leaders think, relate, regulate themselves, and create impact.
Image credit: NASA
This transition is often where organisations misjudge readiness, succession efforts stall, and high-performing executives struggle - not because they lack capability, but because the nature of leadership itself has changed.
Our recent psychological research into executives and enterprise leaders highlights three core differences that distinguish enterprise leaders from functional or divisional executives. These differences don’t sit in technical skill or intelligence; they sit in identity, resilience and orientation to the system as a whole.
Are you looking for practical strategies to improve how you feel and perform? If the answer is yes, I can thoroughly recommend 'The DOSE Effect' by TJ Power. Anyone who’s spoken to me over the past couple of weeks has probably already heard me mention it.
‘DOSE’ refers to Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins - the key neurochemicals that influence how motivated, connected, satisfied, and energised we feel.
What TJ Power does particularly well is translate this neuroscience into something highly accessible. Concepts that can often feel technical or abstract are brought to life in a way that is relatable, engaging, and refreshingly non-judgemental.
In environments characterised by pace, pressure, and constant change, many of the challenges leaders are grappling with, such as motivation, focus, connection, and sustainable performance, are deeply human and physiological at their core. This book offers a simple but powerful lens for understanding those dynamics.
Importantly, it doesn’t just explain the 'why'; it provides practical, evidence-based ways to influence how we show up daily. For leaders, this creates an opportunity to think more intentionally about the conditions they shape for their teams, whether that means fostering connection, supporting energy, or enabling people to do their best work more consistently.
It’s also a book I’d recommend broadly; the content is relevant and accessible for readers from teenagers onward. If you’re curious about small changes that can make a meaningful difference to your day-to-day life, this is a great place to start.
Image credits: Unsplash (Donald Giannatti).
The WBL Team
Exceptional Leadership. A Better Future.
Winsborough, Level 3, The Formery, 87 Albert Street, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand, 0800 222 061
