Tall Poppy Theory
A research-backed framework for high-performing women facing workplace targeting and retaliation.
47% Nearly half of high-performing women who fought workplace bullying visibly were fired within 12 months
New research reveals what actually protects your career when conventional advice fails
Discover your execution pattern and whether your current approach puts your career at risk
How You Respond Changes the Outcome
In this research, visibility matters:
overt (identity known) vs covert (identity protected)
Presenting Research at the International Association on Workplace Bullying and Harassment (IAWBH) 2026 Conference - Canberra, Australia
The moment I knew
“I thought it was a misunderstanding until colleagues pulled me aside. Then meetings stopped, whispers started, and I realised I was the target.”
Director of Public Policy, UK
HR was not confidential
“HR said it would be confidential. Within days the bully knew, allies turned cold, and every mistake was documented. I became the problem overnight.”
Bioengineer Lead, Australia
Protecting my identity
"I stopped feeding them information; they were using it against me. The pressure lifted a bit when I moved quietly and kept my plans to myself."
EVP Marketing, United States
You don't need more advice. You need a decision.
But every good decision starts with knowing where you stand. The 10-minute assessment measures the impact of workplace targeting across 6 critical areas of your life. In 18 questions, you will see the full picture of what this situation has already cost you.
Private. Research-backed. Built for women who are done guessing.
The Framework
The Tall Poppy Theory
There is an old saying: the tallest poppy gets cut first.
At work, it often looks like this: the women who deliver the most, raise the standards, and become highly visible are the ones who get targeted. Not because they did something wrong, but because their competence changes the power balance.
The Tall Poppy Theory of Strategic Execution focuses on the moment after a woman realizes what is happening. It does not ask why bullying exists or how organizations should prevent it. It asks a more urgent question:
What actually protects your career and wellbeing once the system is no longer safe?
The data points to a counterintuitive answer: the pathway matters less than the visibility of your execution. Not which path you choose, but whether the organization can see you choosing it.
The assessment helps you see how far the damage has spread and where to focus your attention first.
The answer turns out to be less about which path she chooses and more about how she walks it.
Pilot Study
What the Research Revealed
A mixed-methods study of high-performing women across six countries and multiple sectors revealed a pattern that challenges much of the conventional advice given to workplace bullying targets.
Participants pursued a range of response strategies. Some escalated through formal channels. Some chose to leave. Some stayed and endured. No single pathway guaranteed a good outcome. But one factor consistently separated the women who emerged with their careers and wellbeing intact from those who did not.
Execution approach mattered more than pathway choice.
Women who executed their chosen strategy covertly reported significantly higher satisfaction with their outcomes than women who pursued the same type of strategy overtly.
Overt escalation through formal channels consistently produced poor outcomes.
Covert approaches protected careers and wellbeing across all pathways.
Whether a target chose to fight, leave, or stay, doing so strategically and discreetly was associated with better outcomes in career preservation, mental health, and professional reputation.
This research has been accepted for presentation to the International Association on Workplace Bullying and Harassment (IAWBH) 2026 Conference in Canberra, Australia. The IAWBH Conference is the premier international forum for workplace bullying scholarship.