Tom Verrall

Early in my career, I walked into a meeting carrying far more resentment than I realised. At the time, I would probably have described myself as frustrated, if anything. But looking back, resentment is the more accurate word. There had been a few weeks of small things building up. Conversations that felt dismissive. Decisions I didn’t agree with. Feedback I knew was unfair. Nothing dramatic individually, but enough collectively that I’d started mentally rehearsing arguments before any...

The word icon gets thrown around far too easily nowadays. A musician releases an iconic album. A founder sells a company so becomes a business icon. Someone goes viral for six weeks on TikTok and suddenly they’re an icon too. David Attenborough is one of the very few people who genuinely deserves the title. At 100 years old, he has spent more than seven decades helping humanity see the natural world differently - not through noise or performance, but through the qualities of curiosity,...

For years, clear communication has been seen as the foundation of effective communication. Say what you mean. Avoid jargon. Keep it simple. All of that still matters, of course it does. But in today’s workplace, clear communication alone doesn’t guarantee impact. Because people aren’t just asking: ‘Do I understand this?' They’re asking something deeper: 'Do I trust this?' And if the answer is no, clarity won’t carry your message. The shift: from clear communication to trust-based...