Communication Matters!

By Mary Verstraete

Communication That Builds Trust: The Heart of Connection

Angela Ahrendts, former Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores at Apple, redefined the customer experience for hundreds of millions worldwide. During her five years with Apple, she integrated physical and digital platforms into one seamless journey for over a billion visitors annually. Under her leadership, stores were redesigned, 70,000 employees were re-trained, and an educational initiative was launched to inspire creativity through coding, music, and the arts.

Before joining Apple, Ahrendts served as CEO of Burberry, the iconic British brand founded in 1856 and renowned for its trench coats, cashmere scarves, and signature check. At a time when Burberry had lost its cultural relevance, she led a remarkable revitalization — not just of the brand, but of its culture.

Trust as the Foundation of Excellence

Ahrendts attributes much of Burberry’s transformation to one essential principle: trust. She raised the bar for excellence by creating an environment built on connectivity, openness, and shared purpose.

“Trust is truly at the heart of it all. If trust is your core value, you hire accordingly. At this level, competence and experience are a given; trust is the difference maker. When I look someone in the eye, I ask myself: Do I trust them? Do I feel they trust me? Do they get the vision? This is the starting point for everything we do.” — Angela Ahrendts

Turning Communication Into Culture

How was this level of excellence implemented? Ahrendts intentionally created a conversational culture — one where communication flowed in every direction. She opened channels that allowed employees to connect directly with her and other senior leaders. This shifted the organizational mindset from protection to participation.

“You should feel a culture, and a brand. A culture is a living brand. We built the brand by building the culture. What’s right for the brand became a higher purpose: How can our employees help us create not only a great brand but also a great company?”

Through transparency and dialogue, Burberry’s people found their collective voice. As Ahrendts explained:

“When people trust people, you can share your insecurities and use them to build bridges. This openness connects us in a totally new way. When you acknowledge that you can’t do it without others, ego gets replaced by the understanding that we’re all in this together.”

The Neuroscience of Trust

Why is trust truly “the heart of it all”? Because it shapes how we think, feel, and connect. Neuroscience tells us that the human need to belong is as essential — and often more powerful — than the need for physical safety. Trust creates psychological safety, allowing people to engage fully, collaborate creatively, and communicate openly.

Conversely, when trust is absent, the brain shifts into protective mode, altering how we perceive and interpret reality. We see through a threatened lens:

• The environment feels unsafe
• We retreat and self-protect
• We become hypersensitive to being wrong or embarrassed
• Our behavior changes to avoid risk

When we operate in this threatened state, we:

• Reveal less than what we know
• Expect more than is realistic
• Assume the worst in others
• Approach situations with caution
• Interpret communication through fear
• Keep secrets we shouldn’t
• Become “yes” people to avoid truth

When Trust Is Present

When trust is prominent, everything shifts:

• We reveal more than required
• Expect less and overdeliver
• Assume the best in others
• Approach situations with openness
• Interpret through truth, not fear
• Tell the truth with courage
• Become “yes” people to confront truth

The Bottom Line

Communication that generates trust creates belonging. And belonging builds the stage for connectivity, collaboration, and innovation.

When leaders intentionally cultivate trust, communication transforms from transactional to transformational — the kind that changes not just how we work, but how we lead, live, and connect.