EDITION 1118
27 APRIL 2026

On this day in 1810, Ludwig van Beethoven composed his famous piano piece Für Elise. Yet the work remained unknown until 1867, when it was discovered decades after his death.

To this day, no one knows for certain who “Elise” - was or whether she existed at all.

Some things endure not because they are fully understood, but because they resonate.

Not everything needs to be longer to be better.

Films are getting longer. Meetings are getting longer. Even emails seem to have a sequel.

Back in 1996, Mission: Impossible wrapped things up in 1hr 50mins. Today? Nearly five and a half hours across two parts.

We’ll pass.

At 10 THINGS, we keep things short, sharp and worth your time. Because attention is a leadership skill, and respecting it is a leadership act.

Ten things. Ten minutes.

That’s it. You’re done.

William Montgomery
Editor

1. How to aim high without missing the target. Ambition is seductive. Big goals energise teams, attract talent and signal intent. It’s why leaders like Elon Musk have made “stretch targets” famous. But there’s a tension. Push too far and you create chaos, fatigue and missed deadlines. Research highlighted by The Economist suggests that while extreme goals can spark innovation, more moderate, achievable ones often deliver stronger, more consistent performance. The lesson isn’t to lower ambition - it’s to calibrate it. The best leaders know when to stretch and when to stabilise. READ MORE

2. The 1% Club. Less than 1% of the world’s population will ever complete a marathon - 26.2 miles (42.2 km) of sustained effort. And today, that boundary shifted. At the London Marathon, Sebastian Sawe stopped the clock at 1:59:30 - the first time a human has run a marathon under two hours in official race conditions. For years, it was thought impossible. Then improbable. Then inevitable. Now it’s done. My application for 2027 is in. One day, the ballot will say yes. Leadership lesson: Limits rarely disappear gradually. They break - suddenly - and then everyone recalibrates.

3. Tax rising faster than peers. The UK recorded the largest increase in taxes on a typical worker among developed economies last year, according to a new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. A single UK worker earning the average wage now faces a tax burden equivalent to 32.4% of labour costs - up 2.45 percentage points. Across the OECD, the average rise was just 0.15 points. The drivers? Higher employer social contributions and the slow creep of fiscal drag. Leadership insight: What looks like stability can quietly become pressure. Small, incremental changes - left unchecked - reshape behaviour over time.

4. Who knew what and when? Questions have been raised over how senior appointments are vetted within government, and what happens when concerns emerge late in the process. At issue is not just the decision - but who was aware of what, and when. Those familiar with high-level vetting processes will recognise how unusual such situations are. Leadership insight: Process only works if it’s respected. When safeguards are bypassed - or information is withheld - confidence in the system quickly follows.

5. To visit or not to visit. Nearly half of Britons (44%) believe King Charles III should abandon his planned state visit to the United States, according to a poll by Merlin Strategy for The i Paper. Just 35% think the visit - linked to the 250th anniversary of American independence - should go ahead. It’s a reminder that even ceremonial decisions are rarely neutral. Leadership insight: Symbolic actions carry real consequences. What you choose to do - or not do - sends a message either way. Should King Charles proceed with the state visit to the US? VOTE HERE

6. Back to basics. In an age of screens and constant distraction, some are questioning whether technology is helping - or hindering - our ability to concentrate. Sweden has recently reversed course in classrooms, encouraging a return to books, paper and handwriting amid concerns about falling literacy and attention spans. The move reflects a broader shift. From single-tasking to writing by hand, many are rediscovering that focus isn’t improved by adding tools, but by removing them. Leadership lesson: Progress isn’t always about more. Sometimes it’s about less.

7. A dimmer outlook. Only 36% of young people in Britain now expect to have a better life than their parents - down sharply from 63% just a year ago, according to research from the John Smith Centre. The survey of more than 2,000 people aged 16 to 29 highlights one of the starkest shifts in outlook in recent years. For a generation raised on the promise of progress, that confidence is fading. Leadership insight: Expectations shape behaviour. When belief in a better future declines, so does the willingness to invest in it.

8. Jobs: strong now, weaker ahead? UK unemployment recently fell to 4.9%, according to the Office for National Statistics - a better-than-expected signal from the labour market. But the outlook is shifting. Forecasts suggest unemployment could rise to 5.8% by 2027, with up to 250,000 job losses driven by higher energy costs and slowing growth. Business sentiment reflects this caution, with many firms already expecting to reduce hiring. Leadership insight: Today’s data tells you where you are. Expectations tell you where you’re heading. The gap between the two is where decisions matter most.

9. Break-ups, reimagined. In the past, break-ups were handled more directly. A slammed door, a dramatic gesture, perhaps a regrettable decision or two. Today? We have “break-up gift registries” - complete with candles, poetry and carefully curated “healing” packages, reports The Times. It raises a question: have we made moving on more thoughtful, or just more complicated? Leadership insight: When everything becomes a process, even letting go can become unnecessarily complex.

10. The bottom line. Tickets for the FIFA World Cup Final have been listed on FIFA’s official resale platform for as much as £1.7 million. When demand overwhelms supply, price stops reflecting value, and starts reflecting desperation.