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I run the School of the Possible, a creative community of interesting people doing…
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Dave Gray shared thisIf you’re responsible for innovation but feel thwarted at every turn check out this post from Diana JosephDave Gray shared this#corporateinnovators, has this happened to you? Getting thwarted at every turn? What if the thwarters are just perfectly decent people trying to do their jobs? Innovation work and core business work both have to happen, one for the future and one for the present, but sometimes they're incompatible. One path through this conundrum: #Openinnovation. Partner with people whose constraints are different from yours. Dan Toma Esther Emmely Gons Emerald Publishing
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Dave Gray shared thisAn artist's dilemma: Do you draw what you know or what you see?
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Dave Gray shared this"There’s no tipping point coming where things flip and the jobs are gone. The new reality is the opposite—the more we automate, the more expert human work there is to do. Here’s why: AI commoditizes the residue of human expertise—whatever can be made explicit enough to train on. That collapses the value of default model output and creates demand for what’s different. Demand for what’s different is demand for human experts, even as we approach artificial general intelligence (AGI)." https://lnkd.in/gJs39eS5
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Dave Gray shared thisThis was a super-fun event! Here’s the link to the recording. https://lnkd.in/gxvJ9MstDave Gray shared this80+ people from all over the globe. One big question: how do you design a virtual meeting that doesn’t suck? Last week, Service Designers Connect welcomed Dave Gray, co-author of Gamestorming 2.0, for a virtual meeting about virtual meetings! 3 things we took away: ⚡ Energy is the thing you’re designing for. Build structures that help people move in the right direction, don’t leave it to chance. 🔄 Design a workshop rhythm. Solo activity, room activity, breakout rooms. Introverts recharge on the individual bits, extroverts on the breakouts. Switch between them to keep everyone engaged. 📋 The 7 Ps framework: Purpose, Purpose, People, Process, Prep, Pitfalls, Practical concerns. Useful for designing any session (virtual or in-real-life.) A huge thank you to Dave for sharing his thinking so generously. 🙏 Missed the session? 🔗Link in the chat — What’s coming up at Service Designers Connect? 📅 23 July Innovation in Health Care Mark Simmonds (Nottingham University Hospitals NHS) and ali fawkes (Humanly) on digital transformation and co-designing the future of respiratory healthcare. 📅 24 September A Service Design Jam with the Nottingham City Council A real service challenge. A real community in need of support. Hive mind activated! 📅 19 November Bringing Back Creative Methods Becky Mallaband and Rebecca Partridge close out 2026 in style. 🎟️ Places are free but limited → grab yours on Meetup Hope to see you in July! 😎
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Dave Gray shared thisHere’s the recording of last week’s virtual meeting about virtual meetings with Service Designers Connect https://lnkd.in/gxvJ9Mst
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Dave Gray shared thisAfter AI takes all our jobs away, how will we pay the bills? Let’s talk about our AI future, this Thursday. Brought to you by Louis Rosenfeld and friends.Dave Gray shared thisCorporate life has disconnected us from meaningful work, our customers, and each other. Dave Gray will lead an open conversation about connection, community, and what the future of work actually looks like. Come with your questions. Leave with new thinking. Sign up for free: https://lnkd.in/d-78f2f3 #UserExperience #UXDesign
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Dave Gray shared thisJoin me and Louis Rosenfeld for a chat about our AI future. https://lnkd.in/gNVuiZHWConnection, Community, and the Future of Work U - RosenverseConnection, Community, and the Future of Work U - Rosenverse
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Dave Gray shared thisIf you like this one I’m planning another conversation on this very topic with Louis Rosenfeld later this week. Link in comments.Dave Gray shared this"I'm not sure what corporations are gonna look like after AI's finished burning its way through all the s#!+ that we've been doing that is not gonna really matter that much." This is just one of the many arresting thoughts Dave Gray shared with Jesse James Garrett and I on the most recent episode of Finding Our Way, the fourth installment of our LIMINAL mini-series. It's title, "You As A Service," comes from Dave's contention that we're all going to need to rethink our individual value proposition in a world where the robots can do so much of what we thought was our job. Some other provocative gems: "A lot of that effort and energy and cognitive overhead that's going into just managing the human aspect of bureaucracy — I just think it's gonna be dramatically changed." "If you can't explain what you do to an average person on the street, that should be a big warning sign in the world we're in today." "Think of AI as an editing out of the stuff that maybe we didn't need to be doing anyway." "As you gain more power and control at a more abstracted level, you're losing power and control at the more detailed level." And for me, as an independent consultant, coach, and teacher, this range very true: "The big skill that is gonna be required of all of us is learning how to create a customer." For anyone reflecting on how to capture and communicate their distinct contribution in this liminal moment, this episode is for you. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts. Links in the comments to top platforms.
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Dave Gray shared thisThis was a deep and wide-ranging, thoughtful and provocative conversation. Just what you would expect from Peter Merholz and Jesse James GarrettDave Gray shared this"I'm not sure what corporations are gonna look like after AI's finished burning its way through all the s#!+ that we've been doing that is not gonna really matter that much." This is just one of the many arresting thoughts Dave Gray shared with Jesse James Garrett and I on the most recent episode of Finding Our Way, the fourth installment of our LIMINAL mini-series. It's title, "You As A Service," comes from Dave's contention that we're all going to need to rethink our individual value proposition in a world where the robots can do so much of what we thought was our job. Some other provocative gems: "A lot of that effort and energy and cognitive overhead that's going into just managing the human aspect of bureaucracy — I just think it's gonna be dramatically changed." "If you can't explain what you do to an average person on the street, that should be a big warning sign in the world we're in today." "Think of AI as an editing out of the stuff that maybe we didn't need to be doing anyway." "As you gain more power and control at a more abstracted level, you're losing power and control at the more detailed level." And for me, as an independent consultant, coach, and teacher, this range very true: "The big skill that is gonna be required of all of us is learning how to create a customer." For anyone reflecting on how to capture and communicate their distinct contribution in this liminal moment, this episode is for you. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts. Links in the comments to top platforms.
Dave Gray replied to a comment
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Deb Martindale Johnnie Moore negative capability, such a beautiful concept. If you haven’t seen it you might enjoy this letter John Keats wrote when he coined the term — he was talking about Shakespeare. https://mason.gmu.edu/~rnanian/Keats-NegativeCapability.html
Dave Gray commented on a post
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This is a topic I’m keenly interested in. For the past few years my focus has been on holding space for creative work and play, which has been a challenge. What makes a “safe space” in the sense described here, safe from discomfort, is not the same as what is required to make a space safe for creativity, which involves asking questions, inviting uncertainty, provocations and playing with boundaries among other things. I love reading about what you are anticipating here and I also look forward to hearing your reflections afterward.
Dave Gray replied to a comment
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Michael Elledge I’m with you Michael. In Roman times parents owned their children and could sell them into slavery to pay off their debts. What theoretically better time and place would you want to go back to Louis Rosenfeld ?
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Dave Gray liked thisDave Gray liked thisThis is me and my mom yesterday at the Morgan Library in NYC visiting the INCREDIBLE exhibit on Mozart ( a must-see for any music buff, only open till 5/31 so RUN). Mozart has been a lifelong favorite of mine (my first dog was named Wolfgang!) and the main reasons why are really one: 🎵 He wrote some seriously catchy tunes... 🙍♂️ 👩🦰 🧔🏾♀️ 👨🏼🦳 AND he believed that music was to be enjoyed by everyone, and not just the sophisticates. That's why he wrote operas in German (for people to "get it" in their native language), not only in Italian (that only the educated who knew more than one language could understand). When I think about it, every one of my favorite artists, from Jane Austen to Charles Schulz, created their work to be about (and for) everyday people. Not only for their fellow artists, or those "in the know." 📔 This is what I tried to do in my first book, Drawing Out Your Genius, and what I aim to do with anything I create, including my "Sketch to Sell" program I'm bringing back next month. (That's where I teach non-artists to use simple drawings to help close sales by making their offers visible and prospects feel heard and understood. If you want details, DM me or comment below!)
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Dave Gray liked thisDave Gray liked this👋 Hi Mobility Friends, I'm looking for your help. I need to find 12 presenters who want to share their story at WERC Global on October 27th to 30th for our Ignite event on the main stage. For those people who aren't familiar with Ignite presentations, they are awesome. They're 5 minutes long, 20 slides. Slides automatically progress every 15 seconds. So the audience gets insights fast and the presenters connect with the audience in ways that just aren't possible with other presentations. And there is not a warmer or friendlier audience than a WERC ignite audience. It's wonderful. If you know anyone or you yourself are interested, DM me and comment below. I hope to see you there and if you're interested, I hope to see you on stage. Hope you're all doing well. Look forward to connecting soon. Cheers.
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Dave Gray liked thisDave Gray liked this#corporateinnovators, has this happened to you? Getting thwarted at every turn? What if the thwarters are just perfectly decent people trying to do their jobs? Innovation work and core business work both have to happen, one for the future and one for the present, but sometimes they're incompatible. One path through this conundrum: #Openinnovation. Partner with people whose constraints are different from yours. Dan Toma Esther Emmely Gons Emerald Publishing
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Dave Gray liked thisDave Gray liked this200+ sign-ups, ~ 80 people in the room, and one very meta topic: virtual meetings about virtual meetings. That was last Tuesday's Session 20 of Service Designers Connect, which I co-hosted with Paul Bailey. Dave Gray joined us and led the main session on designing better virtual meetings. Participants joined from across the UK, Europe, the US, and beyond 🌏. A few reflections I'm taking away: 👉🏻 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲-𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴. 90 minutes felt like a useful upper limit for keeping energy, focus, and participation up. 👉🏻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. Something as simple as music at the start or end of a session can help people arrive, settle, and transition. 👉🏻 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗲'𝘀 𝟳𝗣𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁. A useful reminder that good meetings don't just happen; they are designed. Purpose, people, product, process, preparation, practical concerns, and pitfalls all shape whether a session feels useful, inclusive, and worth people's time. Most of all, I appreciated the discussion we had as a group. The questions, examples, and reflections from participants were a reminder that virtual meetings aren't just about tools or agendas. They're about creating the right conditions for people to think, contribute, and connect. Thanks again to Dave, Paul, Service Designers Connect, and everyone who joined us! 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂?
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Dave Gray reacted on thisDave Gray reacted on thisWearing a different kind of hat today: the showbiz assistant. My eldest is on a professional photo shoot. Yeah, I’m terribly proud that she enjoys performing and being in front of the camera, because for me, public speaking is still something I struggle with. Waiting in a stuffy room while she is having fun, my mind goes wandering about how I need to let her go, step back, do less, stop hovering. It’s so hard. And it reminds me of the hardest lesson I learned working as a designer: stop being precious about my work. Less arguing about my design decisions, more listening, deeper understanding of the client’s needs. Changing a brilliant design into something simpler, more accessible for the audience. Well, life goes in circles, and I often find the lessons I get from parenting apply so well to the professional side too. What life lessons do you find apply to both work and family?
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