Dave Gray is one of those people who sticks in your mind like an ear worm of a favorite song you just rediscovered. If you clicked on his name you saw he has "Possibilitarian" listed as his trade. It's so uncommon as a current term my spell check lists it as incorrect. For a bit of context, I first noticed Dave years ago at a Creative Problem Solving Institute(CPSI). It’s well known as a gathering for disruptors from all over the world and, believe it or not, he was considered a disruptor of CPSI. If Dave is bringing disruption to CPSI it makes sense that he plucks a term from the '50s coined by Norman Vincent Peale in his book The Power of Positive Thinking.
I have long gravitated to the people Groucho Marx self-identified as “I don't want to belong to any club that would accept me as a member”…Thus I have enjoyed Dave popping up several times in my life after that initial meeting.
There was my discovering Gamestorming, a toolkit he co-authored that gathered dozens of facilitation tools and practices used in the then burgeoning world of digital in Silicon Valley. While CPSI and the folks who invented and studied CPS also amassed lists of tools, Gamestorming helped wrap our and many other tools into a game metaphor that made “everyone is creative” more actionable.
Then, as I explored visual thinking and facilitating I found that Dave was there again leading the way with several guides and tutorials.
Most recently I found he holds a weekly salon type meet up for any budding possibilitarian. Sitting mostly silent in his zoom rectangle, he calls to mind music producer Rick Rubin with a divergent mop of hair on head and face while others share thoughts, suggestions and asks.
What appeals to me about Dave is that he seeks endlessly and also shares endlessly. Even more important is that he edits what he shares in a way that makes his posts important. Not “THE MOST IMPORTANT THING EVER!!!!” just important and useful.
I want to be more like Dave! Who would you choose to be more like? Leave responses below.
One more way to discover Dave for yourself…SCHOOL OF THE POSSIBLE – Design a better school, to create a better world.
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