Mind The Gap - Howard Gray

Looking for the light switch

At 15, I started going off the rails: month-long detentions; school suspensions; brushes with the police. Going into my final year of school, things weren’t looking great. My parents were exasperated. But then, something changed - almost overnight. I never became a model student, but I suddenly seemed to

The Tension

Research or Reassurance?

When we’re starting something new, it’s usually a good idea to do some research. Talking to people is a great way of doing this. But there’s a problem: a line so fine we can barely see it. It’s the line between research and reassurance. We probably

Mind The Gap

The repercussions of a club night introduction

On the wishlist of guests for third season of the Tickets [www.howardgray.net/tag/tickets] podcast was someone I’d not spoken with for years. While I didn’t have his email address or phone number, we did have a LinkedIn connection and he seemed to be fairly active

Mind The Gap

Clunky Metal Boxes

In the late 1950s, Sullivan County in Upstate New York had the most hotel rooms of any county in the entire United States. By the late 1970s, nearly all the hotel rooms had disappeared. What happened? Alongside some broader cultural shifts, there were two big technology-driven disruptions. The first was

Mind The Gap

Hiring: the voices in-between

I first posted this little riff on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6803739664575434752/], and wanted to share it here: I’ve been interviewing new hires for the first time in a while. I have no idea if I’m doing it ‘right’ (very unlikely), but

From Zero

Runway

When going out and doing a new thing, people often talk about ‘runway’. Usually this term refers to the number of months of funding that’s available while the new thing isn’t generating any revenue. For example, if your living costs are $5k a month, and you have $20k

Mind The Gap

Going back to the Old Oak

You know those people who like to talk about how many books they’ve read this year? It’s ok, unclench your jaw. This post isn’t one of those humblebrags. I haven’t read a page in weeks. There’s certainly plenty of value in getting through a load

In The Neighborhood

The new success

There used to be a cafe in the Lower East Side called El Rey. It was a tiny place, with a row of bar stools at the front that looked out directly at the street. It was perfect for watching the world go by, and did a really good flat

A trip to Barcelona, and the hint I didn't take

In 2008 I was working at a digital agency in London. A digital agency creates stuff for brands – usually campaigns, sometimes websites and products too. But all of it digital. I found the work pretty interesting, but what I was really enchanted by was travel and festivals. There was one

Mind The Gap

Finding your edge

Everyone says you’ve got to find your edge. Seek out your competitive advantage. Maybe that’s not what’s lacking. You’ve already got your edge. It’s innate. Unique. Sharp and incisive. But it’s been dulled. The edge gets rubbed away by fear. The comfort of conforming.

Mind The Gap

Now Obvious

There’s a joy that comes with hindsight. So much so, a popular phrase encapsulates it. Hindsight lets us recognise all sorts of concepts, beliefs, opportunities, and connections that are Now Obvious. When we use hindsight and think of what’s Now Obvious, we probably go back years or even

Stage Left

30 degree days

Stringer Bell doesn’t like 40 degree days. Except when it’s 30. Let alone 20. For many of us, the last few weeks have been clocking in at 40, 45, maybe 50 (metaphorically speaking, if not literally). This morning, it was nearer 30. The cold cut into my fingers,

Mind The Gap

The flipped fortune cookie

> “What would you tell your younger self?” It’s one of the most popular questions you’ll hear in interviews. The answers are nearly always reassuring. They give us a warm feeling; a gentle sugary surge. But this is the problem. It’s too often a confection; a hindsight-baked fortune

Mind The Gap

The cycles of alchemy

For the last 2 or 3 years I’ve become more interested in behavioural economics – or rather, I’ve realised there’s a name for some of the stuff I’ve long been interested in sticking my nose into (so to speak). One of the more well-known voices in this

Mind The Gap

Do you like dogs?

A few weeks ago, we went upstate for the weekend. As you can imagine, the demand for places to stay outside the city has rocketed, and we had to move fast to secure something – especially as it was a last minute thing. In moments of haste such as these, the

From Zero

A slice of Saatchi

Here’s one way to get people talking about your brand – especially when you’re a B2B services company. Dubai’s Freedom Pizza [https://www.freedompizza.ae/] hired Saatchi & Saatchi as their ad agency. As part of the deal, Saatchi asked for a piece of the pie. Quite literally. Visit

The How To

How to introduce yourself

Like it or not, first impressions count. Regardless of whether you’re running a workshop [http://www.wavetable.net/wc], kicking off a class, or meeting a potential business partner for coffee, the way you introduce yourself can be an incredible lever to build trust, empathy, and engagement. It sounds

Stage Left

The Entertainers

This piece was originally the introductory bit to the 40th edition of my monthly newsletter ‘Adventures [https://howardgray.net/newsletter/]‘ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There’s been a piano in my family home for as long as I can remember. While I never got past ‘chopsticks [https://youtu.be/25CtoSJD9eo?t=96]’, my

Storytelling

Unlearnings from the improv class

This weekend I went to my first improv class in a little while. Improv has been one of those things the younger me would have been initially shocked at; realised made a lot of sense; then finally saw the tension: Telling stories, trying new ideas, setting up random situations: yes!

Storytelling

Thinking in Bits

What’s a bit? A small amount of something, right? Or perhaps your mind goes to technology. Bits and bytes. Binary, all those zeroes and ones. What about when we think in bits? We’re probably thinking like engineers: honing down the software so it runs at its most efficient;

Mind The Gap

When you see…

There are some things that once you see, you just can’t un-see. Your view of the world changes. However, you can’t just see these things. You have to be personally exposed to them through more than just seeing before you can really see them. And it’s important

Mind The Gap

Talking to Humans: Go anonymous

> “praise by name, criticize by category.” Warren Buffett Or to put it another way: Praise Specifically, Criticize Generally > Praise specifically, criticize generally. Don't respond to negativity. Say it as if to their face. Be original. Do not debate. — Naval (@naval) August 17, 2016 [https://twitter.com/naval/status/765751824850702336?ref_

Mind The Gap

I don’t do name tags

The other night I went to an information event for a program I’d registered interest in. It was held in a conference room at a sleek building in Midtown Manhattan; the type of place where the gunmetal elevator zooms you straight up to the 40th floor in the blink

Mind The Gap

Fear, Envy, and Contempt

These are three powerful feelings. They show up in many areas of our lives. Here are a few examples. Finding a job Fear of being an imposter. Envy at the ones already getting hired. Contempt for having to grind through a job selection process. Aiming for a promotion Fear of

Mind The Gap

What was it like?

When someone describes an experience, we may hear ourselves asking ‘What was it like?’. We’re being curious, taking an interest. Asking to find out more. Or at least trying to be polite. What if it wasn’t like anything? What if you get put on the spot and can’