“The 21st Century is a terrible time to be a control freak.” ~ Alec Ross, US State Department
Dave Gray’s new book, The Connected Company, helps us understand that the old idea of control as the surest way to safety is dead. Companies that seek to control anything – their image, the market, customers, and employees – are fighting a losing battle. To really have control – to be competitive, relevant, and respected – companies must come alive. They have to learn how to learn. They have to be in close and constant contact with their customers and employees. In other words, they must become more human.
At first blush, this seems an impossible order for companies, particularly those with a long-standing history of doing their work their way. What is certain is that this MO that worked quite well in the past will not work going forward. Customers and employees have too many choices and too much information literally at their fingertips. More importantly, they have many channels to voice their experiences, concerns, opinions, and questions to a worldwide audience. So should big corporations throw in the towel? Is it even worth it to try to compete in this new world?
Dave Gray thinks so, but to do that they may need to throw out every preconceived notion they have about how to do business.
Incredibly organized, The Connected Company‘s counsel falls into 4 rough categories:
- Find comfort (as well as challenge and fun) in complexity
- Understand and appreciate the vital role of technology to everyone associated with a business
- Blow up the silos and create self-governing teams
- Experiment
In addition to giving solid advice to C-suite executives, Dave Gray’s road map is valuable for entrepreneurs (present and future) as well as employees in large corporations. Much of his advice comes back to the idea that service is everything. And in Gray’s world, service takes on a far greater context than calling the 1-800 number to reach a customer service representative. How we treat one another, be it in a business setting or otherwise, on the phone, online, and in-person, has everything to do with our future success because the impressions of others, and their ability to share their impressions, matter more than ever before. Everyone is watching, listening, and learning – every customer, employee, critic, and competitor.
Initially, this plain, honest truth is terrifying. Our first reaction may be to feel like we are on eggshells every minute. It’s tough to live that way. It’s stressful, uncomfortable, and unsustainable.
A better way forward is to admit and own the fact that we don’t know everything. We may have to face up to the idea that we actually don’t know much at all. But if we commit ourselves to closing our mouths and opening our ears, to listening for a far greater percentage of our time than we spend talking, then there is hope for us. To do that starting Monday morning, Dave Gray has some ideas for you in Chapter 22.
Get the book. Get connected. Get going.
Published by Christa Avampato
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
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