Dave Hoffer shares why design demands empathy 🧠, courage 🛡️, and long-term thinking 🌱—and how amplifying others can transform leadership in uncertain times 🚀.

He explores design’s shifting role in business, the disruptive rise of AI, and why resilience and critique will shape the future of design.

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Episode Chapters

00:00 – Why Empathy Matters in Design

01:02 – Introducing Dave Hoffer

03:17 – Amplifying Others Over Self

05:00 – Layoffs, Resilience, and Mission-Driven Work

12:12 – Hope and Long-Term Thinking in Design

14:20 – Courage, Critique, and Speaking Truth to Power

17:24 – Design Under Pressure and the AI Disruption

22:20 – Why Designers Must Experiment With AI Tools

31:30 – Lessons from Kasparov on Humans + Machines

33:00 – Spectral Thinking and Understanding People on a Spectrum

37:11 – The Hard Cost of Empathy in Design

42:05 – Why Executives Need Firsthand Empathy

50:30 – Empathy, Judgment, and Learning from Outliers

58:13 – Physical Labor and Shifts in Perspective

1:04:00 – Think Like a Gardener, Not an Architect

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Who is Dave Hoffer?

Dave Hoffer is a seasoned design leader and strategist whose career spans product design, digital innovation, and design transformation 🌎.

He has:

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  Led design teams at Frog Design, PwC, and McKinsey & Company

  
  


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  Grown McKinsey’s global design practice from a handful of designers to hundreds 📈

  
  


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  Brought design strategy into the heart of business and policy change

  
  


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  Advised mission-driven organisations like Safe Kids AI 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

  
  


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  Advocated for amplifying others and championing empathy and critique as foundations for impactful leadership ✨

  
  

Today, Dave advises organisations as an independent consultant, helping them embed human-centered design practices into strategy and transformation initiatives.

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Find Dave Hoffer here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-hoffer/

Website: https://www.mpqd.com/

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Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:

• Brendan Jarvis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/


• The Space InBetween Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/