Here’s something I say a lot.

“I can hear Paul now, …”

… followed by what I imagine Paul Pangaro’s take might be to an idea my peers and I have just encountered. It’s a fun game to play, and it is a great reminder to examine ideas critically and in context of systems. It is also a testament to the clarity of perspective Paul gave us in our Cybernetics class.

Having a strongly articulated perspective matters. During this first year at graduate school two very distinctive new voices (metaphorically speaking) took up residence in my head. Those voices belong to Paul Pangaro and Jon Kolko, and they consistently ask me to examine new ideas with a critical eye. 

Paul taught our ’Cybernetics and Introduction to Systems Design’ class. He introduced us to a rigorous conception of conversations, mental models, systems, feedback loops and lots more besides. He is himself an embodiment of that rigor, which shines through in his incredibly clear and incisive questions. They always manages to get right to the heart of matters. The vocabulary Paul introduced is infused in the language around the studio.

So is Jon Kolko’s. Kolko was a guest lecturer in our entrepreneurial design class, where he gave a talk on design and social entrepreneurship. In conversation he comes off as snarky and irreverent, but behind that snark is a very clear perspective on why design matters, how design is powerful, and how we as designers have a responsibility not to squander its power by making frivilous commercial artifacts. Being in his company is like being with a snarky, design-minded Socrates, always getting you to question if your design work really matters.

The vividness of their voice in my memory is a testament not only to the strength of their perspective, but also to the skill with which they deliver it. They are animated in their conviction, deliberate in their choice of words, and utterly without pretence, except perhaps when they reach for a dramatic or comedic effect.

A great example of Paul and Jon’s impact on my thinking came up a couple months ago. I was at NYU, where Steve Blank gave a guest appearance in a lecture on business models and customer development. During the Q&A session, Jon Kolko’s voice popped into my head. “Ask him about the ethics of MVP-style cheap iteration on vulnerable population in social entrepreneurship. It’ll be fun.” Only I wasn’t able to articulate my question well at all, and so I didn’t really get a good answer from Steve Blank.  If only I could ask articulate questions on the fly like Paul does, that would have made for a much more interesting Q&A.

I am not sure where I am going with this, except to say, “Thanks!” to Paul and Jon.  Oh, and also, I want to see a debate between Jon Kolko and Steve Blank about MVP, moderated by Paul Pangaro. That would really be fun.