The session centers on a fundamental problem: You and I are trained as engineers to use design patterns for code, but we’re often left winging it when it comes to people and organizational complexity. Michał Poczwardowski argues that we need to treat our thinking process with the same level of structural integrity we give our architecture.
Mental Models are Just Design Patterns for Your Brain
Michal defines mental models as “design patterns for solving problems“ rather than just writing code. They are thinking protocols pulled from disciplines like physics and chemistry that help you ask the right questions before you commit to a path. The goal is to have a meta-observation of your own brain so you don’t default to lazy or reactive thinking.
The Logic of “First Principles” and “Inversion”
First Principles: Instead of following “best practices“ blindly, you break a problem down to its fundamental truths. If the math doesn’t work at the foundation, the whole project is a house of cards.
Inversion: Instead of asking “How do I make this project succeed?“, you ask “What are all the ways we could make our people miserable and the project fail?“. Then, you systematically avoid those things. It’s much easier to avoid stupidity than to seek brilliance.
The “Process vs. Outcome” Fallacy
This is where most engineers get tripped up. Michal pointed out that a good decision can lead to a bad outcome because of luck or unexpected variables. Conversely, you can make a “stupid“ decision, like betting the company’s runway on a random crypto coin, and get lucky.
You cannot judge the quality of your decision-making based solely on the result. You have to judge it based on the structure of the process you used at the time. If the process was solid but the result was bad, you didn’t fail; you just hit an outlier.
Practical Protocol: Don’t Estimate on the Fly
One of the best “thinking protocols“ mentioned was the rule of never providing estimates during a live call. The pressure to look smart or accommodate a client usually leads to “one-week“ promises for “two-month“ problems. A structured thinker pauses, analyzes, and responds in a separate thread.
Thanks for reading,
Yordan
PS: Want to learn more about structured decision making and mental models? Subscribe to Perspectiveship today.
