Employers regard having critical thinking as a key skill, especially when hiring. Grasping this ability well is imperative for quick problem solving and strategising. As a result, this serves to improve the overall productivity at the workplace.
“Successful executives use critical thinking skills everyday to sift through incomplete and complex information, ask the right question, recognise strong versus weak arguments and to assimilate the information they need to make logical business decisions.”
What is critical thinking?
There are many definitions for what critical thinking means through different schools of thought. A good definition would be the innate ability to process and engage with new information analytically. This is done through observation and piecing information together to form logical connections.
“Critical thinking is more than just the accumulation of facts and knowledge, it’s a way of approaching whatever is presently occupying your mind so that you come to the best possible conclusion.”
Critical thinkers are always building on knowledge.
This blog post aims to share with you some exceptional habits that Critical Thinkers possess
Habit One: Learning to observe
“Observation is one of the earliest critical thinking skills we learn as children – it’s our ability to perceive and understand the world around.”
By honing our ability of observation, we are ultimately finding ways to unpick our complex surroundings. This lead us to obtaining a much deeper understanding of the world around us.
Habit Two: Set that ego aside and embrace humility
Critical thinkers are inquisitive by nature. They love gaining knowledge and know the importance of being open to new information. In order for this to happen, it is important to set aside your ego first, and to accept that you might not have all the answers. “They are willing to admit to not knowing something or to making mistakes.”
Habit Three: Identify your bias
“Critical thinkers challenge themselves to identify the evidence that forms their beliefs and assess whether or not those sources are credible.”
We tend to be inherently biased towards our own views and opinions based on the preconceived notions we hold.
By identifying the bias we have, we become aware of how our biases can affect decision-making. “When looking at information, ask yourself who the information benefits. Does the source of this information have an agenda? Does the source overlook or leave out information that doesn’t support its claims and beliefs.”
Habit Four: Assumptions are not accurate
Critical thinkers know well not to assume. Hence, preferring to ask open ended questions to refrain from confirmation bias – confirming what they already think. “Don’t assume that other people think the same way that you do: ask them for their perspective. You’ll arrive at a better solution this way.
Habit Five: Reason with yourself and strike that balance
There exists a nimble balance of emotion and reason in the universe. Thus, a critical thinker or someone in the process of training to become one, must learn to bring an equilibrium to both your emotion and reasoning. One cannot run solely on emotions or solely on reason – a rational mind will control the two, towards the same direction.
Habit Six: Continuous Learning
For any critical thinker, gaining new knowledge and engaging with latest information is paramount. With more information intake, critical thinkers will be able to realign their belief systems and ethical bearings.
Read our last post: https://blog.trainocate.com/4-ways-to-navigate-crucial-conversations-well/
