Critical thinking is an invaluable tool that we use every day; it is essential in navigating the world and crucially, the workplace.
Individuals with excellent critical thinking abilities can analyse information and extrapolate the best outcome from any given scenario. There is beauty in the fact that we are all different, and possessing a wide range of skills is best for building and leading a team. This also means that critical thinking comes more naturally to some people than others.
Not to worry, critical thinking is a skill that you can nurture and develop, both in yourself and in your employees.
Today, we share how you can improve your critical thinking ability and look at the benefits that will follow.
First, let’s look at the importance of framing critical thinking, so it can then be improved.
Getting Clear on Critical Thinking
If you are in a management position, are a team leader or a business owner, making difficult decisions will be something you are used to as part of your role.
And because we get familiar with making decisions every day, we aren’t always aware of the need to step back and analyse how objective the decision-making process is.
Many factors within our subconscious potentially affect our decision-making, such as unconscious bias, our own values and beliefs, and past experiences.
You might have 30 years as a successful business owner with many wins under your belt; this doesn’t mean you are automatically an excellent critical thinker. In fact, the further you get in your career, the more likely it is to have ingrained subjective views that can get in the way of your ability to think critically.
The pandemic has, of course, played a role in heightening the importance of critical thinking.
In a recent article for the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management, Dr Victoria Tzortiou Brown states, “The ability to think critically is particularly important at times of uncertainty when the available information is likely to be ambiguous.”
Covid has presented us with an environment where uncertainty has become the norm, and this is why it’s vital to improve your critical thinking skills for the ‘new normal’.
So let’s look at five ways you can do this.
1. Increase Self-Awareness
Start to pay more attention to how you feel in regards to the actions of others. Do certain behaviours in other people stir a positive or a negative response? Often, the way we feel towards others is a reflection of our inner thoughts. When you have high self-awareness, you are able to be more subjective in your actions and decisions.
Meditation is a great way to improve self-awareness, as is journaling; try incorporating both into your daily or weekly schedule.
2. Go Back to Basics
Say goodbye to jargon and unnecessary lingo. Ask more straightforward questions, and communicate in simple language. Overcomplicating the essential tools of language can muddy the waters and affect our decision-making.
Before you make any decisions, ensure that the messages that have led to this event have been clear and not misinterpreted in any way. With remote working now being the norm, virtual communications can sometimes accidentally dilute or exacerbate the intended message.
3. Understand Your Processes
When faced with difficult situations, we all have different ways of processing information. Some people like to collaborate and make fast decisions; others prefer to mull it over alone, with a longer time frame.
Taking time to think about, notice, and become comfortable with our own processing methods is another step towards better critical thinking.
4. Review Yourself Honestly
It can feel uncomfortable when we make a mistake or wish we had done something differently, but part of being a successful leader is about getting comfortable with yourself when things don’t go to plan.
Periodically review the recent decisions you have made. Instead of skimming over the things that didn’t go so well, take a deep dive into understanding what led you to that decision, and how you would do it differently in the future.
5. Work on Your Foresight
Have you been shocked or surprised by the actions of a team member? Has one of your employees given their notice that took you by surprise, or did a client raise a grievance that you weren’t expecting? If you are regularly surprised by your employee’s actions, this indicates you lack foresight.
The best way to develop foresight is to put yourself in the other person’s position and look at things from their perspective. Instead of thinking “I would have done that differently”, look at how their drives and their situation is different from yours to understand their motivations.
Keeping Critical Thinking Front of Mind
It can be easy to slip back into our familiar habits. But if you want to improve your critical thinking skills, working on the above strategies will help keep them on your radar. Over time, you will be able to make entirely objective and critically-devised decisions.
Critical thinking is a vital leadership skill for the ‘new normal’. If you are interested in developing different leadership skills, head to our blog to find articles on various leadership topics.
We also offer a range of leadership programmes to help you grow as a leader – click here to view our courses.
Until next time,
Julia
About Zestfor
Zestfor specialises in developing Training programmes and resources scientifically tailored for technical markets – including Pharmaceutical, IT, and Life Sciences.
Our blend of in-classroom, online, and virtual live-stream delivery methods will engage and assure even the most introverted team members from the first meeting – whether face-to-face or virtually. To have a brief chat, call us on 0845 548 0833. Alternatively, please email our team here.
