34. Learn Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking is an important skill to develop. Critical thinkers consider problems carefully before making decisions. Critical thinking is reflective thought about issues and situations that have no clear-cut answers or solutions.

Performance Prompts

Develop the following skills to become a critical thinker:

• Focus on the question or problem.

• Ask questions to clarify the situation or issue.

• Analyze all arguments or proposed solutions.

• Ask yourself how reliable or credible is your source of information.

• Make value judgments about all possible solutions.

• Keep an open mind. Be objective.

• Decide on the best action.

• Communicate your decision effectively.

• Show sensitivity to other people’s feelings.

When you develop these critical thinking skills, you will:

• Only involve yourself in what is necessary and what is positive.

• Not allow yourself to become involved in the negative trappings of the grapevine.

• Never assume responsibility for someone else’s problems.

• Stop worrying about the things over which you have no control.

• Understand the difference between useful information and idle gossip.

When This Happens ...

Andrew, your manager, is late to a meeting and rushes to your desk. “I need your help. Mike just stormed into my office complaining about the new ordering system that goes into effect tomorrow. He says no one understands what they’re supposed to do. Make sure you retrain everyone right away so we’re on board for tomorrow, OK?”

Try This

On face value, it sounds as though this is a big problem. You assure Andrew by saying, “I’ll take care of it.” Now kick into your critical thinking mode. Focus on the problem. You were in the same training class and fully understand the new procedures. You need to ask some questions to clarify and analyze the situation. First, explain to Mike that Andrew asked you to take care of the problem, and ask him what is going on. You know Mike to be a person who flies off the handle easily and may not be a credible source. As you listen to him, you realize that overall he knows what to do but does not understand one aspect of the new procedure. Next, individually ask the other members of the group about their understanding. As you assess the information, you realize that some of your coworkers understand the new procedures just fine, while others have questions on the same step Mike does not understand. Putting your critical thinking skills to work enables you to reach your own conclusion about the problem.

Establish a reputation as a person of good judgment.