How to Develop Critical Thinking
5 Ways to Develop Critical Thinking?
If critical thinking is such a valuable tool in our business, how can we develop this skill, and what practical steps can we take?
1. Become More Self-Aware
One thing that I discovered about myself is that I have a personal bias. My instincts move in a certain direction because of this. This is not a problem when my instincts lead me to success, but it becomes a significant weakness of my company if my instincts lead us in the wrong direction. The kicker is that without self-awareness I might be completely ignorant about my blind spots. So how do we become more self-aware?
Reflect on your thought processes, values, morals, ethics, and other core beliefs, what do you hold to be true? How do these beliefs manifest in your thoughts? Identify your preferences and aversions, how do they serve or hinder you? Understand how your inclinations, strengths, weaknesses, and biases provide insight into why you approach situations with a specific perspective.
2. Practice Active Listening
Attentively listen to your colleagues, clients, employees, and supervisors, practicing empathy to grasp their perspectives. Listen to understand, not just to respond. Achieving a comprehensive understanding of their desires, needs, or expectations enables you to respond positively and fosters a subsequent productive conversation. Once you have listened, get into the practice of asking an informed question.
There is a wealth of value to be found by listening to the viewpoints of people higher and lower than you in the chain. It can be easy to blow off a perspective that doesn’t belong to you.
3. Ask Better Questions
Sometimes questions can take you further than answers. As a leader, helping other people arrive at an answer is a great strategy for growth and long-term success. It gives them the tools to navigate the complexities and obstacles and arrive at the same answer you could have just given them. Get comfortable with why, and how. Ask open-ended questions. In the life of Jesus, we see that asking questions was one of the primary ways that he encouraged the process of discovery in his disciples. He would frequently be found asking. Questions like:
Luke 5:22 “Why are you thinking these things in your heart?”
Some of the most profound moments of learning can be seen when Jesus asks a question in response to a question:
33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” 34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. Matthew 15:32-34 (NIV)
The question Jesus asks moves the emphasis back to the disciples to solve the problem, to consider what they do have not what they don’t. It challenges them to be proactive and not passive to the problem. There is a wealth of development happening in that one moment.
“Curiosity is your best friend as a leader. So, when you’re interviewing, act more like a 6-year-old than a 36-year-old.”
Carey Nieuwhof
4. Reading
There are two benefits to reading that I want to highlight regarding critical thinking.
1.) Nonfiction books often present an opinion or make a case for something. They draw on the skills of critical thinking to add validity to their point. Reading these kinds of books is a training ground for your mind as they provide an example to learn from. Practically, something you can do with your team is to take a book and read a chapter a week with them, then have an active discussion that encourages analysis of the material. Discuss points of agreement and disagreement.
2.) Reading fiction helps you to develop empathy which is a key skill in critical thinking. Authors depend on us to care about the characters in their stories. Reading can be an effective way to expose ourselves to different perspectives, lives, and customs in the safety of a fictional environment.
5. Writing
From time to time challenge yourself to write a memo or note in paragraph format rather than bullets. It puts a demand on the writer to present a comprehensive case, or the writing feels disjointed and unfinished. Bullets allow for a great deal of interpretation and often don’t carry the “why” behind the information.
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