COLUMN: Dangerously Critical: A Leader’s Path to Better Thinking

Every time I hear someone use the phrase “in times like these” in any of its versions, I cringe. "Times like these" isn't a magical phrase. Just because something worked before doesn't mean it's a perfect fit for now. Old wisdom is cool, but it's not the whole answer.

Why am I talking about this? Because critical thinking!

Critical thinking is basically thinking about your own thinking to make it better and avoid jumping to conclusions. According to the Foundation for Critical Thinking, as well as the work of Dr. Richard Paul and Dr. Linda Elder, critical thinking involves reflecting on one's own thinking to improve it. Critical thinking has an inverse relationship to the idea that what we know now is all we need to know.

In an increasingly VUCA world — VUCA being an acronym for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous — critical thinking is a tool a leader needs to carry and wield with confidence. Slash at illogical arguments, slice through erroneous reasoning, and question fallacies to their death. Critical thinking demands that you ask questions to seek more knowledge.

I teach an undergraduate college course that involves a large segment on critical thinking tools and awareness. Inevitably, as we reach these units, the students recognize the behaviors, but they didn’t have names for them. My college students get way better at it once they learn the ropes. It is important to note that my students are not just out-of-high-school students with limited life and leadership experience. These are military, law enforcement, and business leaders with rich and deep experience under their belts.

The other day, I gave them a few questions, asked them not to search for the answers online, instead to use critical thinking to answer them. They were instructed to listen to the question, write down their answers, and we would review at the end. This exercise required two things: listening and reasoning. Here are a couple of the questions — reading them will be different from listening, have a go anyway! I will put the answers at the end.

Critical thinking prompts us to examine aspects such as purpose, questions, assumptions, information, frameworks, and more as we encounter various situations. So, as we encounter questions like the ones above, we consciously ask ourselves to review things like the assumptions we are making and the actual information we have. Do you do this?

Dangerous Leaders are critical thinkers. You challenge your first reactions, pause before you speak, read stuff thoroughly, and listen without getting distracted. This helps you get the real info and make smart decisions. It leaves no room for keeping your thinking small and limited.

Terms to search and learn more: elements of thought, universal intellectual standards, and critical thinking styles. A great read is “The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking” by Richard Paul and Linda Elder and “Think Again” by Adam Grant. Dangerous Leaders dig into the information and ideas that evolve them.

Answers to the questions: you don’t bury survivors and Noah is the star of the Ark story.

Live Dangerously, Be You.

Dr. Jennifer Smith is a Cedar Rapids-based professional coach and speaker, specializing in transforming trauma into growth in life and leadership. Comments: jennifer@dangerousleader.com; @dr.jennsmith on Instagram