critical thinking is the process of actively listening and carefully questioning the facts, opinions, and views expressed by others. As a result, the critical thinker is able to come to an educated, defensible conclusion or decision. To make a decision is to take action on a problem or to arrive at a conclusion based on facts learned by, not given to, the critical thinker. A decision can also become a belief by discovering your own personal truths through careful consideration and thought. The authors Browne, Keeley, McCall, and Kaplan (2001) of our e-text Critical Thinking: Strategies in Decision Making describe critical thinking as the mastery of two learned skills. The first skill deals with the way we take information in, specifically the way we listen and read.
The second skill is the art of asking penetrating questions that help identify fallacies and fuzzy logic. The authors define a decision as, .”.. your best and most reasonable answer, given the nature of the problem and the available information” (p. 15).
Critical thinking and decision-making go hand in hand. A decision made without critical thinking is essentially a random guess or an unsubstantiated opinion and is of little value to anyone.
Critical thinking without arriving at a decision or an answer only results in migraine headaches. The benefits of becoming a skilled critical thinker are; an elevated sense of confidence and self worth, as well as the ability to lead within a community, organization or profession. Leaders have to be extremely gifted and well versed critical thinkers. The ability to think critically provides a strong foundation for ones beliefs and values and enables the thinker to more effectively communicate their ideas and opinions. As a technical consultant at MCI I am constantly challenged to uncover opportunities, overcome objections, and gain my clients acceptance of new ideas and products.
The Essay on Critical Thinking Leadership Skills
The author, Rick Helliwell, is analyzing the way managers are being hired by companies today. He thinks the recruiter should utilize more effectively on how he / she makes decisions in the interviewing process. The following are some elements he uses to describe his point of thought. In his article, Helliwell (2000) gives his thought on how to be a successful leader. "Without exception, leadership ...
While I am still an apprentice level critical thinker, I have to employ many of the strategies discussed in the text. Asking the right question is what separates the truly effective and successful consultants and sales people from the rest. There is one glaring difference with regard to critical thinking strategies and sales tactics and that is the intentions of most salespeople. From the perspective of the salesman, there is only one acceptable outcome or decision to be made by the client. The challenge isn’t in uncovering and understanding their true needs, but to make the client see that whatever you are selling is the absolute best thing for their company.
