Loading
Critical thinking — and critical thinkers—are the key to moving a business forward. And whether it’s a family-owned business looking for the next generation of leaders or a public company looking to outpace the competition, finding and developing the critical thinkers within your organization is critical to success.
Most CEOs and other leaders already have this trait; it’s part of what got them to where they are. Critical thinkers, however, aren’t always easy to find. According to the 2016 Workforce-Skills Preparedness Report by PayScale, critical thinking was the No. 1 soft skill that managers feel new graduates are lacking. The reasons why so many people lack this skill is unclear, but there is good news: Critical thinking can be taught.
The key is identifying people within your organization who have the ability to learn it. Although it’s always a good idea to look for critical thinkers when hiring (behavioral and situational questions during an interview are a good way to identify critical thinkers), you most likely have some really great employees and managers who might not yet be critical thinkers but are essential to the business. These are the people you want to invest in.
Critical thinking can be taught, but not everyone is capable of learning it. Identifying the people in your organization who are most likely to evolve into critical thinkers is the first step. There are generally three types of people in your organization when it comes to critical thinking: those who already have critical thinking skills, those who display the aptitude to learn but are not currently critical thinkers and those who lack the skill, ability or will to learn it at all. The people in the middle are the ones you want to put your energy and resources into. So how do you determine which people in your organization fall into that middle category? A recent article in the Harvard Business Review details a few simple performance markers you can use to assess the right candidates:
By observing individuals using these four basic benchmarks, you should be able to identify those employees and managers who would respond well to critical thinking training. The next step is training them. There are various psychological models that can be used to train people how to think critically. The Foundation for Critical Thinking is a good place to start. But teaching critical thinking essentially boils down to basic behavioral psychology. With the right incentives and timely reinforcement, critical thinking is a behavior that can be learned like any other behavior. If you’re willing to put the time and effort in to develop critical thinking in your managers and employees, you’ll be rewarded with a more well-rounded team and a more successful business.
Your free article limit has been reached this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited digital access to our award-winning business news.
Join thousands of executives who rely on us for insights spanning Tampa Bay to Naples.
