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Critical Thinking Means Business
Did you know critical thinking was rated the NEW #1 workplace skill? Download our paper: Critical Thinking Means Business
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Making Difficult Decisions Despite Ambiguous Information: That’s Life!
Yesterday, Chad Fife wrote a post about how too many choices and too much information can cause “decision paralysis.“ His post hit home for me as it mirrored many shopping trips I’ve taken with my husband (more on that next week). But I also want to explore the opposite issue- when there is a lack [...]
You Don’t Need a Ph.D. to Think
I just signed up for an event that focuses on critical thinking, and just looking at the schedule made me want to slam my head on my desk. I’m even passionate about the topic of critical thinking and I’m already prepared to be bored to tears. Do you know why 91% of HR managers surveyed [...]
To Find the Problem Ask Why 5 Times
The first step in problem solving is defining the problem. While that sounds like a simple task, we often erroneously name a symptom as the root cause. The Root Cause Analysis technique I use most often is the “5 Whys“ (also known as the “why behind the why”). Let me use an example from the [...]
How Quora Promotes Critical Thinking
One characteristic of Critical and Creative Thinkers is that the individual has a wide variety of interests. There are a few things at play here. First, someone with a wide variety of interests likely has a thirst for knowledge and seeks out information that is new to his/her own experiences. Second, this person is also [...]
Critical Thinking: Putting Together the Evidence on Osama bin Laden’s Location
Yesterday I wrote a post within an hour of the announcement that Osama bin Laden had been killed. As I expected, any reports on breaking news often include rumors and inaccuracies. Now that more details have emerged, I am even more impressed with the critical thinking skills of our leaders who narrowed down bin Laden’s [...]
My 6 Word Secret Weapon
As an introvert, I often need extra time to process a question and my answer in my head before I speak. Years ago, I learned a secret trick to buy myself more time. I would say: “Interesting question, why do you ask?” This stall tactic has actually turned into a critical thinking tool. So much [...]
Critical Thinking Stops Illegal Immigrants Posing as Marines While Crossing the Border
On March 14th, 13 Illegal Immigrants and their U.S. Citizen smugglers were caught at the Mexican border while trying to pose as U.S. Marines by border patrol agents with great critical thinking skills. Perhaps the smugglers and their passengers thought that the border patrol agents would see an appropriately marked government vehicle filled with men [...]