Soft skills can be a true superpower in your career, and one of the best among them is critical thinking. Everyone says so, from the World Economic Forum to Forbes.
Much of the power of critical thinking comes from identifying and solving problems through questions. To find out which critical thinking questions have the most value and why, we spoke to three lecturers who teach Critical Thinking at GLOBIS University.
3 Reasons Employers Value Critical Thinking in Business
Critical thinking is a great mental exercise in its own right. It can help with more organized, logical thinking and persuasiveness. It can expand your point of view and, as an extension, raise your emotional intelligence.
But there are a few important reasons employers are seeing the value of critical thinking in business management now more than ever.
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“You want to hire people who can think for themselves.”
Critical thinking in business is important because you want to hire people who can think for themselves and give creative opinions based on their own experiences. This may seem obvious, but you might be surprised how often people look for employees who just reinforce the status quo.
The most valuable employees don’t just accept what we say as management. They think about how and where something works. They also consider where it may not work, why, and what to do about it.
Modern companies must utilize diversity. Diversity of thought requires an inclusive environment where people feel comfortable enough to express a devil’s advocate opinion. Without that, diversity is wasted or, at best, kept from reaching its full potential.
—Brian Cathcart, GLOBIS University
“Conventional wisdom is less and less applicable.”
Things are changing drastically, and everyone is feeling anxious. Conventional wisdom is less and less applicable. But critical thinking enables us to think independently and proactively while questioning conventional wisdom and precedents.
Employers will want to know whether you will work passively in the face of drastic change or become a human resource who can take charge of opportunities and solve problems proactively.
—Hideaki Kanazawa, GLOBIS University
“We need to make better business decisions.”
In an age where technology is moving quickly and we have access to more information than ever before, there remains one constant: We need to make better business decisions.
The essential skills of critical thinking, including analysis, communication, and problem solving, are applicable across a wide variety of fields. Employees who have a solid foundation of these skills can flexibly apply them to the changing nature of business, especially in roles where strategy is an important part of the job.
—Alex Scharf, GLOBIS Corporate Education
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5 Critical Thinking Questions for the Business World
Employers are seeking critical thinking skills in business. So how can you demonstrate that you have them?
One of the core components of critical thinking is asking questions. Here are a few recommendations from GLOBIS lecturers that can be applied to your day-to-day thought process and stimulate your skills as a critical thinker and problem solver.
“Why me, why this, why now?”
Even if you trust your boss (and I hope you do!), you want to ask yourself contextual questions like, “Why are they asking me to do this now?” There are three critical thinking keywords here:
- me
- this
- now
These are all significant for understanding the background of assigned tasks and therefore becoming a more effective employee.
It’s important to understand why a task is important to the greater context of the company strategy. Considering that can help you think and act more strategically and communicate more persuasively. It can also help you in your career planning.
—Brian Cathcart, GLOBIS University
“Do you agree or disagree?”
Often people get stuck at the starting point, wasting time when they could be analyzing the problem and digging deeper. It’s difficult to stare at a blank slate and come to a meaningful decision, so I always encourage learners to start with their instinctual response.
Of course, once you collect facts and draw conclusions, it’s more than OK to change your position. In fact, by changing your position and preparing counterarguments to the opposite point of view, you can often make your argument stronger.
—Alex Scharf, GLOBIS Corporate Education
“Is this an important question?”
Peter Drucker said, “The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong questions.”
We tend to either think about the questions we really want to think about or work on issues our bosses assign us to without question. It’s also easy to get swept up in the information at hand and lose sight of the big picture. However, if you get off to the wrong start, everything you think about after that will take you in the wrong direction.
The most important thing is to be willing to ask yourself, “Is this really something I should think about?” or “Is this an important question?” These questions will help ensure you’re looking at the right issue in the first place.
—Hideaki Kanazawa, GLOBIS University
Critical Thinking as Rethinking
Even a solid grasp of frameworks like MECE, logic trees, and the Pyramid Principle won’t enable you to solve problems instantly. The ability to think critically involves analysis, hypothesis testing, and rethinking in order to make an informed decision.
As Kanazawa puts it, “Critical thinking is a way of solving problems by objectively analyzing them with a healthy critical spirit.” Incorporating critical thinking questions will ensure that spirit adds value to your organization and spurs your growth as a professional in a changing world.