Last week I wrote about the importance of removing can’t from your vocabulary and how critical thinking can open new doors. At the end I promised to give you some practical steps for how you can begin thinking critically. The first thing to remember when starting this process is that there’s a difference between being critical and critical thinking.
A critical person looks for problems and offers no solutions, while a critical thinker looks for problems and then seeks to find solutions.
Here are 4 questions to get you started on critical thinking:
- What’s my problem and what’s standing in the way? – You can’t determine a solution to your problem until you know exactly what you’re dealing with. Avoid the temptation to just dive right in and ask this question to get an idea of the bigger picture first.
- What have I seen others do? – Often if we think of people we know who are good leaders and what they have done or would do when faced with our situation we can very quickly realize a solution. This step could save you a lot of time and effort. If you’re still not sure what to do after asking this then keep working through the problem by asking more questions.
- What’s a new way to look at this? – Asking this requires that we be open minded. Being open minded has been one of the most important steps for me in learning to think critically. This is where surrounding yourself with people who think differently than you is so important, but of course you have to listen and consider their ideas too. Put all the ideas on the table before you begin deciding what will and won’t work. Often the best ideas come from a seemingly crazy suggestion that is then discussed and refined in a group setting. The solution may never have been found if the initial suggestion was just dismissed upon first hearing it.
- Would you rather? – Asking yourself which thing would I rather do helps you immediately focus your direction. For example, the room that you wanted to use for your weekly meetings has already been booked for this year and you’re having trouble finding what you consider to be the perfect spot. A good question to ask in this situation would be, “Would I rather change to a room that may be harder for students to find, but still suit my needs, or move my meeting day and time?”
These are just 4 steps in beginning critical thinking. What has worked for you? I want to know what you’ve tried that has helped you get through tough problems. Post your thoughts in the comments at the bottom of this page.
Some of these thoughts come from Wayne Hedlund who really got me started on the practice of critical thinking. He’s actually done a whole series on this topic that you can download as a short e-book for only $2.99.