This is the era of thinkers, especially in the new digital age.Critical thinkers keep
upgrading their knowledge, and they engage in independent self-learning. Let us
examine their traits and learn from them.
![]() |
Image Source : talentlens.in |
Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Marie
Curie, Sigmund Freud and are people who have shaped our modern lives. These are
the ones who think clearly and rationally, and make logical connections between
ideas – and are crucial to exploring and understanding the world we live in.
This is indeed an important trait. We spend so much time on various skills why
can we not understand how we need to think, which is something we are born
with. With the digital world already here, we need this more than ever before.
This is more than just the
accumulation of facts and knowledge; it’s a way of thinking about all this is our mind to come to the best possible conclusion.
If we hope to reach our full potential
to carve an identity for ourselves, let us examine these traits.
1. Observation
Observation is a critical thinking
skills we learn as children -- it’s our ability to perceive and understand the
world around usbservation includes our ability to note details, and collect
data through our senses. Our observations will eventually lead to insight and a
deeper understanding of the world.
2. Curiosity
Some people say curiosity killed the the
cat, however being interested in the world and people around us is a hallmark
of leaders who are critical thinkers. Instead of accepting everything blindly,
a curious person will wonder why something is the way it is.
3. Objectivity
Good critical thinkers stay as
objective as possible when looking at information or a situation. They examine
the facts, and on the scientific evaluation of the information at hand.
Objective thinkers seek to keep their emotions (and those of others) from
affecting their judgment.
4. Introspection
This is the art of being aware of our
thinking -- or, to put it another way, thinking about how we think about
things. Critical thinkers introspect so they’re aware of their own degree of
alertness and attentiveness, as well as their biases. This is an ability to
examine our inner-most thoughts, feelings and sensations. This is also called
self reflection and takes us to new heights.
5. Analytical thinking
Analytical thinkers are critical
thinkers, and vice versa. The ability to analyze information is important when
looking at any almost anything, whether it is a contract, report, business model
or even a relationship.
For this we do need objectivity.
6. Identifying biases
Critical thinkers see the evidence
that forms their beliefs. They then assess whether or not those sources are
credible.
This is an important step in becoming
aware of how biases intrude on your thinking and recognizing when information
may be skewed.
7. Determining relevance
One of the aspects of thinking critically
is figuring out what information is the most relevant, meaningful and important
for our consideration. In many scenarios, we will be presented with information
that may seem valuable, but it may turn out to be only a minor data point to
consider.
8. Inference
Information often does not come with
a summary that spells out exactly what it means. Thinker who are critical need
to assess the information and draw conclusions based on raw data. This is where
we need inference, the ability to extrapolate meaning from data and discover
potential outcomes when assessing a scenario.
9. Compassion and empathy.
Some people think, being sentimental
and emotional can skew our perception of a situation. We need to know that the
point of having compassion is to have concern for others and to value the
welfare of other people.
10. Humility
Humility is the willingness to
acknowledge one’s shortcomings and see one’s positive attributes in an accurate
way without attaching ego into it. This opens one mind.
11. Willing to challenge the status
quo.
Questioning long-established
business practices is necessary as change is the only certainty in life. This is
an essential trait of a critical thinking.
12. Open-mindedness
Critical thinkers step back from a situation and don’t get embroiled
in one point of view. This makes them have a broader view with acceptance of
all perspectives.
13. Aware of common thinking errors.
They don’t allow their logic and reasoning
to become clouded by illusions and misconceptions. Some things others do are :-.
- Cognitive shortcut bias, in which one stubbornly
sticks to a favoured view or argument when other more effective
possibilities or explanations exist.
- Confusing correlation with causation. This is asserting
that when two things happen together, one causes the other.
14. Creative thinking
Critical thinkers are also creative. They think out of the box. They
experiment with different methods and consider different viewpoints.
15. Effective communicators
Very often, problems with
communication are based on an inability to think critically about a situation
or see it from different perspectives. With critical thinking, we coherently
build our thoughts and express them.
16. Active listeners
Critical thinkers engage in listening
actively and hear others’ points of
view. Instead of being a passive listener, they actively try to participate.
They ask questions and gain insight.
In Sum
Particularly now
when the world is changing a lot and becoming digital, we all definitely need
to apply all of the above to remain relevant and successful. SMEs need to keep
applying the above traits and students need to learn it as soon as possible to
become future leaders. Let us then move
to a successful and vibrant world with critical thinking.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for Commenting !!!
We Value and Appreciate YOUR Feedback.....
Cheers.....