Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking happens without actually acknowledging it. Any time you prompt a change in your life, or cognitively use your ability to naturally deduce a solution to anything you are faced with, you are employing critical thinking skills. Your natural thought process such as balancing unexpected expenses with the difficulty of paying your necessary bills when you are on a fixed income is one of life’s most common thought processes. This is a very familiar example, but you can also perfect your critical thinking skills by consciously applying specific steps to any decision, effectively “thinking” and micro-analyzing. Regardless of how fundamental or advanced your critical thinking skills, they are a tool that all people, regardless of education or social status utilize in everyday life.
Per Paul & Elder (2006), “workers are being paid precisely for the thinking they are able to do. Though most of our thinking is invisible, it represents one of the most important things about us. Its quality will determine whether we will become rich or poor, powerful or weak. Yet, we typically think without explicitly noticing how we are doing it.” The importance of critical thinking is undeniable. In the business world today, employees who are able to think out-of-the-box and come up with great ideas are held in high regard. To be able to analyze a situation, come up with several alternatives, and argue the pros and cons of each makes a person invaluable and shows their critical thinking skills. However, we don’t see “great critical thinking skills” on resumes as much as “great people skills.” As important as critical thinking is in business, it isn’t talked about as much as it is practiced and admired.
My company is a real estate investment organization. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, tourism and the hotel industry suffered hard losses. During an early planning session, upper...
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