Mastering Critical Thinking In Leadership

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Mastering Critical Thinking in Leadership

Middle Manager Maps

outcome

Through this presentation, you will learn the definitions, importance, and real-world applications of critical thinking in leadership. You will gain insights into how critical thinking can enhance decision-making, problem-solving, and collaboration within your teams.

Agenda

Key Questions

Interactive Quiz II

Application of Critical Thinking in Leadership

Key Takeaways

Importance of Critical Thinking in Leadership

Video

Share your thoughts

Thanks

Reflect vs React

Interactive Quiz - Apply What You’ve Learned!

What is Critical Thinking?

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

A disciplined approach to thinking that involves reasoned judgment, careful evaluation, and unbiased analysis.

The ability to apply reflective reasoning to identify and solve problems effectively.

The ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas.

The process of actively analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information to make informed decisions or solve problems.

Reflection Time: Where do you struggle with critical thinking? What support do you need to get better?

• Effective leadership requires strong critical thinking skills.
• The ability to think critically is the ability to make better decisions.
• Critical thinking is the art of thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking.

What is Critical Thinking?

Key Takeaways

Holistic Approach: Critical thinking requires combining multiple skills—observation, analysis, inference, communication, and problem-solving—to make effective decisions

Continuous Improvement: Developing critical thinking skills is an ongoing process of reflection, learning, and adapting.

Empathy and Understanding: In leadership, it’s important to listen and understand others' perspectives before making decisions.

Why Is Critical Thinking Crucial for Leaders?

Decision-Making

Leaders use critical thinking to make informed, sound decisions in complex situations.

Problem Solving

Leaders apply critical thinking to navigate challenges and find innovative solutions.

Adaptability

In a fast-changing environment, critical thinking helps leaders adapt and refine strategies quickly.

Critical thinking is the art of thinking about thinking, while thinking to make thinking better.

Richard Paul

How to Critically Think: Key Questions to Ask Yourself

What am I assuming?(What biases might be influencing my thoughts?)

What are the potential consequences?(How will my choice impact the future?)

What are the alternatives?(Are there other ways to approach this?)

What’s the evidence?(Is this based on facts or assumptions?)

How to Reflect Instead of React

• Calm, thoughtful, and intentional.

• Leads to better decision-making and problem-solving.

Example: "Thank you for reaching out. I understand the concern about the delay. Let’s review the timeline together to identify any gaps and ensure we stay aligned moving forward."

• Quick, emotional, and instinctive.

• Often leads to regret or misunderstandings.

Example: "The delay wasn’t my fault! You didn’t provide the necessary information on time."

Reflect & Respond:

Reacting:

Reflect vs. React

Interactive question

Watch the video to move to the next page

TIP: Mute the music before playing the video!

5 tips to improve your critical thinking!

Every day, a sea of decisions stretches before us, and it’s impossible to make a perfect choice every time. But there are many ways to improve our chances and one particularly effective technique is critical thinking. Samantha Agoos describes a 5-step process that may help you with any number of problems.

What have you learned from the previous video?

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Critical thinking is a powerful tool in leadership, helping you make better decisions, solve problems effectively, and lead with empathy and insight.Keep practicing these skills to become a more effective leader and foster continuous growth within your team.

Tooltip

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Mastering Critical Thinking in Leadership