How Business Leaders Can Cultivate Critical Thinking at Work
Unfortunately, increasingly, it seems as if critical thinking has evaded us.
In the hectic pace of daily life, we can sometimes rush to business decisions without thinking them through — and get outcomes that might make us regret doing so. What happens outside of work, of course, can also impact us. The upcoming U.S. presidential election, the Israel-Hamas war and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are just a few of the key issues currently at the top of peoples’ minds, and they can very well become discussion topics in the workplace.
I believe that critical thinking is more important than ever. As business leaders, we must encourage critical thinking and create work environments that are conducive to it. Here are five steps we can take.
1. Encourage Questions and Help Everyone Feel Safe
Too often, people are afraid to ask questions. That fear is usually due to the environment they’re in.
For instance, employees might be unwilling to ask their manager about a new initiative because, in the past, that manager shut them down. Or, perhaps an employee notices two of their colleagues discussing a global conflict and wants to ask questions but feels it would be overstepping their bounds.
As a leader, you set the tone at work. By asking questions, you can model critical thinking and encourage others to follow in your footsteps. Demonstrate that asking someone to clarify or expand their thoughts is OK. That said, however, be sure to emphasize that boundaries are important. If an employee, say, is speaking about how a recent global conflict has impacted their family, they likely don’t want to field dozens of questions asking for more details. There’s a balance between asking questions and recognizing boundaries, and with time, you and your team will become better at distinguishing the two.
2. Be as Transparent as Possible About Your Choices at Work
Understandably, you can’t fully reveal everything to your employees about your choices in the workplace. For example, if your company is undergoing a merger, you won’t be able to share certain details with your team until details are finalized.
Editor’s picks
The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify?
But to the extent possible, strive to be transparent about your choices. Explain the reasoning behind your decisions when it’s appropriate to do so. By doing so, you can show your employees that you didn’t just make a decision out of the blue — you weighed different factors and then moved forward. In turn, your team members might be more motivated to be transparent about their choices at work.
3. Study Issues Deeply — and Highlight the Importance of Doing So
I’ve previously written about the importance of business leaders learning about current and historical events.
People often form their opinions of issues based on reading a few news reports and scrolling on social media; they miss important details that can give them more context. Study issues deeply. Research the history of a given topic to better understand what led up to current circumstances. Read various sources about the issues; don’t rely on just one publication or website. Highlight the importance of deeply studying issues to your team as well.
4. Guide the Team Through Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking
Activities that require problem-solving and critical thinking can help your team hone those skills and bond with each other. They can learn that conflict resolution, not attacking one another, is the goal.
An escape room session, for example, can get your team members to collaborate and figure out how to solve a problem under a time constraint. They can apply the skills they learn during that session to their jobs. A monthly book club can pave the way for discussions that get them thinking and talking about topics they otherwise might not encounter and expose them to different points of view.
5. Seek Other Perspectives and Opinions
Speaking of different points of view, I can’t stress enough how important it is to seek other perspectives and opinions. It can be easy to find yourself in a bubble where all of your team members, friends and family members have a worldview similar to yours.
But try to avoid interacting and working only with people who think like you. If you solely work with people with the same perspectives and opinions, you are robbing yourself of opportunities to learn. Additionally, by seeking varied takes, you can set a positive example to your team members — and ultimately, when we all can understand each other better, the world can become a better place.