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CRITICAL THINKING

  • Create value, focus on what matters and innovate

  • Be brave. Strive toward self-awareness and face reality

  • Question the status quo and think differently

  • Make effective decisions and avoid thinking traps

  • Develop an environment that promotes innovation

Both organizations and individuals profit from the ability to create value. High-value individuals have the ability to solve problems, make good decisions, and to create profitable ideas. This program focuses on the vital role that mindset and thinking play in the development of these skills.  For the purpose of this program, critical thinking refers to thinking that is disciplined, objective, purpose driven and goal directed. With a practical emphasis, the definition is further defined to “using your brain to create value for you and your organization.” The program also includes an application for fighting bureau­cracy and unleashing your creative and innovative spirit.

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This program is not intended for everyone. Participants will be encouraged to challenge the status quo and question conventional wisdom. In doing so, they will question core beliefs and world view and entertain the notion that we may never “have it all figured out.” In short, the goal is to help participants become conscious of their thought processes and to give them tools and ideas to improve the way they think.

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SEMINAR OUTLINE

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I.     WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THINK?
       A.  Critical thinking defined
       B.  The inner workings of the human brain
       C.  Identifying and developing your strengths
       D.  The danger of thinking you know what you don’t know

II.    WHY DO WE DO WHAT WE DO?
       A.  The basis of human action
       B.  Questioning core beliefs and conventional wisdom
       C.  Avoid “Junkfinger” behavior
       D.  Embracing a proactive mindset
       E.  Managing outside influences

III.   FIGHTING BUREAUCRACY
       A.  What happened to GM?
       B.  Rules vs. guidelines
       C.  Benefits of the contrarian approach
       D.  Focus on value creation
       E.  Emphasize the big picture
       F.  Start at the end and work backward
       G.  GE’s Jack Welch on bureaucracy busting

IV.   CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
       A.  What is art?
       B.  Awakening the creativity in everyone
       C.  Fun, empathy, opportunities, and questions

V.    THE ENEMIES OF CRITICAL THINKING
       A.  Cognitive biases
       B.  Heuristics
       C.  What happened on Wall Street?
       D.  Problems with predicting the future
       E.  Accepting randomness and uncertainty
       F.  Thinking vs. computing

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