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Critical Thinking: The What, The Why and The How
What is critical thinking?
Being a critical thinker is not about being a critic, but rather it is about being a quality thinker. Most people believe that they are thinking when they are only rearranging thoughts. To critically think is to challenge and stretch the boundaries of your mind – to think more deeply by using your capacity to conceptualize, synthesize and integrate ideas and perspectives. As you explore, analyze and assess information and situations in this way you develop understanding and guide action.
Why think critically?
The simple and direct answer is that the quality of our thinking directly impacts the quality of our actions. The disciplined approach of thinking critically cultivates open-mindedness, an inquisitive mind, a mind capable of grasping alternative perspectives (especially opposing ones), and a mind not constrained by previous thought – in short, the leadership mind. These dimensions enable the leader to know the questions to ask – toward engaging the power of others – in a way that will get to the heart of an issue and allow for well-reasoned solutions to complex problems. This is central to effective leadership because the questions prefigure the answers that will likely come forth – and thus the resultant breadth and depth of understanding. Critical thinking transforms the mind from being the box that holds thought and constrains your thinking to being the generator that spurs your thinking.
How we develop critical thinkers – the leadership mind
We know that one of the best ways to learn is by doing; and we also know that practice makes permanent. Accordingly, we don't simply provide the theory – requiring you to take a course on critical thinking – in hopes that all of a sudden you will be a critical thinker. In short, in the Leadership MBA, the path to critical thinking is made by walking. Much like learning how to ride a bike, we put you in the saddle, providing coaching and support as you develop your ability and improve your skill. We use a Socratic approach in a dialogue-intensive model as the primary strategy for learning and deepening understanding. In response to carefully framed questions, each week our students – our partners in leadership – engage in productive and relevant back-and-forth exchanges guided by the course facilitator. We view our professors as facilitators of learning. Through these exchanges, perspectives and ideas are shared, examined and synthesized, and a deep understanding of key course concepts and principles is developed. Moreover, through our unique approach, students become partners for each other in the learning process. A community of learners inevitably emerges.