4-Part Masterclass
Critical Thinking Skills
We use critical thinking skills on a daily basis to solve problems in our daily lives, whether at work or at home. Critical thinking is the process of analyzing facts to form sound judgment.
Critical thinking and curiosity are the key to creativity.
– Amala Akkineni
Critical thinking:
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Is essential for career success
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Is a solid foundation for decision making
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Is a basis for well formed opinions
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Is essential in forming and maintaining working relationships
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Encourages creativity and problem solving
Critical thinking is a much sought-after essential skill that employers desire. 76% of employers actively seek critical thinking when hiring. This is because critical thinkers make the best decisions.
Critical thinking effects:
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Completion of tasks
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Communication and information share
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Teamwork and reliability
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Development and strategy
TOOLKIT
TOOLKIT
PART 1
PART 1
80/20 rule of critical thinking and problem solving.
Team Discussion
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During your next department meeting, download the Pareto analysis template and go through the exercises of identifying problems that currently exist in your organization that prevent you and your team from accomplishing your goals.
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Once problems are identified, list out their causes and then score them.
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Once you conduct this exercise on the department level, in Part 2 of this playbook, we will address how you can resolve and address this feedback and exercise as a whole team/company.
PART 2
How to solve problems as a team
“We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
- Albert Einstein
Team Discussion
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Which of the steps of the FOCUS model can you and your team do a better job of to uncover problems and find solutions that work?
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Look at specific company-wide problems you are dealing with right now, download this template and follow the FOCUS model with your team to come up with a simple solution.
PART 3
The 5 WHYs of getting to the root of the problem
Critical Thinking has the potential to be a deeply creative process.
- Pearl Zhou
Team Discussion
During your next team meeting, identify the most frequently occurring problem in your department/organization. Follow the 5WHYs framework
While asking your questions, focus on these objectives:
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The answers are factual and based on real data.
Steer away from emotional responses. -
Stay clear of hypothetical problems.
Narrow each answer down to an obvious clear statement. -
Clearly display each statement under the question.
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Keep the process lean and clean.
Pick one path to define clear corrective action.
Remember: Always document every case for ease of implementation, knowledge share, future reference, and monitoring.
PART 4
Real life examples and how to respond/deal with them
“A good tool improves the way you work. A great tool improves the way you think.”
- Jeff Duntemann
Team Discussion
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In this masterclass, we covered many useful tools and tactics you can implement to eliminate bottlenecks in your organization.
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Which one (Pareto Analysis 80/20 technique, The 5 WHYs of problem solving, or The FOCUS model) can you as a team or individually commit to implementing today to eliminate roadblocks and inefficiencies?