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How it Started
September 11, 2001 was a day that no one will ever forget. As I watched the newscast of the Twin Towers falling, I actually had something else on my mind. That day, I and 11 of my peers were about to convict a man of murder. Eventually we got bogged down trying to understand the sequence of one occurrence. One juror said “play the tape forward and see where it takes us”. For me, a light bulb went on and I finally grasped the hazy concept of “critical thinking”.
Exactly what is critical thinking? Do we learn it or are we born with it? Is it the higher thinking that we see in philosophy students or can we find it in a 5th grader? I believe the answer is “yes” to these questions. What’s important is to recognize the context in which we ask our team to apply it. In other words, break it down and be specific to your situations. You say, “Carol, your goal for the year is to improve your critical thinking skills” Before you know it, she has enrolled in a philosophy course and is quoting Kierkegaard. Great for her, not so good for you since all you want is for her to realize that she can handle some things without coming to you, if she only thinks about it. You don’t need her to figure out the meaning of life, you need her to figure out that point A eventually leads to point Z and all points in between. In short – you just want her to play the tape forward.
So Where Do You Start?
- First things first – does Carol have not only the ability, but the willingness to start the tape? If not, that’s a different problem. Solve it or you’ll just be spinning your wheels.
- Explain the problem, the process, the expectation and the consequences (Hint: make this a part of every coaching plan with every employee)
- Problem “Carol you continuously come to me with things I know you are capable of handling on your own (give example).
- Process “By working together, I believe that we can get you to a place where you feel confident enough to recognize and take charge of appropriate situations. We’ll be doing some one-on-one coaching and feedback sessions based on my personal observations of your work.”
- Expectation “My expectation (yes, use these exact words) is that by _____, the number of times you bring me things that you can deal with will show a marked decrease (agree upon a metric to show progress)”.
- Consequences “Please understand that If there is no improvement or a decrease by _____ your next performance appraisal will show a “needs improvement” in this area. (Important: negotiate a date with Carol. This not only gives her a deadline for improvement; it also gets her commitment for the process).
- Encourage and assure – By this time poor Carol is probably afraid she’s going to be fired. That means you have her undivided attention. Now’s the time to take it down a notch. Let her know that you honestly believe that together the two of you can make progress. After all, if you didn’t think things would improve you wouldn’t be willing to spend the time and effort.
Once you and Carol have discussed and agreed upon the basics, document the conversation and get to work. As the boss, it’s your obligation to devote serious time and energy to helping Carol improve. Observe her work and take note of how she handles situations. Do it often and make sure she knows you’re doing it. You are not a spy, you are a coach.
Use observations to teach, praise and correct (Note: praise in public, teach and correct in private. You are also building Carol’s confidence to take on more responsibility). Above all, be specific “I noticed that you figured out xyz on your own. In the past you would have come to me for input and I really appreciate that you thought it through and took ownership – Thanks”. Teach and correct in private; again be specific. “When you asked me yesterday how to do xyz, I thought that it was something you could have thought through and handled without me. Let’s meet for a few minutes to play the tape forward and figure out where you got stuck”.
Don’t let the term “Critical Thinking” scare you. For most of us it’s just Common Sense 101. Let me know how it works.