The Most Important Skill for Your Success

A former co-worker of mine used to comment about certain people that “She/he has no edit function!” He was describing those people who would say or worse, write, every thought that occurred to them, usually in emotional response to something they heard or read.

What is your response when someone shares gossip with you about a friend or co-worker? Do you get excited and rush to share it with someone else, or do you stop and say, “Wait a minute. That doesn’t sound like Ed…” Or you receive a business letter on a topic that makes your blood boil. Do you fire off a letter in response that puts them in their place, or do you stop to examine what is really going on and identify the real issue that needs to be addressed?
Critical thinking, in my opinion, is probably the one outstanding skill that separates the highly successful from the not-so-successful. What does it mean to be a critical thinker? Attributes of critical thinking include:

· Immediately questioning all incoming information for accuracy. This takes place mostly internally. Critical thinkers have brain filters that quickly sort through truth and fiction.

· Thinking before speaking or writing. A critical thinker has the capacity to empathize with the person on the receiving end of conversation or e-mail messages and understand what may be effective and what is better left unsaid.

· Empathy. Critical thinkers are able to put themselves in another person’s shoes, so to speak. Even if you disagree with someone on an issue, you can look objectively at what life experiences they have had to cause them to have that opinion and see it from their side, whether or not you will ever agree. This gives you a basis for discussion rather than flame-throwing.

· Creativity. This doesn’t mean you’re artistic, but that you are able to generate new ideas on your own. Critical thinkers are able to look at things from a different angle or apply ideas in new ways.

· Recognizing when more information is needed. It is so easy to take partial information at face value. Critical thinkers have an instinct for knowing when there is more to the story.

· Critical thinkers are lifelong learners. They never cease to look for ways to improve things and always want to learn more about everything.

I challenge you to look at your own critical thinking skills and see how you can further develop them. One of the best ways to practice is to slow down your response to things for a while. If you’re always one of the first to respond in a conversation, wait a few moments and let someone else talk. See what you can learn from being quiet a little longer! It’s hard, but well worth it. And if you’re usually the one who sits back and later wishes you had said something, be the first to ask a clarifying question.

Here’s a great tool to stretch your critical thinking muscle: Every time you hear gossip or read a forwarded e-mail about someone or something that is “juicy,” resist the urge to pass it along. Instead, make a conscious effort to say out loud, “Is it likely that this is really true?” Then play reporter and do whatever research you can to verify what is fact. Then and only then can you critically evaluate whether it is beneficial to anyone to pass it along.

Critical thinking is one of the most useful skills you can possess in your family life, relationships or career. It is the skill that will keep you from saying things you later regret, making costly mistakes or hurting people unnecessarily. Practice!