Right Now: Three Skills, Three Actions and Three Pathways That Meet This Moment - Critical Thinking

‍Three Skills for Right Now…

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Recently some clients asked if there were any concrete things they could be doing to address the moment. They’ve read lots of missives over the last few months and found that some leaned analytical or philosophical but not practical while others were superficial “to do” lists. Interesting, they said, but not really helpful. What they most needed was something equity-based that would appeal to the broadest audience in their organization and had some measure of depth. I know the dilemma - in moments of rapid change and uncertainty, stress levels run high and there is a desire for leaders to “do something, now”. This haste can lead to quick-fix actions that make it seem like “something” is being done but that often land as empty or even condescending gestures. Instead, I have been offering nine touchpoints (three skills, three actions, and three pathways) that can help create space and give organizations support in times of confusion, fear, exhaustion and overwhelm. I am starting this nine-part series with the three skills, and I hope they are as helpful to you as they have been to our clients.

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…Skill #2 - Critical Thinking

The definitions of this term vary slightly, but as a faculty member I used the teacher education literature to underscore three key aspects of critical thinking in everyday situations. The first is to view issues from multiple, non-dominant perspectives. Seeing an issue form multiple sides is always helpful, but being able to understand it from the perspective that tends to be least represented is even more so because it creates tension in the mind which makes room for complexity. Conversely, fear of others, or even of difference more generally, has a way of reducing issues to their simplest components, accurate or not, and limits our decision-making and creativity. For example, fear of economic insecurity and a rising rate of unemployment can lead many to assume that “immigrants taking our jobs” is the cause, which then leads to an even more reductionist response / solution of “get rid of immigrants”. In reality, immigration has always fed the economic machine of this society and filled labor gaps that many people will not take. I am not at all suggesting that the exploitation of undocumented people is okay, but I am noting that the very fabric of this nation’s economy is and has always been built on the backs of undocumented workers (as well as prison workers, those whose land has been colonized, and of course the institution of slavery). Ironically, those complaining about jobs being “taken” are often also experiencing a reasonable cost of living precisely because of a long history of labor exploitation in this society. However, thinking about unemployment, immigration and the workforce of this society from multiple, non-dominant perspectives, in this case from that of the worker who is being blamed for the economic problems of our society while being exploited for gain by wealthy for-profit sectors, affords us greater wisdom and creates room for a more complicated and useful dialogue instead of being caught up in fear-mongering misinformation.

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The second element of critical thinking is a focus on dynamics of power and access. True, this is central to social equity work, but even if you are not looking through that lens, attention to power dynamics is important in any organization. For example, we all know leaders who say that their “door is open any time” and yet if their use of positional power inside the organization is such that no one feels comfortable approaching them this becomes an untrue statement. Some might say that staff just need to get a thicker skin, but what a waste of a staff’s time. In simple mathematical terms it takes less organizational energy for the leader to change their use of positional power than it does for a staff of let’s say 40 to all change their relationship to that leader. The obvious move is for the leader to think much more critically about how they use their positional power and how it lands for the staff.

If social equity does happen to be a concern for you and your organization, then critically thinking about power and access is central to that commitment because the systems of inequity in our society (and anywhere, really) are singularly focused on power, access and resources. Thus, to be critically aware of how power is used with respect to social location, the kinds of resources that are in play (material and non-material), and what the overall impact of that is on things like recruitment, retention, research and development and client outreach is vital to the success of your organization.

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The final element of critical thinking is rigorous self-awareness. The basic questions I ask are “How do you know what you think you know? Where did you get your information from? Is it factual, or have you just thought this thing for so long that time and repetition makes it ‘feel’ true?” In HCG’s coaching resources, self-awareness is one of the most important skills of a good leader and we spend a fair bit of time helping leaders become more aware of the nuanced but no less important impacts of their day to day behavior. Being able to discern intent versus impact, for example, requires the ability to step outside of one’s internal narrative and examine oneself with distance and objectivity.

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The habit of rigorous self-reflection is important in this historic moment because the high levels of tension make it is easy to get “triggered” and impulsively “react” with energy rather than “respond” in a thoughtful and discerning way. For me, critical thinking “pauses” the train of my thinking and reminds me that I might not have all the facts and need to see an issue from another perspective, or maybe I just need to be more humble and listen. This element of critical thinking allows me to stay teachable and is thus more than mere “analysis” which can at times be a euphemism for “thinking what I have always thought and regurgitate what I always say but with a hint of caustic tonality to make it seem like a well-considered and rounded critique”.

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Taken together the three components of critical thinking help sort the wheat from the chaff and set forth a clearer path of response to the challenges of this moment. More specifically, in the vast array of “issues” arising right now, critical thinking will help you discern which actually warrant your attention and which are just false flags that overwhelm you and your staff. You will feel less stretched and spent if you are able to take some of the noise out and put your energy into the issues that actually demand your attention and time. You will also be able to see more possibility for resolution via critical thinking because by default it gets you out of overused reactions and lets you imagine new possibilities and different ways to view a problem. And finally, it keeps your mind nimble because you remind yourself more regularly that you may not know all that you need to regarding a certain issue, which usually leads you to some research that sparks some momentum and helps you feel less stuck.

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Additionally, the disposition of critical thinking is one of curiosity which makes it easier to engage with and build coalitions with each other. Solidarity is key in a moment like this, but that should not mean we constantly engage with people who parrot back the ideas and things we believe. This moment holds the promise of building connections across lines of difference that were not available before if only we can pause and think critically. We need each other, so much. And critical thinking is one tool that can help all of us stay in relationship while looking at the world through a lens of inquiry and complexity.