Hola,

The overall application of this course has helped with my development in being a more critical thinking of information. Working in a Human Relations capacity at work, I am involved in many hiring actions, and discipline actions. This requires analysis of the information, and constant reviewing of documents to see what the correct action on a situation is. For this blog post we will highlight three different areas.

1. Current state of my Critical Thinking
2. Comparison of growth since beginning of the course
3. Reflection on the comparison of Intellectual Virtues vs. Barriers to thinking

Current state of my Critical Thinking

My current state of critical thinking resolves around improving my communication. I apply the principles of depth, and clarity to speak about situations with extreme clarity. Holding myself to this higher standard feels good, and others have noticed a subtle change in my communication at work. I also have practiced controlling what thoughts I intend to say on a subject, and intently listening to comments others say about the task at hand. This is helpful in us remaining on topic and practicing the importance of relevancy.

The biggest change I have made to my current state, has been protecting some space in the morning to have time to THINK. I now arrive at work and take 10-15 minutes in my office with the phone off the hook, and simple write down top task(s) for the day. People see I am work, and knock on the door, but I have learned I need time to pause, and reflect in the AM without interruptions.

Comparison of growth since beginning of the course

            Overall my transformation of thought has been displaying more intellectual perseverance. We must be willing to stand firm and continue to hunt for a regulation on an unknown problem or be willing to have patience until we receive guidance on an action. While this course of action is panning out, we must exercise perseverance while we gather the more correct form of action.

Another acknowledgment of growth is how I recognize the lesson in struggling through a situation. We grow from the experience and improve in our development as an individual. Being a professional, we cannot take the low road. We have to understand that through adversity we grow.

The most growth I have experienced has been in my ability to have foresight for situations at work. As a result of the items I mentioned above, I am thinking more about work and solutions. This has resonated to where task which were difficult are now a bit easier to handle. My effectiveness as work has improved because now, I can think farther ahead, and inform the command about situations I previously was not able to see in the future. This has led to a few important decisions being made to better assist us in the future as a result.

Reflection on the comparison of Intellectual Virtues vs. Barriers to thinking

            Since reading the list of 20 barriers to critical societies I see now people at work who exhibit these habits. A select few never offer much critical comments at meetings, and the items they bring up are not relevant. They behave as if they are going through an action with no goal in mind. If the task is to respond back to an email with their opinion, they simple respond back saying they agree. Now I see as a leader just how important intellectual virtues matter. We must instill in our job force a sense of ownership, and craft an environment which fosters more development. This is a tough task. Overarching I think this boils down to grit, and a willingness to learn. However, people resist change, and a large portion of people are non-critical thinkers. This is the society we live in.

Conclusion

            My eyes have been widened to see the workforce critical thinking mindset of others. We as leaders have to be mindful of the intellectual virtues we exhibit, and the workplace environment which fostered non-development of these skills. Overall, I see this as a lifestyle and look forward to continuing this mindset. Below is a mindmap of the blog today.