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Every day, we make thousands of decisions. However, when we make the majority of those decisions, we do not think at all. Although this automatic thinking process is not necessary every single time, there are occasions where we must make decisions manually rather than automatically. My guest today is someone who gets people to think. He teaches critical thinking to enable people to evaluate issues and problems differently. He is the CEO of Headscratchers, which trains professionals the critical thinking skills for problem-solving, decision making, leadership, and creativity. Before forming HeadScratchers, he spent 25 years leading teams that built award-winning products and services across computer and communications technologies and markets. Also, he is the author of the book, Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills. Michael Kallet, an expert in the critical thinking field, joins us today to share his wisdom on critical thinking and guide us to think smarter.
Show Notes
Michael's Story – Michael shares the story behind the name of his company and what led him to start it.
Automatic Thinking – Most of the time, we allow our thinking to be intuitive. Michael expresses his ideas about our daily thinking process.
Critical Thinking - Michael talks about his perspective on critical thinking and what gets in the way of critical thinking.
Distinguish the Issue – If we are not clear on the issue, we cannot resolve it. Michael explains numerous ways on how to get clear on the problem.
Assumptions - Making assumptions is a crucial part of making a decision. Michael shares his insights about the role they play in critical thinking.
Wrong Assumptions – Michael believes that assumptions never work against us. Also, he mentions that incorrect assumptions are a result of inaccurate information.
Confirmation Bias - Most of us have confirmation bias. Michael shares his thoughts on how to become more aware of confirmation bias in thinking.
Be Aware of Your Assumptions – We discuss why most individuals find it hard to recognize their assumptions and several methods to become more aware of them.
Better Decisions - All of us always want to make better decisions. Michael points out several questions that we should ask ourselves to make sure we are making better decisions.
D.A.R.N. Thinking – D.A.R.N. stands for Detour, Alternative, Revise, New. Michael explains each of the components giving day-to-day examples.
There is a way – We sometimes feel as if we have no other options. However, this is not the case. There is always a path, but we do not seek it.
Connect with Michael Kallet
Website: headscratchers.com/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mike-kallet-31a266/
D.A.R.N. Thinking: headscratchers.com/Post_May_2021.html
Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills: goodreads.com/book/show/18555356-think-smarter?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=JxncKn7Ptd&rank=1
Bobbi's Takeaways
Here are my 3 insights for thriving:
I hope that you enjoyed that interview. I love how approachable he makes what can seem like a complex topic. Here are my 3 insights for thriving:
I love the framing of: Is it possible that there are other ways of seeing this? That is a form of one of my favorite types of coaching questions: hypothetical. When someone is stuck, I’ll ask, “Hypothetically, what are all the ways that a person could see this?” This has an amazing broadening effect and it sparks creativity.
I loved his two questions:
I loved how he put it: if our assumptions are bad, our decision will be bad too.
There is ALWAYS a way. For any of you who know me, you will not be shocked at all that resonated with me. It is just what I believe. The thing that is so important about this is that if we do NOT believe there is a way, we will NOT look for a way. And, then that is the result we will get.
