By Robert Pembroke
The American citizenry is an optimistic collection and even with all the distressing things happening around them, they are expressing optimism about the future. And I know of a way to make sure that they a have an optimistic future: Teach them the art of critical thinking.
We had better start teaching the art of critical thinking to everyone, because our No. 1 competitor, China, is the master of teaching children how to think critically. A recent study done at Stanford University shows that China is producing students with some of the strongest critical thinking skills in the world.
So, what is critical thinking? After decades of listening and watching people, I’ve come to the conclusion that people must abandon group-think and think for themselves. I have tried to teach my children to question whatever they hear or read and not make a judgment until they have heard all sides. To me, it’s a survival skill of the first order.
Have you noticed how much time is being spent in the press on what is or is not fake news? How about the fake news that the Russians pulled off trying to influence our election? Are we sure Americans understand the ramifications of the NPR campaign trying to tell its audience how to determine what fake news is?
I must admit that my relationships with my friends and family have been strained because of fake news and only lately was I able to get a handle on my own views and try to look at both sides. It’s amazing how much more relaxed I am now than six months ago. Now, when my pal says, “Trump is a dork,” I just sit back and smile.
Can critical thinking be taught? You bet it can — and we have got to start teaching our children how to begin to think for themselves at home and then follow up in our education system at all levels. But just as important as teaching our children to think for themselves, we have to teach everyone to think independently — and the best place to start this is in the workplace.
There is a profit motive that small-business owners need to consider and that is for their employees to co-create value with customers and to constantly improve operations. This takes critical thinking.
According to The Harvard Business Review, the right steps to take involve shifting ownership of the process from the manager to the worker. The manager must specify what good work looks like without locking down all elements of the process. The Harvard people also say that the best place to begin the process is where the problems begin — which is obviously with the employee.
And this is a two-way street. A recent study of millennials in the workplace by PwC found out that the benefit that they most value from their employer isn’t more money (that is No. 3), but rather training and development. Thus, shifting ownership of the process to the front line workers will improve engagement and performance. By the way, workers gaining control of their schedule is ranked No. 2.
The Khan Academy has 23 modules on how to think critically and these are free. The academy on its website says, “The critical thinking section will teach you the skills to think clearly and independently. It will help you identify valid arguments, detect inconsistencies in reasoning, understanding logical connections between ideas and construct and evaluate arguments.”
I believe Americans are optimistic not just about the future but also about their freedom to live as they wish. The Pew Research Center found that across all demographic categories, the overwhelming majority of Americans now say that they have either achieved the American Dream or are on the way to achieving it. Long live the American Dream.
If the United States is going to succeed economically, small-business owners must insure that their employees are capable of thinking independently.
Robert Pembroke is the former chairman of Pembroke’s Inc. in Salt Lake City. He can be reached at pembroke894@gmail.com.