A
checkerboard illusion, 165
exercises, 171
getting started, 170
old dog, 166
Takeaway, 171
Absolute truths, 86, 90, 93, 100–101
Absorption capability, 192, 195, 197
Anaya, Ivan Fernandex, 104
I don't know, 39
perspectives, 137
Think Outside the Box, 160
Why?, 36
exercises, 61
getting started, 60
a miss, 63
Takeaway, 61
what's next?, 59
ASAP, 183
bad, 119
conversation, 127
critical thinking mode, 110
invalidate, 39, 112, 118, 150–151
Takeaway, 113
validated, 145
Automatic mode, 5–6, 8, 19, 62, 88, 110, 112, 124
Automatic thinking, 1, 4, 19, 84, 108, 120
B
Bacon, Sir Francis, 33
change, 107
different, 107
ideological, 109
Takeaway, 109
Benefits, xv, 1–2, 7, 9–11, 79, 196–197, 205
Better mousetrap, 155
Biases, 7
Boeing, 59
Boundaries:
beyond, 172
knowledge, 39
outside, 161
boundaries, 161
inside, 161
premise, 161
Brain:
changes things, 166
hides information, 8
exercises, 26
getting started, 25
Takeaway, 26
Business problem solving, xiii
C
acknowledge, 145
exercises, 145
getting started, 144
helping people accept, 143
Takeaway 145
Checklist:
decision criteria, 187
decision maker's, 180
am I done?, 81
getting started, 79
practice, 80
summary, 79
Takeaway, 82
Components, weight, 120
exercises, 126
jumping to, 119
personalities, 120
right, 121
Takeaway, 126
Conclusions and Innovation, 155–175
world of, 156
stronger premise, 89, 117, 130
exercises, 135
getting started, 134
Takeaway, 135
Context recognition, 5
Controllability, 191, 193, 195, 197
decision, 187
impossible, 172
observations, 95
risk, 201
so what?, 44
upside-versus-downside, 189
vision, 71
what else?, 62
Cooperation, 54
Counter observation, 150
Credibility, 128–131, 148, 176
exercises, 131
getting started, 130
lose, 129
Takeaway, 130
decision maker's, 187
exercises, 188
getting started, 187
Takeaway, 188
Critical Thinking:
application:
list of business functions, 11
list of business issues and goals, 12
list of day-to-day activities, 14
benefits, 7
definition, 3
process, 9, 16, 33, 74, 81–82, 176
when to use, 10
Customer calls, 8, 47, 87, 111, 115, 134
Customers, 21, 37, 45, 58–59, 134, 144
D
Decision maker, xiii, 179, 182–187, 198, 200–201
Criteria. See Criteria
getting started, 201
Risk. See Risk
skills, 9
time-dependent, 183
time-independent, 183
Who-Need-When. See Who-Need-When
Deductive reasoning, 85–86, 90
Downside, 191
E
E-mails, 15, 25, 30, 80, 204–205
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 155
Empty Your Bucket. See Bucket
Executives, 204
Exercises:
Abductive Thinking, 171
Anticipatory Thinking, 61
Change, 145
Conclusions, 126
Consistency, 135
Credibility, 131
Criteria, 188
Empty your bucket, 26
Facts, Observations, and Experiences, 101
Facts and Observations, 97
Impossible Thinking, 175
Influence and Persuasion, 154
Ingredient Diagram, 70
Inspection, 31
Need, 55
Outside-the-Box, 163
Risk, 199
So What?, 49
Thinking Coach, 78
Triangular Thinking, 140
Vision, 73
What Else?, 64
Who, When, and Need, 185
Why?, 42
bucket, 23
Takeaway, 101
F
absolute truth, 90
Credibility, 129
Takeaway, 93
Focus, 18, 23, 31, 54, 69, 73, 143, 149
Foundation, xiii, 88–89, 114, 157
Getting Started:
Abductive Thinking, 170
Anticipatory Thinking, 60
Change, 144
Clarity, 79
Consistency, 134
Creditibility, 130
Criteria, 187
Decisions, 201
Emptying your bucket, 25
Impossible Thinking, 174
Influencing and Persuading, 151
Ingredient Diagram, 69
Inspection, 30
Need, 54
Outside-the-Box, 162
Risk, 198
So What?, 46
Thinking Coach, 77
Triangular Thinking, 139
Vision, 72
What Else?, 63
Who, Need, and When, 184
Why?, 40
of HeadScratchers, LLC, xii
Impossible, 173
manager's, 206
of a team, 52
of Think Smarter, xi
Guess:
Abductive Thinking, 166–167, 170–171
educated, 164
H
Headscratcher, 1, 10, 16–17, 21, 36
Headscratchers, better, xii, 209
I
Ideas:
Abduction, 171
Disagree, 125
Ingredient Diagram, 65
Innovation, 157
a jump, 120
necessary, 51
Thinking Coach, 74
What else?, 64
Impossible conversations, 172
exercises, 175
getting started, 174
Takeaway, 175
Inductive reasoning, 85–90, 120–121, 155, 159, 165–168, 171, 176
Influencing and Persuading, 147–154
difference, 147
exercises, 154
getting started, 151
premise to influence, 149
premise to persuade, 149
senior management, 147
Takeaway, 153
credible, 130
exercises, 70
getting started, 69
productivity example, 68
Takeaway, 70
Ingredients, headscratcher's, 66
Innovation. See Conclusions and Innovation
Inspection, 28–31, 63, 71, 75, 204
getting started, 30
goal setting, 30
Takeaway, 31
K
Kallet, Michael, 209
Knowledge, 145
Consistency, 129
ignorance, 19
is power, 164
Why?, 33
L
M
Meetings, 14, 25, 30, 33, 41–42, 46–47, 61, 80
Metrics, 194
Mitigation strategy, 193
Mutai, Abel, 104
N
Necessity. See Need
Need, 50–56, 173, 183, 193, 195
exercises, 55
getting started, 54
great teams, 52
survival, 53
Takeaway, 55
O
contradictory, 118
missing, 123
Takeaway, 96
weighted, 150
9 dot puzzle, 160
exercises, 163
getting started, 162
Takeaway, 163
What if? and What other?, 161
P
Personalities. See Conclusions
Perspectives, 8, 23, 60, 109, 139
Persuading. See Influencing and Persuading
Preeminent Metrics, 194
Premise, 84, 85–90, 93, 96, 101, 109, 114, 117–123, 125–130
Change, 141
components, 84
Consistent, 132
Credible, 128
Deduction, 85
Induction, 86
Influence, 149
Persuade, 149
well-thought-out, 204
Probability of downside, 191, 194, 196
Problem:
right, 55
strategic, xiv
technical, 169
unclear, 18
Problem solving, 16, 55, 72, 81, 176–177, 204, 207
improving, xi
speeds up, 19
Q
Quality problem solving, xiii, 19–20, 28
R
Ramifications, 47
Reasoning. See Deductive reasoning; Inductive reasoning
Reconcile disagreements, 106, 108–109, 122–123
Reversibility, 193
exercises, 199
Factors, 190
Absorption capability, 192
Controllability, 193
Downside, 191
Ignoring statistical downside, 192
Mitigation strategy, 193
Necessity of the upside, 193
Preeminent Metrics, 194
Probability of downside, 191
Probability of the upside, 192
Reversibility, 193
Upside, 192
getting started, 198
Takeaway, 198
Role of Thinking Coach, 74
triangulate, 139
Rules:
Beliefs, 106
done with clarity, 81
Facts, 91
Thinking Coach, 76
when to use Critical Thinking, 10
S
exercises, 49
getting started, 46
lessons learned, 48
Takeaway, 48
your company, 45
your product, 45
Socrates, 85
Solutions, 7–8, 16–17, 19. See also Conclusions
best, 122
higher-quality, xi
paradigm-changing, 155
Strength of premise, 143, 153. See also Premise
Critical Thinking, 204
executives, 204
individual contributors, 204
supervisors, managers, directors, 204
Summary of Clarity, 79
Summary of Conclusions, 176
Summary of Decisions, 200
T
The Takeaway:
Abductive thinking, 171
Anticipatory thinking, 61
Assumptions, 113
Beliefs, 109
Change, 145
Consistency, 135
Credibility, 130
Criteria, 188
Critical Thinking, 9
Decision maker, 184
Empty bucket, 26
Experiences, 101
Facts, 93
Impossible thinking, 175
Inductive reasoning, 89
Influence and
Persuasion, 153
Ingredients, 70
Inspection, 31
Need, 55
Observations, 96
Outside-the-box, 163
Premise, 126
Risk, 198
So What?, 48
Thinking Coach, 77
Thinking Smarter, 207
Triangular Thinking, 140
Vision, 73
What Else?, 64
when to use, 15
Why?, 41
Because!!, 40
I don't know, 39
Root cause, 38
This versus That, 36
Team:
great, 52
problem-solving, 76
Techniques, xi, xiii, 6, 20, 28, 125, 149, 156, 176, 203
Critical Thinking. See Contents
Think Smarter Takeaway, 207
exercises, 78
getting started, 77
role, 74
Takeaway, 77
ten rules, 76
To-do list, 17–18, 42, 55, 61, 185, 188
Track record, 137
exercises, 140
getting started, 139
Takeaway, 140
U
Decision, 193
V
Values. See Beliefs
Variables. See Ingredient Diagram
exercises, 73
getting started, 72
Takeaway, 73
W
Warning system, early. See Preeminent Metrics
brainstorming, 63
exercises, 64
getting started, 63
Takeaway, 64
Who-Need-When, 181
exercises, 185
getting started, 184
Takeaway, 184
drill down, 37
exercises, 42
getting started, 40
summary of Takeaways, 41
World of Conclusions, 156