Personally, I think that critical thinking is one of the top job requirements for me as a parent of two teenagers. A critical thinker knows there are always at least two sides to the truth and takes the time to put away their initial reactions, uncover the facts, and react thoughtfully.

An example could be reacting emotionally to a story. The leaders who stand out from the crowd as critical thinking rock stars are balanced thinkers who are aware of their own feelings and emotions, as well as those of the people around them, but can set them aside when making a decision. Do you see a correlation between this and emotional agility, which I discussed in great detail in one of my previous posts? Critical thinking allows leaders at every level to evaluate their decision-making and how these decisions ultimately impact results across every part of an organization. It is the ability to see past public opinion and popularity polls. In business, critical thinking is independent thinking that isn’t clouded by bad advice, misleading assumptions, or personal biases. That’s more than any of the other so-called “soft skills” that employers say they urgently need. According to a survey released by Morning Consult, 64% of employers say it’s difficult to find qualified applicants with critical thinking skills.

This lack of critical thinking skills is causing what one expert calls a “competency gap” in the newest crop of leaders. The Wall Street Journal reported that after four years of classes, students at some of the country’s most prestigious universities don’t show any improvement in critical thinking skills. More and more evidence points to a lack of critical thinking skills in today’s youngest aspiring leaders down to today’s college graduates. There’s a crisis brewing in the business world, but almost nobody has been paying attention to it.

Critical thinking rock records