Master of Science in Leadership RG 5043

When I first started with the course in Critical Thinking, I was fairly intimidated.  Honestly speaking, I never really connected the impact of a critical thinking mind to the success of a leadership position, especially in the workplace.  My thought process was, as long as I maintain my ability to dismiss my emotions from a problem or an issue and regard the facts equitably in order to make a logical decision, I was good and was on the right track.  It never occurred to me that what I was doing was part of a practice called “critical thinking.” According to the Critical Thinking Community, critical thinking is essential if we are to get to the root of our problems and develop reasonable solutions.  After all, the quality of everything we do is determined by the quality of our thinking.  Elder, L. (2007) conceptualized Critical Thinking as: …self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded w...

“People who urge you to be realistic generally want you to accept their version of reality.” ~ Unknown               It is of human nature for us to seek out our family, friends, colleagues, etc. whenever stressful situation materializes.  We become curious about what they feel and the choices they would carry out if they were in a similar position or situation.  We receive diverse insights from others and ultimately, we decipher our own determination.  Unfortunately, our decision making is hampered by the fog of human irrationality.  Fortunately, science has shown us that there are tricks and habits we can use to improve our judgments and better light the path ahead (Jarrett, n.d.). Amir (2008) stated that: The human mind is a remarkable device.  Nevertheless, it is not without limits.  Recently, a growing body of research has focused on a particular mental limitation, which has to do ...

           As a full time employee and an online student pursuing a master’s degree program in Leadership, the convenience of academic resources is of utmost importance.  Hunt Library is an excellent resource for my matriculation.  I can access any resource material at any time electronically.  Since it has an option of accessing resources digitally, it offers no physical boundaries; retrieving information is very convenient; the resource materials are available for my use round the clock; but most especially, it provides me with the link to other resources of other digital library.  Library resources are boundless.             According to Cornell University Libraries (2015), “scholarly or peer-reviewed journal articles are written by scholars or professionals who are experts in their fields”.  UTSA Libraries (2015) defines scholarly or academic sources: Their purp...

Michael W. Austin, columnist of PsychologyToday.com wrote, “critical thinking is disciplined thinking that is governed by clear intellectual standards.  This involves identifying and analyzing arguments and truth claims, discovering and overcoming prejudices and biases, developing your own reasons and arguments in favor of what you believe, considering objections to your beliefs, and making rational choices about what to do based on your beliefs.” The standards that are most important in my life are reasonable, reliable, ethical, loving, and spiritual.  I have always been reasonable and reliable for my family and in the workplace.  At work, as a leader, my direct report and colleagues know that I am a reliable person.  They know that they can always depend on me to response to their needs in a timely manner.  Whenever my direct reports commit errors or submit their reports not on a timely manner, as far as I can help it, I make sure that I give them the benef...

           The Critical Thinking Community defines Intellectual Perseverance as “having a consciousness of the need to use intellectual insights and truths in spite of difficulties, obstacles, and frustrations; firm adherence to rational principles despite the irrational opposition of others; a sense of the need to struggle with confusion and unsettled questions over an extended period of time to achieve deeper understanding or insight.”   ( http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/valuable-intellectual-traits/528 )               Nathan L. King of Whitworth University, describes intellectual perseverance as a person-relative.  He said, “Intellectual perseverance is a matter of continuing in one’s intellectual projects for an appropriate amount of time, despite the threat of obstacles to the completion of these projects. This virtue is often exhibited in attempts to discover new truths, bu...