Critical Thinking 101 For Project Managers

Bill Richardson - 416-867-4776

bill.richardson@bmo.com

Handout Version

Thinking..The Big Bang of Business.

”Thinking is the nucleus of business…it drives not only what gets created and launched,but also what lives on.

It’s the big bang that sets everything else inmotion.

If you want to change your results, you must first change your thinking.”

Marcum and Smith - businessThink

“ Good To Great”Jim Collins

• Right people on the bus

• Wrong people off the bus

• Right people in the right seats

• Then figure out where to drive the bus

Top leaders tendencies:Who Can

ThinkCritically!

The Painful Reality…..

…is that project managers, leaders and companies don’t pay people to think - they pay ( hope, pray,expect) people to agree -----with them!

And…..luck is not a method!

Tonight- On Critical Thinking!

• Remind you about being human!

• Road test in the project life cycle

• Help you take home the right 30%

• Refocus your skills

• Introduce your “Other Half” into a new model

A Road Map

Need

Humanity

Model

PROCESS

SKILLS

DesiredResult

PREFERENCES

Habit Habits can be your best friend or your VERY worst enemy

> Form them 1 strand at a time

> Break them 1 strand at a time

> Your habits are a product of environment

> Good news is they are breakable

> Bad news it’s simple but not easy

“Auto-Pilot Navigation”

Learning Context

1

2 3

4

Conscious

NotConscious

NotCompetent

Competent

21 days then

Egocentricity A tendency to view everything in relationship to oneself…...

> Memory……convenient and selective > Myopia……narrow point of view

> Righteousness…..only we know the truth

> Hypocrisy……do as I say, not as I do

> Blindness…..to contradictory facts.

“Empowered Beyond Reason”

A Perfectly Good Strength When multiplied by ego:

> Confidence

> Dedication

> Courage

> Ambition

> Perseverance

becomes sense of Infalibility

becomes Workaholism

becomes Foolhardiness

becomes Coercion

becomes Resistance To Change

Fear A painful emotion excited by expectation of evil or apprehension of impending danger…..

> Its an emotion put in place to protect us

> Conquering fear does not mean destroying it”

> Its hormonal and neurochemical

> Fictitious Events Appearing Real

“Self Inflicted Paralysis”

So, What Are Critical Thinking

Skills?

….a set of skills for resolving problems and maximizing opportunities, which affect organizations and their customers.

The Skills

What is or could be happening?

Why is it happening?

Which is the best course of action?

How do we do it?

Situational Assessment

Problem Solving

Decision Making

Action Planning

We jump to resolution!

We jump to cause!

We jump to solution!

We jump to action! Issues

Gather

Critical Thinking Process

Generate

Evaluate Agree

Left Brain Right Brain

IQ EQ

Integration and Balance

IQ EQ

Ask the hard questions in a soft way! From “businessThink”

IdentifyIssues

AnticipateIssues

Issues Clear?

ClarifyIssues

PriorityKnown?

SetPriority

Cause Known?

SolutionKnown?

Describe Problem

List Objectives

Draft Plan

ListCauses

GenerateAlternatives

Anticipate Changes

Test Causes

Evaluate Alternatives

Revise Plan

Gain Support

Gain Support

Seek Agreement

No

NoYes

YesNo

Yes

No

Yes

Problem Solving Decision Making Action Planning

Situation Assessment

The Model

Road Test

Initiation/Feasibility

Project Life Cycle

Feasibility

Planning

Execution

Evaluation

Process Goal

• Situation Assessment • Clarity?

• Decision Making

• Priority?

• Best Choice • Gain Commitment

• Action Planning • Baselines!

• Situational Assessment • Problem Solving • Decision Making • Action Planning

• Status • Correction

• Situational Assessment • Problem Solving

• Learning?

• Costs?

• Quality

• Risk?

• Client Satisfaction

• Client Satisfaction

Take Home Summary

Need

Habit

Ego

Fear

Model

PROCESS

SKILLS

DesiredResult

Leverage Your Other Half

Learn Where To Start

Pay Attention & Stay Off Auto Pilot

Harness And Keep On A Short Leash

Let Go Of “Fear Is Bad”

Focus on clarity, priority and root cause and getting agreementDon’t Jump!!!

Teach To Learn

PREFERENCES

Learn To Identify

The Value PropositionBetter critical thinking will help you:

• Deal more effectively with imposed constraints

• Better manage expectations

• Better manage - functional vs project dimensions

• Have more fun in your work life

• Become more influential

Tomorrow?

Start

Stop

Continue

• ego on a short leash

• jumping

• think

• find the cause

• focus on clarity • ignoring your other half

• hugging the coastline

• feel • act

The Buddha onMindfulness

Non-judgment

Patience

Beginner’s Mind

Trust

Non-striving

Acceptance

Letting Go

How They CatchMonkeys