How Critical Thinking Supercharges Your Leadership Skills

Cathie Leimbach • September 19, 2023

If you want to up your leadership game, it’s time to embrace critical thinking. Why? Because it enables you to make informed decisions, solve complex problems, and navigate uncertain situations with relative ease.


In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing world, leaders face numerous challenges daily. Critical thinking allows leaders to analyze and evaluate information objectively. It enables them to consider multiple perspectives, uncover hidden biases, and identify logical fallacies. It also helps them think outside the box and explore new possibilities.


Developing critical thinking skills takes consistent practice. One of the first steps is to constantly seek out new knowledge and information. This can be done through reading books, attending seminars, or engaging in meaningful conversations with experts in your field.


Another effective strategy is to regularly challenge yourself by asking thought-provoking questions. Don’t just accept things at face value. Dig deeper and explore different perspectives. This will expand your thinking and enhance your problem-solving abilities.


Also, seek out mentors or join networking groups where you can engage in stimulating discussions and learn from others.

Here are two strategies you can utilize to independently strengthen your ability to dig deeper and consider other people’s perspectives.


An effective way to dig deeper is to use the “Five Whys” technique. Whenever you encounter a problem or a decision, ask yourself why it is the way it is or why you are considering this decision. Once you answer that question, ask why again. Keep asking yourself why until you have dug deeper 5 times. This helps you uncover root causes and explore different angles.


Another helpful exercise is the “Red Team” approach. Put yourself in the shoes of an adversary looking to critique and challenge your ideas or plans. What concerns would they raise? This technique helps you identify weaknesses and biases in your thinking and find ways to strengthen your reasoning and your plans.


In summary, developing your critical thinking skills will help you make good decisions by gathering diverse input, viewing feedback as a valuable gift, and thinking outside the box.



What is one thing you have done in the past week to strengthen your critical thinking skills? What is one other way you could strengthen your critical thinking this week?

 

Be Kind to Your Team AND Hold Them Accountable

By Cathie Leimbach • November 3, 2026
Tammy was furious. For the third day in a row, the hydraulic hose assembly line was falling behind. How could they keep customers happy when production was this slow? The target was 50 hoses per hour, with at least 98% meeting quality standards. Yet, after two hours, Tom's team had produced only 65 hoses, and six had failed inspection. Tammy marched over to Tom, the line supervisor. “This is unacceptable! You know our targets. Get your people moving!” She stormed off, frustrated and worried about falling further behind. Tom felt embarrassed and discouraged. He told his team to work faster. An hour later, production was still behind, and more hoses had failed inspection. Leadership Tip – Correct Kindly, Solve Problems Together Corrective action doesn't need to be harsh. A calm, respectful conversation can improve both performance and trust. Clarify the gap. Remind the employee of the agreed expectation and describe what you've observed. “Tom, our target is 50 hoses per hour, with 98% meeting standards. Your team produced 65 in two hours, and six failed inspection.” Explore causes and solutions together. Ask, “What's getting in the way?” Listen carefully. Perhaps a crimping machine needs adjustment or a new employee needs coaching. Ask, “What could we do differently? How can I help?” Agree on next steps. Ask Tom to summarize what he'll do. State what you'll do to support him. Agree on when you'll review progress. Bottom Line Kindness doesn't mean lowering expectations. It means helping people meet them. Conversation is Where Leadership Happens™ Be kind. Be clear. Hold people accountable. Have a conversation you’ve been putting off because you don’t want to sound harsh—or let the issue slide? Bring it to the Workplace Conversations Clinic on November 16 to discuss addressing the problem with kindness, setting clear expectations, and agreeing on next steps. Reserve your spot for the November 16 Workplace Conversations Clinic → HERE

Everyone Noticed. No One Said Anything.

By Cathie Leimbach • October 27, 2026
“The same production line’s data is late again,” someone said. “Are we just supposed to keep begging for it?” Maya looked up. Two employees had stopped their own work to help track down the data missing from the weekly report to headquarters. She knew there had been delays. She hadn’t paid attention to how often or what happened when the data came in late. Each Friday, John sent the report out, and Maya moved on. Her team hadn’t moved on. They were tired of disrupting their own work to address the same problem week after week. The Symptom Late work. Repeated mistakes. People asking why they should bother when others don’t do their part. When there is a pattern of leaders letting missed deadlines slide, employees notice. Silence can leave people thinking that missed commitments are acceptable, even when that isn’t what the leader intends. Monitoring performance gives leaders a clearer picture of what is happening—and something specific to discuss with those involved. The Tip Here are three steps to noticing problems and sharing your performance concerns. Track the data. Look at information tied to the work, such as deadlines and errors. Maya could track how often data for the weekly reports arrived late. Walk around. Spend time where the work happens. Notice what people are doing and how one person’s work affects another’s. Maya saw two employees put their work aside to finish someone else’s task. Share what you find. Bring the facts and your observations to the attention of the person involved. Maya could say: “Your weekly production data was submitted late three of the last four weeks. Today, I saw Lee and Sam stop their work to get the raw data and do the analysis.” That makes it clear to the employee that submitting data late is not acceptable. Conversation is Where Leadership Happens™ Is there a pattern at your workplace that you’ve noticed but haven’t addressed? Join our Workplace Conversations Clinic on November 16 to discuss addressing performance concerns. Bring a situation you’ve been letting slide. Reserve your place HERE