Critical thinking, say what, I’m a real estate salesperson! Well, as the CEO of your real estate practice, I’d suggest critical thinking is the foundation of your current and future success.
Critical thinking will enable you to express your thoughts, ideas, and beliefs more effectively. Better communication helps others understand you better, resulting in less frustration for you and your clients. Critical thinking fosters creativity and out-of-the-box thinking that can be applied to any area of your business.
“The quality of your business largely depends on the quality of your decisions.”
Imagine how much better your real estate business would be if there were a way to make the best possible decisions, day in and day out? There is, and it’s called critical thinking.
Some real estate professionals already have well-developed critical thinking skills, others need some help, and we all can benefit from continuous improvement.
5 Steps To Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills
First
Clearly Define Your Question or Problem.
Albert Einstein said it best:
“If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”
Second
Gather Information to Help You Weigh the Options.
Consider only the most valuable and reliable information from the most reputable sources. Disregard the rest.
Third
Apply the Information and Ask Critical Questions.
Scrutinize all information with a skeptic’s eye.
Not sure what questions to ask? You can’t go wrong starting with the “5 W’s.”
Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?
Then finish by asking, “How?”
Fourth
Consider the Implications.
Look for potential unintended consequences. Do a thought experiment about how your solution could play out in both the short and long run.
Fifth
Explore the Full Spectrum of Viewpoints.
Examine why others are offering differing points of view. This will help you evaluate your viewpoint. You may find critical thinkers who take an opposing view, which can help you find gaps in your logic.
Samantha Agoos describes a 5-step process in this TED Talk that may help you with any number of problems in your business.
Every day, a wave of decisions comes before us, and it’s impossible to make a perfect choice every time. Yet there are ways to improve our chances. One particularly effective technique is critical thinking, and that is how can win the day.
