9 Principles for Building Critical Thinking Skills

• Do you trust the first result that appears in your search engine?
• How do you know if the information is accurate?
• How do you apply judgment when you’re unsure?

Critical thinking helps us assess situations objectively, challenge assumptions, evaluate information, and make better-informed decisions.
But critical thinking isn’t just something we use when making a major decision. It’s a skill we can continue to develop through the way we approach problems, work with others, learn, communicate, and reflect.
Here are nine principles I believe can help us build stronger critical thinking skills.

1. Curiosity. Be curious and ask questions.

Curiosity allows us to explore beyond what we already know. Instead of simply accepting information at face value, take the time to understand the situation, ask questions, and explore different perspectives. Sometimes a simple question like “Why do we do it this way?” can open the door to a much larger conversation. The goal isn’t to question everything just for the sake of questioning it. The goal is to understand.

2. Question Assumptions

Before challenging an existing approach, gain an “as-is understanding” of the situation. Why does the current process exist? What problem was it originally designed to solve? What assumptions are we making about why it still needs to be done that way? Once you understand the current state, you’re in a much better position to question assumptions and consider alternatives. Don’t assume something is right simply because “that’s how we’ve always done it.” At the same time, don’t assume something is wrong simply because it’s old. Understand first. Then challenge.

3. Collaboration. Critical thinking doesn’t have to happen alone.

Working with others gives us access to different experiences, perspectives, and ways of thinking. Someone else may see something we missed or ask a question we hadn’t considered. Be willing to listen to different points of view, especially when they challenge your own. You don’t have to agree with every perspective, but understanding why someone sees a situation differently can strengthen your own thinking.

4. Accountability. Take responsibility for your own thinking and development.

If improving your critical thinking skills is important to you, make it a goal and hold yourself accountable.
One way to do that is to share your development goals with someone you trust—a manager, mentor, coach, colleague, or friend. Ask them to challenge your thinking and provide feedback.
Sometimes we need other people to help us recognize our own blind spots.

5. Continuous Learning. Critical thinkers are continuous learners.

Stay curious about your profession, your industry, the people around you, and the world beyond your immediate responsibilities. Read. Research. Take a class. Listen to people who know more about a subject than you do. Explore viewpoints that are different from your own. The more you learn, the more information and experience you have available when you need to evaluate a situation or solve a problem.

6. Effective Communication. Critical thinking and communication go hand in hand.

You may have a well-thought-out idea, but if you can’t explain how you arrived at your conclusion, it can be difficult for others to understand or support it. Learn to communicate your reasoning clearly. Ask good questions. Listen carefully to the answers. Be willing to explain not only what you think, but why you think it. And remember that communication goes both ways. Listening can be just as important as speaking.

7. Self-Leadership

Critical thinking starts with being willing to think for yourself. There is more information available to us today than ever before, and it can be tempting to rely on someone else’s interpretation rather than doing the work ourselves.

8. Resilience

Not every idea or decision will turn out the way you expected. Sometimes new information proves an assumption wrong. Sometimes a solution that looked great on paper doesn’t work in practice. Critical thinking requires enough resilience to step back, reassess the situation, learn from what happened, and try again. Being wrong isn’t the problem. Refusing to reconsider your thinking can be.

9. Reflection. Take time to reflect.

After completing a project, making an important decision, or working through a difficult situation, ask yourself:

• What worked?
• What didn’t?
• What did I miss?
• What would I do differently next time?

Reflection helps turn experience into learning. Without reflection, we can have the same experience over and over again without necessarily getting better from it.

Critical thinking isn’t something we master once and check off a list. It develops through curiosity, questioning, collaboration, learning, communication, resilience, and reflection. Start small.

The next time you read something, hear an opinion, encounter a problem, or find yourself saying, “That’s just the way we do it,” pause for a moment. Ask another question. Look for another perspective. Challenge an assumption. And most importantly, take responsibility for your own thinking.

What are you doing to strengthen your critical thinking skills? Want to Dive Deeper?

Critical thinking is closely connected to how we evaluate information, recognize assumptions and biases, manage uncertainty, and make decisions.

If you would like to explore the subject in greater depth, read RuReady’s Decision Science and Critical Thinking series, beginning with Decision Science and Critical Thinking and continuing into the practical Skills (Do) articles on making better decisions.

About Coach’s Corner

Coach’s Corner shares practical leadership and professional-development insights drawn from coaching conversations and real-world experiences. Sometimes the most useful lessons begin with a simple question.