Critical Thinking and Decision Making Research Paper

Critical Thinking and Decision Making - Research Paper Example I am not the kind of person who just goes with a decision because it feels right; I have to be able to justify it through facts and evidence. The downside to this approach is that some times I can take too long to make decisions and by that time it is too late to change anything. Other people can become frustrated by my decision-making efforts because I don’t appear to know what I am doing, but actually I am sometimes guilty of over thinking things. If I am to speed up my thought processes, then I will need to set time boundaries that force me to make a decision by. I will also take to heart the words of Andrew Jackson: â€Å"†¦when the time for action has come, stop thinking and act† (Clark, 2012). If I can find a balance between strategizing and acting, then I should become a better decision maker. It is important to have a variety of approaches to management and decision making because there are some variables that can change at a moment’s notice. In order to be prepared for sudden changes, it is best to have a couple of backup plans that can be implemented if things don’t exactly turn out as planned. Part of being a successful manager is considering all the options on the table and then sticking with one but keeping some options in reserve. That way, the research and planning stages would have already been carried out and the new strategy can be integrated seamlessly. In Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools, the authors state, "Excellence in thought, however, must be systematically cultivated" (Elder & Paul, 2009, p. 2). What will you do to improve your level of critical thinking? How will this improve your abilities as a manager and as a graduate student? I will improve my level of critical thinking by sticking to the point. I have a bad habit of getting sidetracked from an issue, and this slows down my critical thinking. In order to change this, I will need to be â€Å"on the lookout for fragmented thinking,