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A500.5.3.RB – Critical Thinking about Critical Thinking

            It is said that everything in life is a learning process and I feel this course has giving me the most challenging journey of my life. I mean to say that in the most positive and well receiving way, as I love what I am learning from “Leadership Foundations in Research.” I like to live life to the standards of Mahatma Gandhi where he expresses, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Education in such a gift and learning from it is the best legacy you can leave behind to generations to come.

            When I first started the course, I know I wanted to become an educated leader but I was not aware of many techniques and concepts. Leadership as a whole means a lot more than been in charge or demanding. This course is teaching me about critical thinking, which is fundamental to achieve leadership skills. Beyond definitions of concepts, I am able to obtain real life examples to rationalize and infer to my day-to-day life. As the course progresses, I have noticed my thinking process changing, from talking to thinking or to informing myself, everything is changing. I do not feel like it is a drastic change. In the contrary, I feel as if I am changing at the pace my mind asks for it. And this time around, I feel change is good!

            Between the changes I am making, I can point out that when it comes to sending a massage; I try to follow the author, Gerald M. Nosich’s suggestions about been clear. And how do I achieve that? By asking myself, “Is the thinking clear? Is this clear in my mind? Am I saying this clearly?” (2012). It is not easy to follow a structure when you are in a fast pace environment and you are trying to explain something or just communicate with your team at work. In reality, it takes a lot of practice before it becomes a natural habit to your brain. With that been said, I have been practicing by asking myself those questions, and if I feel I do not even understand myself, which happens very often, then I need more delegation time with my thoughts. But it truly is a one step at a time process!

            Furthermore, been able to internalize the techniques and concepts I have learned so far from this course has given me opportunities to grow as a person. Without going too far, the SEE-I concept provides an incredible organizational tool to “begin any critical-thinking process by clarifying” (Nosich, 2012). This acronym stands for: Statement, Elaboration, Exemplification, and Illustration. I make use of this concept for most of my assignments and daily tasks. In addition, I was able to learn about the context of essential eight elements that accompany critical thinking. Those elements consist of the following alternatives: Purpose, Question at Issue, Assumptions, Implications and Consequences, Information, Concepts, Conclusions and Interpretations, and Point of view. The textbook differentiates them as, “Context is the background to the reasoning rather than being literally an element in it, and Alternatives encompass the different choices that could be made in the reasoning” (Nosich, 2012).

            Moreover, the Leadership Foundations in Research course provides essential knowledge on how to deal with challenging subjects that sometimes we seem to be get lost with. The concept of the logic of a field has help me to be open-minded and more curious to learn not only what I am responsible to finish at work, but also to know what the other half does. In other words, if I can understand that my job consists of a unit or a team, I can make better reference that each one of us at work is a team player. The reality is we need each other for everything to work and it is not sufficient to just do one part. We all “fit together,” and therefore, I challenged myself to acknowledge everyone’s portion and that way make a better “whole” of my persona.

            The question at issue is, what will it take to make lasting, positive changes in the way I think? The answer is very simple, the changes are already long lasting positive changes. The way I think now is not reversible, as I like the new critical thinking I find in myself. Albert Einstein once said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” And that is at the stage I am at right now. I am too involved with what I care for to forget. 

Figure 1.1

Albert Einstein

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A500.4.3.RB – Ballet Slippers or Adorable?

The Art of Choice

            What a great eye-opening video “The art of choice.” After watching Dr. Lyengar talk about what Americans think about choice, it has open my mind beyond words can explain. One way or another, I had this conversation with my husband a couple of times before, without any background to support our ideas, we always leaned over to the idea of having less choices. It is interesting to find valuable resources of information. I agree with Dr. Lyengar’s studies on how Americans advertise our freedom of choice with a good example, “Have it your way” a slogan used by Burger king. It is fascinating how a country believes having this many choices is the best choice. “They think that choice, as seen through the American lens best fulfills an innate and universal desire for choice in all humans” (Lyengar, 2010).

            My position about her assumptions on Americans making choices is supportive. As Dr. Lyengar goes on to explain, our assumptions are created or “shaped by our backgrounds.” When compared to other countries it is fairly easy to identify how culture changes the perspective of what “choice” means to each one of us. She started by pointing out that Americans assume that we all need to make our own choices. In other words, if the outcome of that decision or choice in this case will affect in anyway our life, then we have the right to make that choice in our own. This assumption tides up with the third assumption, “never say no to choice,” as the example she uses contributes to both ideas. Dr. Lyengar provided a great example of a family who had a baby “ Barbara” who unfortunately when born at 7 months had complications and suffered from cerebral anoxia, a loss of oxygen to the brain. When the parents were ask if they wanted to keep the baby alive for a couple of days under life support or removed it and have the baby died within hours, although they confirmed the decision/choice was the hardest thing to do, they were glad to have the choice themselves. In contrast to other countries such as France, a doctor would have made the choice for them. For some other cultures, having the opportunity to share a choice with someone else is a “way to have a community” (Lyengar, 2010). According to Dr. Lyengar:

The assumption then that we do best when the individual self chooses only holds when that self is clearly divided from others. When, in contrast, two or more individuals see their choices and their outcomes as intimately connected, then they may amplify one another's success by turning choosing into a collective act. To insist that they choose independently might actually compromise both their performance and their relationships. Yet that is exactly what the American paradigm demands. It leaves little room for interdependence or an acknowledgment of individual fallibility. It requires that everyone treat choice as a private and self-defining act. People that have grown up in such a paradigm might find it motivating, but it is a mistake to assume that everyone thrives under the pressure of choosing alone. (2012).

            The second assumption she talks about is “More options leads to better choices.” Having many option is not always a good thing as many residents of formerly communist countries link the term choice with fear, conflict, or pressure. For some people, the word choice is not an option and having too many choices in one time may be overwhelming. Americans are used to massive consumption of everything, as Dr. Lyengar illustrates, “Walmart, with 100,000 different products, and Amazon, with 27 million books and Match.com with -- what is it? -- 15 million date possibilities now. You will surely find the perfect match” (2012). Of course, she takes this ironically since not everyone has the opportunity to choose from thousands of options.

            The implications of Dr. Lyengar’s comments and beliefs of our (Americans) assumptions towards leadership are very useful. Leadership is based on making choices, specifically making the right choices. Most times, the challenge of being a leader comes with having too many options. Often, too many options make leaders susceptible or prone to errors. Knowing “when and how to act,” has a fuller potential of choice. Additionally, been able to walk away from a choice is not always a bad decision, instead; it shows character.

            To conclude her conference, Dr. Lyengar was asked how she handle been blind and making choices. She went over and explained one of her experiences as she was at a salon trying to get her nails done. She wanted to paint them a light pink and she was given two options of pink, ballet slippers or adorable. When she asked to be help and explained the difference between one and the other, the ladies advised her but did not provide good enough information for her to make a choice. Dr. Lyengar decided to test her analysis by removing the labels, and having people make a choice. More than 50 percent of them were surprise because they thought both colors looked the same. With that in mind, it is easy to conclude that most of our choices are sometimes based on visual inputs and not actually self-choice. So even when we think we have the freedom to make a choice, one way or another, some how, we are manipulated to make that choice.

Lyengar, S. (2010). The Art of Choosing. TEDGlobal. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing/transcript?language=en

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A500.3.4.RB – Explore the Hunt Library

            Today is the first time I make use of the Hunt Library from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide Campus. As usual, I have a tendency to reject change. And with that preconception, I did not like the idea of having to use a new tool to make my research. My expectations were completely different from what I witness. I expected to have a non-friendly website, where you cannot find anything. Most often than not, I find links that could be useful if only they were more organized. With that in mind, I expected the worse but to my surprise it was the opposite.

            The first thing I tried was searching about “leaders of today,” because it relates to the courses I am taking for my Master’s Degree in Leadership. As soon as I pressed enter, it took me to a new tab and I could find a variety of related articles. Right there and then, I was able to compare it to a normal Google search, and it was fascinating to see how up to date the articles were. When you do a search in Google, it takes so much time to find what you actually need since it provides so many options. Most of those options are very outdated and not from good sources. It is a peace of mind to know that the Hunt Library provides you with good quality, reliable information. In addition, this online tool provides a “Quicklinks” tabs with options such as Ask a librarian, A-Z journal list, Department/Staff, Electronic Course Reserves, Hours/Location, Library Catalog, NTSB Accident Reports, Renew Books, and Research Database.

            Furthermore, when you have a particular subject you are looking for, you have the option to “refine your search.” This preference is such a great invention because it saves you time. Although, Google offers a similar option it does not compare in any way. In Google, you can refine your search up to a certain level, such as language or the number of results per page. Therefore, it is very time-consuming and you end up spending twice the time you should. Another problem faced with Google is how reliable are their sources? It is hard to tell. I have used Google in the past and never had issues because I would always make sure the information I got came from a reliable source or scholarly publication. But it wasn’t always easy.

            On the other hand, Hunt Library offers the language you need the information on, the publication date, the subject terms, the content type, and more. Being an online student and having this resources offered by the school and so easily accessible, makes a whole world of a difference. When time is at the essence and you have so many deadlines and responsibilities to meet, the Hunt Library gives you flexibility. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be utilizing this Embry Riddle Worldwide library from now on.