The key to better supporting critical thinkers as they develop is to avoid putting them in boxes. Alexandru Popa-Antohi draws on his extensive experience
Over the years, a significant part of my coaching practice has been spent working with critical thinkers and I’ve learned how to better support them in their development journeys.
Drawing and building on ideas shared recently in a series of learning events with internal coaches at a large organisation on how to coach critical thinkers, I share below pointers for making it work.
I try and avoid putting people in boxes. I value individualisation and prefer to work in a personalised way to raise awareness about and express unique identities. At the same time, there are traits that tend to be represented in a cluster which I have generically named ‘critical thinkers’.
My working definition is that:
Critical thinkers are often strong-minded, data-driven and evidence-based. Highly structured and logical, they might jump from point A to point D and expect you to keep up. They’ll speak the language of processes and optimisation. Logical reasoning is decisive, and deterministic problem-solving is their expertise. They might display little patience for the less informed. You might find them in a variety of contexts, often in scientific, technology, legal or finance roles.
That is the surface layer. There is of course much more depth, which I tried to capture in Figure 1, as an illustration of cognitive, behavioural and emotional traits that are often represented in critical thinkers. As a qualified user of psychometrics, I’ve been inspired by the language used in some of my favourite trait-based tools. They use language such as: inquisitive, insightful, analytical, factual, rational, logical, competitive, challenging. At individual level, these are expressed to various degrees, of course.
Before engaging with the world of psychology, I was already a technology geek with a BSc in Computer Science (Software Engineering). Therefore, I relate to critical thinkers as I find similar characteristics in myself. I also enjoy working with the pragmatists that value research-driven, evidence-based approaches and refute HR jargon.
Is coaching critical thinkers any different to coaching everyone else? In short, the answer is no. However, the coaching does need to be brief, pragmatic, practical, challenging, supportive and focused. But isn’t that what good coaching is about anyway?
As coaches, we might hold underlying beliefs about technology and critical thinkers. I have heard people say things like, ‘I don’t do technology’, or ‘I find the techies so frustrating/rude’, or ‘It’s so difficult to get them to open up’. I believe it’s worth examining our own assumptions and beliefs, and seeing how these are helping or hindering our ability to be great coaches for people who think differently. So how can coaching support critical thinkers?
Make it work
Here are examples of areas where coaching can make a difference for critical thinkers, helping them to:
- Deal with extensive inner dialogue
- Become better able to get out of their own heads
- Integrate their minds, bodies and emotions
- Develop emotional self-awareness and emotional literacy
- Introduce emotions and intuition in the decision-making process
- Become aware of their impact on others
- Have more patience, becoming less impulsive
- Broaden their thinking strategies, generating new options creatively
- Balance competition with cooperation
- Transition from a SME role into a management / leadership role
- Take different perspectives to understand different points of view
- Transition from ‘simply problem-solving’ towards identifying optimal and sustainable solutions for problems, taking into account the broader context (eg, systemic impact; future fit)
Everyone is different. There is nothing wrong with being a critical thinker. All of those good qualities have got them to where they are now and have made them successful. As part of their development, and especially in a leadership capacity, it’s useful and important to help them further extend their flexibility and range of options of how they might respond to emerging challenges. So how can critical thinkers get the most out of coaching?
Here are seven practical tips:
- It often starts as an ‘above the shoulders’ conversation It’s useful to co-create ways to engage and integrate other parts of the self – body, emotions and more. The key here is to be light and patient, also to demonstrate the usefulness of thinking differently.
- Movement Critical thinkers are often talented at formulating wicked problems that can get them stuck. In coaching we know that physical movement and working with our bodies can help us become unstuck, or see things from a new perspective.
- Getting out of their own heads Being able to do this can be very liberating and generative for these clients. Simple options such as illustrating things visually in front of you can help (eg, playing with objects, drawing).
- Direct communication and instant feedback As coaches, it is particularly important we provide clear, observable and direct feedback to critical thinkers as close to the event as possible. Often, they will be very interested in hearing how they can practically improve.
- Letting go Often, critical thinkers might say something like, “Once I have a problem in my mind, I can’t let go of it. It stays with me until I’m able to solve it.” With complex problems and dilemmas, this is a poor and time-consuming strategy. Introducing the practice of letting go of ‘stuff’ can be very useful.
- Structure vs emergence As coaches, we need to ensure sufficient structure and clarity around the coaching process, so critical thinkers will engage with it. This will help drive credibility and establish trust.
- Reframe / increase options Critical thinkers often think they need to choose between two clear options. One skill they can develop through coaching is the ability to increase the number of options available, rather than ‘this or that’.
Fatal flaws
- Avoid starting with a blank canvas Critical thinkers often appreciate a robust, evidence-based, research-informed approach to their development. Own your authority as a coach, be clear about your approach and process, without becoming prescriptive.
- Avoid using jargon and specialist language, or what many critical thinkers might call ‘HR fluff’. This often disengages them. Instead, use clear, simple language.
- Avoid loose or unclear action plans and accountabilities Critical thinkers often appreciate clear, replicable systems, templates or processes they can use to define actions, track and measure progress and results. Many critical thinkers tend to cover a lot of work between coaching sessions, with a high degree of autonomy and self-determination.
- Alexandru Popa-Antohi is an APECS accredited executive coach who has been supporting critical thinkers and technical leaders in their development for years. He often works with founders/CxOs and leadership teams from tech start ups/scale ups