The Demise of Thinking Skills

In addition to a lack of work experience, the younger generations have learned what they do know in two primary ways: through rote memorization and by searching for information that they need, in the moment. While these practices are certainly useful in the knowledge economy, they do not begin to build the ability to extrapolate meaning or action from that knowledge and apply it in the real world to inform decision making, influence and performance.

In the past, there has been a gradual ascent into leadership positions in the "second half" of one's career; often after years of experience which contributes to a broad and "expert" level of performance. Malcolm Gladwell coined the "10,000 Hour Rule" to explain this path toward mastery in any field. However, the expectations of younger workers for advancement, along with the simple fact that today's leaders will have soon retired, makes it likely that many Gen Y/Millennials will be promoted to management and leadership positions before they have the skills, knowledge and experiences to be fully prepared for success at that level.

We simply do not have the luxury to wait 10,000 hours for the next generation of leaders to develop the thinking skills required to lead organizations in the 21st century. When development time is short, every missed opportunity to "grow a leader" is a costly business mistake.

(This is an excerpt from our recently published white paper: Teaching Thinking: Solving Tomorrow's Impending Leadership Crisis, Today.  You can download a copy by clicking on the News and Resources Link in the top menu bar.]