Management 13th Edition by John Schermerhorn,Daniel Bachrach

Exercise 11

LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF
Many life and career events are a lot like puzzles; everything looks pretty easy until you sit down and try to put all the pieces together.
Get and Stay Ahead with Critical Thinking
M anagers face significant challenges as they try to move their organizations forward with success in increasingly complex and ever-changing environments. When the environment is complex and uncertain, critical thinking skills are especially important. They help us to gather, organize, analyze, and interpret information to make good decisions in situations that range from difficult to totally perplexing.
The case studies and problem-solving projects in your courses help to develop your critical thinking skills. But beware-a lot of information in circulation on and offthe Internet is anecdotal, superficial, irrelevant, and often just plain inaccurate. You have to be disciplined, cautious, and discerning when interpreting the credibility and usefulness of available information. In other words, you must be good at critical thinking.
The same critical thinking that is part of a rigorous class discussion or case study in your course is what helps managers create strategies that result in competitive advantage. But managers rarely have the luxury of full information boxed up for analysis in a nice, neat case format. Many life and career events are a lot like puzzles-everything looks pretty easy until you sit down and try to put all the pieces together. Are your critical thinking skills up to the challenges of the constantly changing competitive landscape How good are you at making critical connections in unusual situations For starters, take a stab at the two puzzles shown here.

GET TO KNOW YOURSELF BETTER
Is your personal career strategy well attuned to the future job market, and not just the present one Are you showing strong critical thinking skills as you make academic choices and prepare for your career Make a list of information you need to make solid career choices. Identify where you can obtain this information and how credible these information sources are. Write a short plan that outlines how you'll use this information and commits you to activities in this academic year that can improve your career readiness.