The Essential Role of Critical Thinking in Developing Leadership Virtues
- May 8, 2025
- 5 min read
Written by Lars Friedrich, Leadership Expert
Lars Friedrich, a seasoned expert in personal and professional leadership development, brings a unique 'Touch of Zen' to his approach. This distinctive method, honed over a proven track record of over three decades, sets him apart in the field and piques his curiosity.
Critical thinking is an essential leadership skill. By cultivating it and the connected intellectual virtues, executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs become more effective in their pursuits, more empathetic in their relationships, and more likely to make good decisions in their teams, companies, organisations, and businesses.
The term critical comes from the Greek word 'Kritikos', meaning 'able to judge or discern'.
Therefore, critical thinking involves questioning, analysing, interpreting, evaluating, and judging what we read, hear, say, or write.
To develop a nuanced, fair, clear-eyed view of the world!
The consistent application and execution of critical thinking in their leadership results in the already-mentioned positive outcomes for executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs.
Thus, their critical thinking ability isn't just an advantage in a world of increasing complexity, accelerating change, and dynamic business environments.
It's a necessity!
A practical approach
In practice, when topics like communication difficulties and leading inconvenient conversations are discussed during meetings with my clients, I ask them if they remember the last time they changed their mind about a deeply held belief.
If they can't remember, it might be time to strengthen their critical thinking skills.
Because executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs need to evaluate the integrity of their critical thinking regularly.
Sometimes they consider this introspection challenging, but that’s the nature of my external support and guidance as a seasoned leadership expert.
“Be careful not to rashly refuse to learn from others.” – Marcus Porcius 'Cato' the Elder
Successful and lasting leadership development is primarily about finding the intrinsic motivation to improve, which involves self-awareness and reflection.
In this case, how executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs engage with the varied opinions they experience and their ability to process the received information, via different forms of critical thinking.
Weak critical thinking
Weak critical thinking uses intellectual skills selectively, often to defend pre-existing views or win arguments at any cost.
This habit is tempting but inevitably leads us to errors and mistakes, which can be costly in a professional setting.
For instance, an executive, leader, or entrepreneur who selectively uses intellectual skills to defend pre-existing views in a conversation may miss out on innovative solutions or fail to address critical issues.
Weak critical thinkers excel at picking apart others' arguments while remaining unaware of their reasoning's flaws.
Strong critical thinking
Strong critical thinking, by contrast, includes not just analytical skills but also ethical considerations and intellectual virtues.
It means applying the same rigorous standards to our ideas as we do to others and actively seeking out challenging perspectives.
In short, it requires us to be fair-minded!
Fair-mindedness is the ethical foundation of critical thinking. It demands that we treat all viewpoints equally, setting aside personal biases and interests.
This task is no small feat!
Because our minds naturally gravitate towards information that confirms existing beliefs and protects our ego.
So, how can we overcome this?
By deliberately and consciously developing and practising a set of interconnected intellectual virtues.
Intellectual humility
Intellectual humility is first!
We have to recognise the limits of our knowledge and remain open to the possibility of being wrong.
This recognition and resulting admittance aren't about lacking confidence but being realistic about the limits of anyone's knowledge.
Intellectual courage
Intellectual courage is closely related to intellectual humility!
This virtue is about the willingness to confront ideas that challenge our deepest beliefs and push us to engage seriously with opposing viewpoints, even when it makes us uncomfortable.
We resist the urge to dismiss contrarian ideas outright and consider them reasonably.
Intellectual empathy
Next is intellectual empathy!
This virtue allows us to truly understand others' perspectives by imaginatively putting ourselves in their shoes.
It goes beyond mere personal sympathy to actively reconstruct the other person's reasoning processes.
Intellectual integrity
Intellectual integrity, another virtue, is about consistency!
Specifically, it is the ability to hold ourselves to the same high standards we expect of others and admit when we've made mistakes or contradicted ourselves.
Intellectual perseverance
Intellectual perseverance pushes us to tackle complex problems even when solutions aren't immediately apparent!
It's the drive to work through confusion, questions and setbacks, recognising that meaningful insights require sustained effort.
Confidence in reason reflects a belief that, over time, sound thinking and evidence-based approaches lead to better outcomes.
It doesn't mean throwing out our emotions but trusting in our capacity to use reason to understand the world and solve problems.
Intellectual autonomy
Finally, intellectual autonomy empowers us to think independently, even as we respect intellectual standards!
Autonomy in this context means critically examining received wisdom and forming well-reasoned conclusions, even if they go against the views of authority or popular opinion.
Cultivating leadership virtues
The mentioned leadership virtues of critical thinking don't operate in isolation!
Instead, they form an interconnected web, reinforcing and enabling the others, and developing them is a lifelong journey requiring consistent self-reflection.
“To live a life of virtue, you have to become consistent, even when it isn't convenient, comfortable, or easy.” – Epictetus
Cultivating these leadership virtues means examining one's thought processes, challenging existing biases, and striving for fairness and clarity in one's reasoning.
However, by cultivating them as an active display of their exemplary leadership, executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs are more likely to make good decisions.
In their teams, companies, organisations, and businesses, while contributing to their communities and society in general.
Lars Friedrich, Leadership Expert
Lars Friedrich, a seasoned expert in personal and professional leadership development, brings a unique 'Touch of Zen' to his approach. This distinctive method, honed over a proven track record of over three decades, sets him apart in the field and piques his curiosity.
With a career that has spanned from being a former Officer and Special Forces Operator to a COO in international and intercultural corporate business operations and development positions, and now as the founder of his boutique business, Lars has accumulated a wealth of practical leadership, resilience, discipline, motivation, endurance, commitment, persistence, and dedication.
Sources:
