What do you think about thinking?

Here’s what author John Baldoni thinks:

"Thinking is a form of communication. It is a kind of dialogue between the conscious and the unconscious. As such, it is something that should be encouraged as part of the communication process.

"If we teach our people to think, we can avoid the kind of rash decisions that result in products that do not perform, upgrades that no customer wants and service that is prevention-minded rather than patch-up...

"Thinking is a form of figuring things out. That statement is music to the ears of engineers and programmers but equally important for those who manage people.

"As a manager, you have to do two things: one, provide context for decisions; two, enable people freedom to figure things out for themselves and thereby become active participants in the work. When people know the why and wherefore they become much more committed to their work."

From: The Value of Thinking
By John Baldoni, Darwin, March 2004

*John Baldoni is author of Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders.