唯有具备批判性思维，你才能做出最聪明的决定

对于某个观点，你应该质疑还是全盘接受呢？你的信念是否坚如磐石？对于人们普遍相信的观点呢？你真的会接受它们吗？

说自己寻求真理是一回事，但主动质疑假设、你自己的信念以及大家的普遍观点，则完全是另外一回事。这需要一套被称为“批判性思维”的技能。这个概念可以追溯到古希腊哲学家苏格拉底以及与之同名的方法，即挑战假设，从而得出合乎逻辑和客观的结论。

批判性思维是企业成功的根本，正如它之于科技的进步和现代文明的发展。然而，批判性思维显然非常匮乏。就算是在如今这个高度开明的时期，很多流行已久的谬论仍然被那些本该睿智的人们广泛接受。

就以红得发紫的情感智力（EI）为例。EI已经成为一项备受追捧的素质，以至于它几乎成了对高管和企业领导者的要求之一。它迅速出现在许多招聘广告中。有些公司甚至认为EI是所有新人融入自身文化的必备条件。

然而，并没有确凿的科学证据表明，对众多工作岗位来说，强大的EI能力都预示着良好的业绩。正如沃顿商学院教授亚当•格兰特所说，EI毫无疑问有可操控的一面，很容易被用来篡改EQ自评测试，以及控制他人。

作为流行一时的概念，EI并非原本所说的灵丹妙药，它固然很重要，但创业精神应该最为重要。在现代商业时代，一个普遍观点是如果你想获得成功，就必须辞职，然后自己当老板。许多作者和博主都做出过这种令人怀疑的论断。虽然对某些人来说情况可能是这样，但除非你亲身体验，否则你根本无从得知它正确与否。

真实情况是，我们大多数人根本不适合创业。无论是创办一家初创型企业，经营一家小公司还是当自由职业者，所有过来人都会告诉你，每一条路都存在特有的挑战和压力。根本没有数据或逻辑能表明你或者其他人会在这方面或者那方面做得更好。

此外，我知道在苹果、谷歌、微软和Facebook等几百家大公司，无数员工都热爱自己的工作，而且都在自己的岗位上有极为出色的表现。同样的，我也不会用我23年的高科技行业从业经验来交换任何东西。但是，创业热潮已经捕获了整整一代人。

如果人们放弃批判性思维，他们就会做出糟糕的人生抉择，并为过度宣传的风潮推波助澜。如果企业领导者这样做，就会出现灾难性后果。

我们经常说到自大的危险，但如果CEO们聪明到不至于一败涂地，那么自大往往是因为他们让过度膨胀的自我支配了自己的理智。他们对逻辑和理性视而不见，反而青睐奇幻思维。他们基于毫无根据的信念得出错误的结论。他们任由过度自信否决了自己更好的判断。许多公司都是这样陷入了沉沦。

如果大家想知道那些最棒的CEO怎样代表自己的公司做出关键决策，说到底就是批判性思维。这些CEO告诉他们的管理团队要实实在在，直言不讳。他们会问许多问题，会索要全部数据，会挑战假设，并进行详尽的探讨。他们会仔细聆听，有时会从自己信任的指导者那里寻求建议。最终，他们相信自己的直觉并作出决定。这些杰出人士就是这样进行出色的决策。大家也应该如此。

本文作者史蒂夫•托巴克是一位管理顾问和专栏作家，著有《真正的领导者不会跟从：在创业时代脱颖而出》（Real Leaders Don’t Follow: Being Extraordinary in the Age of the Entrepreneur）

作者：Steve Tobak

译者：Charlie

审校：詹妮

Do you question assumptions or simply accept them? Are your own beliefs cast in stone? What about commonly held beliefs? Do you accept them at face value?

It’s one thing to say you seek the truth, but actively questioning assumptions, your own beliefs and common doctrine is another matter entirely. That requires a skillset known as critical thinking, a concept that dates back to the Greek philosopher Socrates and his eponymous method of challenging assumptions to reach logical and objective conclusions.

Critical thinking is as fundamental to business success as it’s been to the advancement of technology and the advent of modern civilization. And yet, it’s apparently in very short supply. Even in these highly enlightened times, an embarrassing number of popular myths gain wide acceptance among otherwise intelligent people.

Take the popular hype over emotional intelligence (EI), for example. EI has become such a sought after quality that it’s almost a requirement for executives and business leaders. It has rapidly become ubiquitous on many job specifications. And some companies even consider it a necessity for all new hires to fit into their company culture.

Meanwhile, we have yet to see hard scientific evidence that EI is predictive of positive outcomes across a wide range of job functions. As Wharton professor Adam Grant points out, EI has a decidedly manipulative aspect that can easily be used to game the self-reported EQ tests and control others.

In terms of fads that are not the panacea they’ve been made out to be, EI is big but entrepreneurship must be the biggest. A popular myth of the modern business era is that, if you want to get ahead in life, you must quit your job and become your own boss. Many authors and bloggers have made that dubious claim, and while it may be true for some, there’s no way to know until after you’ve taken the plunge.

The truth is that most of us are simply not cut out for entrepreneurship. Whether it’s running a startup, owning a small business or being self-employed, anyone who’s been there will tell you that each of those scenarios has its own set of challenges and stresses. And there simply is no data or logic to support the assumption that you or anyone else will be better off one way or the other.

Besides, I know there are countless employees at companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebookand hundreds of great companies that love their jobs and do extremely well for themselves. Likewise, I wouldn’t trade my 23-year career in the high-tech industry for anything. And yet, entrepreneur mania has gripped an entire generation.

When people abandon critical thinking, they make bad life decisions and fuel overhyped fads. When business leaders do it, the results can spell disaster.

We often talk about the perils of hubris, but when CEOs who are smart enough to know better crash and burn, it’s usually because they let their overblown egos overrule their intellect. They ignore logic and reason in favor of magical thinking. They draw erroneous conclusions based on unsupported beliefs. They let overconfidence veto their better judgement. That’s howmany companies fail.

If you want to know how the best CEOs make critical decisions on behalf of their companies, it comes down to critical thinking. These CEOs tell their management teams to be completely honest and forthcoming. They ask lots of questions. They ask for all the data. They challenge assumptions. They let them hash it out. They listen carefully. Sometimes they seek advice from trusted mentors. Finally, they trust their gut and make the final call. That’s how the great ones make good decisions. So should you.

Steve Tobak is a management consultant, columnist and author of “Real Leaders Don’t Follow: Being Extraordinary in the Age of the Entrepreneur.”