Critical Thinkers in the Workplace Can Be a Great Addition

When hiring employees for your business, you might want to give special consideration to parents.

Critical thinkers in the workplace can be a great addition.

Many parents possess critical thinking skills that others who are not parents may not have yet honed. It's possible that parents may bring more to the table than the next employee with similar official education credentials.

As the article, "Tips to Improve Critical Thinking with 1st Grade Math Word Problems," indicates, parents who work with their kids on a daily basis to perfect their child's critical thinking skills actually improve their own at the same time.

If you have employees who are or were parents, you may want to give them specific responsibilities in the workplace, depending on what needs to be done, and what types of skills you need.

To guide you, here are some skills that parents use on a regular basis that can translate to powerful tools in the workplace….

Prioritizing

Experienced parents seem to have highly-honed prioritizing skills.

They know in an instant which one is more important - fixing a loose ponytail rubber band or scooting the kids out the door to get on the bus.

If you are looking for manager material in your employees, you might want to look in the files to see who is a parent. You just may find that person is well-equipped to discern which things need to be taken care of right away, and which ones can wait a bit.

Maintaining Neutrality

No one knows how to put on a poker face better than a parent.

How many times are parents asked to declare their favorite child, and they smile calmly and say they love each one just the same?

When you need a manager to handle employees with aplomb, an employee who is a parent would make a great choice. They'll be able to handle disgruntled employees with ease, and make everyone feel special and equally appreciated at work.

Handling Emergencies

If you need an employee you can rely on to put out fires, look no further than the nearest parent in your organization.

Parents know how to handle emergencies like no one else.

Just watch a parent dealing with a hungry preschooler, or a toddler throwing a tantrum in the middle of a crowded department store, you'll see how adeptly parents can derail a potentially disastrous situation.

If you run a fast-paced business where anything can go wrong at any second, you might want to rely on the quick thinking of a parent in your talent pool.

Figuring It Out

Parents are masterful critical thinkers when it comes to figuring out solutions to problems.

Just ask any mom who has been surprised upon waking that she is responsible for bringing 35 sandwiches and cupcakes to her kid's school by noon so they can be there in time for the class party.

A resourceful parent in your company will be able to figure out how to deliver 100 boxes of paper to your client by noon in the same calm fashion.

The next time you need key individuals to perform specific functions within your organization, look to the parents for help.

About the author

Kate Supino writes about best business practices for small to medium sized businesses.

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