Independent thinkers are typically individuals who use their advanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills to develop effective strategies for certain situations. Many of these employees are comfortable and confident about expressing their thoughts, which makes them reliable resources and decision-makers. Establishing yourself as an independent thinker allows you to grow in your role, solve complex challenges, and complete advanced job duties. In this article, we explain what an independent thinker is and share different ways to become one in your career.
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What is an independent thinker?
An independent thinker is an individual who possesses the confidence and knowledge to express their opinions, thoughts, and ideas to team members and supervisors. Many independent thinkers have the motivation and discipline to develop innovative solutions and contribute quality work that improves the organization’s success. As an independent thinker, other employees might approach you with questions or challenges for unique ways to overcome different obstacles. This type of thinking allows you to consider different perspectives, opinions, and outcomes before developing a creative strategy or solution to common work-related problems.
9 ways to become an independent thinker
Here are different ways you can become an independent thinker:
1. Review different industry materials
You can expose yourself to a wide variety of different opinions by reading, listening to or watching various forms of industry-related materials like articles, podcasts, and videos. This helps you enhance your knowledge and form your own opinions by understanding the thoughts and reasoning of industry experts. Consider subscribing to various industry-related materials and block out time to review them. You can use these pieces to stay updated on different ongoing trends to incorporate into your ideas, projects, and tasks.
2. Understand various perspectives
An effective way to develop innovative solutions to common issues is to approach them with various perspectives. You can typically gain these by interacting with others who might have different experiences or opinions than you hold in the industry. Read opinion pieces to learn where other points of view come from to help form your own thoughts on certain matters.
When you’re asked to resolve challenges in the workplace, you can refer to these materials to help you better understand potential outcomes that could occur if you make certain decisions. Use this knowledge to pitch unique solutions, products or services that benefit a wide variety of individuals.
3. Network with industry professionals
You can meet other professionals in the industry by attending relevant events like conventions, conferences or training sessions. Ask for their contact information and meet them outside of work hours to discuss industry-related events or challenges. Try to remain open to their opinions and approaches to certain issues. If you build a strong connection with these professionals, you can use them as a resource when you seek advice on overcoming certain work-related obstacles.
4. Visit new places
You can more easily develop unique insights and thoughts by traveling to new locations. This allows you to discover how different cultures function. Consider asking your employer if they can fund you to go by requesting to attend training seminars to advance your skills. The organization might also have branches in different locations that you can visit as well.
This gives you the opportunity to visit new places and learn how other people act and behave. You can use this to better understand the actions, preferences, and needs of target audiences to cater the company’s message, product or services to them.
5. Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills
It can be easier to approach and resolve common work-related challenges if you have advanced problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities. With these abilities, you can analyze the validity of certain solutions to determine their potential impact on others. Consider volunteering to handle more complex responsibilities at work and use these experiences to enhance these skills.
Critical thinking abilities can help you evaluate different areas of the problem using the knowledge and personal ethics you’ve developed. You can use this knowledge to engage in more intellectual and discussions with team members and supervisors to help them understand different viewpoints of various situations.
6. Ask questions regularly
It can be easier to think independently if you better understand the reasoning behind certain decisions. Try to gain additional knowledge in the workplace by asking questions regularly. If you’re unsure of why your supervisor assigned you to a task or why they’re restructuring a strategy, politely ask them. This grants you a well-rounded knowledge of why leadership professionals arriving at certain decisions, which you can consider when making your own high-level decisions in the future.
7. Try new activities
You can gain newfound talents, abilities, and knowledge by trying new activities. This can help you discover talents or interests you were unaware you had. You can then use these capabilities when solving big-picture challenges or making complex decisions as an independent thinker. Consider taking courses to develop new skills or earn certifications that increase your qualifications in your role. This provides you with a well-rounded skill set that expands your level of thinking.
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8. Challenge yourself
Find new ways to challenge yourself in both your personal and professional lives. You can do so by setting challenging goals and building strategies to reach them. Ways to do this can be to ask for more responsibility, learn an advanced hobby, or exceed your usual quota. This helps you develop your skills further and pushes you to complete complex tasks or arrive at solutions to difficult problems.
9. Request feedback
An effective way to improve and grow as an independent thinker is to ask for feedback on your current performance and the methods you use to solve current challenges. You can ask for one-on-one meetings with your supervisor to better understand how to grow in your career. Discuss recent decisions you made and the outcomes that resulted from them. Ask your manager for their opinions on how you approached these situations and if they have any guidance or advice on how they might resolve the problem differently. Consider this guidance carefully and apply it to your future workplace decisions.
I hope you find this article helpful.
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