By Dr. Mary Lippitt, author of Leadersheep Saving the Herd
AI streamlines workflows and makes answers readily available. Yet confident, polished responses can encourage acceptance before analysis.
A 2025 study of 319 knowledge workers found that greater confidence in generative AI was associated with less critical thinking. Leaders need to ask: Is the AI response accurate? Is it relevant? What might be missing? Does it address our environment and culture?
Turn Answers into Inquiry
Critical thinking deepens understanding, reveals opportunities, and strengthens independent judgment. For example, a response to the query, “How do we overcome resistance to change?” might not cover “What conditions could explain this resistance? or what alternatives could reduce fears?” And only the leader can assess the organizational change readiness.
Five Practices to Strengthen Critical Thinking
Think first. Define the problem, form an initial judgment, and identify what you do not know before consulting AI.
Explore alternatives. Request competing explanations, assumptions, options, and risks. Examine the tradeoffs.
Verify evidence. Check important claims against original sources and firsthand knowledge. Assess their relevance to current conditions.
Confer with others. Invite different perspectives. Identify overlooked opportunities, constraints, and experiences.
Reward judgment. Recognize thoughtful questions, analysis, and mistakes prevented alongside successful execution.
Apply the Six Situational Mindsets
The six Situational Mindsets provide a shared framework for examining current realities, weighing competing needs, and clarifying priorities.
Each mindset prompts different questions, helping teams move beyond first impressions, preferred solutions, and past successes.
Use AI to broaden possibilities, then use the mindsets to examine those possibilities against assumptions, evidence and short- and long-term consequences.
As AI makes answers more accessible, critical thinking makes them wise.
Please share a comment on what you have observed: How has AI changed leadership in your workplace? Is it encouraging deeper thinking or faster action?