The ability to gain deeper meaning from what is expressed or experienced.

As artificial intelligence, predictive data, and robotics start to complete tasks that were once routine, there will be an increasing demand for higher-level thinking skills that machines aren’t as good at. These are sense-making skills, skills that help us create unique insights critical to decision making.

A machine has brute force. It can evaluate millions of possibilities in a second. But a robot doesn’t understand context. If we are playing pool, the robot doesn’t know whether we are talking about swimming, financial portfolios, or billiards.

Despite the many important advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) research, it is still the case that if we ask what thinking is so that we can then understand how to nurture it, we confronted with a scary answer: we don’t know. As we renegotiate the human/machine division of labor in the next decade, critical thinking or sense-making will emerge as an increasingly important skill—one on which we need to capitalize.

PRACTICE

Many people think they know their values. They’ll choose health, community, or some other value. But when we think of our values, we tend to think of ourselves aspirationally, and not how we actually live. To know your real values, reflect on the greatest peaks and valleys of your life.

Reflect on your life. Take your whole life path and all your major decisions, particularly when you were under pressure.
Observe what values showed up and why. Context is important.
Define these values for yourself, in your own words. Don’t just choose values from a list.
Ask others. Seek feedback from others about how your values manifest to them.
Define your practice(s). Define measurable working practices that allow others to experience you as a genuinely values-based individual.

Using this process, which isn’t easy, what insights did you gain about yourself?

COMMIT

[ ] I commit myself to gain a deeper understanding of my values and motivations as they inform the quality of my decisions.

Alongside technical skills, people who can master a range of subjective skills are better able to influence, deal with ambiguity, bounce back from setbacks, think creatively, and manage themselves successfully in their pursuit of mastery. Learn more about applying craft skills in the modern world.