Finding things out is what leaders do. They are curious about why things are done a
certain way, what is actually going on, why processes and services are or are not
producing desired results. If results are good, curious individuals wonder how they
might be better! Curiosity produces questions, and questions, particularly “why” and
“what if” questions, drive the thinking that leads to innovation and improvement.
But leaders are also people. People tend to have certain blind spots about themselves
and others that they often do not investigate due to lack of awareness. Have you ever
found yourself having a second conversation in your head during an actual conversation
with someone, but you don’t share those thoughts? Have you ever made a series of
quick judgments based on assumptions about a situation that later proved wildly
inaccurate? These are universal human experiences.
Thinking habits of mind, heart, and imagination are key to your success as a doctoral
student and a leader. Tools such as the ladder of inference and the two-column exercise
assist in eliminating the noise of our own biases and hidden assumptions and enable a
clearer picture of the truth about a situation. Double-loop learning and other concepts
help us find things out about organizations and the behaviors of their members that
have impacts on organizational awareness, effectiveness, and capacity to change and
improve.
In this assessment, you establish a plan for engaging in intentional discovery about
yourself and your organization. You will explore your progress against your plan as you
complete each of the other assessments in this course.
Complete and submit the Thinking Habits of Mind, Heart, and Imagination
Self-Assessment and Plan [DOCX]
Download Thinking Habits of Mind, Heart, and Imagination Self-Assessment and Plan
[DOCX]
template. For each criterion, insert your numerical score in the last column, and
complete the Reflection narrative under each criterion table. Insert your plan where
indicated at the end of Part 2.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in
the following course competencies:
● Competency 2: Apply continuous improvement models and methods
to uncover the multi-dimensional nature of problems of practice.
○ Provide a plan to improve and consolidate thinking habits while
completing the assessments and readings for this course.
● Competency 3: Analyze the implications of leadership behaviors for
organizational learning.
○ Complete a self-assessment using the thinking habits of mind,
heart, and imagination and providing examples to support
self-rating.
● Competency 4: Apply critical thinking skills and habits of mind to
analyze problems of practice.
○ Submit a reflective piece that highlights strengths and areas
that are in need of improvement.
