NBAB 5880 - Critical Thinking for Business Leaders

Spring. 1.5 credits. S/U grades only (no audit).

Enrollment limited to: students enrolled in the Cornell Executive MBA Americas degree program.

R. Mish.

This course is based on the simple, yet essential proposition that leading well requires thinking well. Succeeding in any business leadership role requires you to think critically, and make quality decisions with and on behalf of organizational stakeholders, even in the face of challenges such as imperfect/incomplete information, changing and unforeseen circumstances, and human nature in all of its complexity and unpredictability.

Major content themes focus on constructing a persuasive argument and deconstructing arguments made by others; recognizing and avoiding reasoning flaws and the forces that make us most susceptible to such flaws; approaching business problems systematically and thoroughly; and producing a problem solution that is well-reasoned, likely to be well-received by ultimate decision makers, and able to be implemented with success. You will be introduced to, and then practice using, analytical frameworks that you can apply to any leadership challenge or opportunity – regardless of industry, company or job function — in order to solve problems and communicate your proposed solutions effectively. These are not only essential leadership skills (although they are certainly that); they are life skills.