How often do you think twice beyond your initial assumptions? How often do you think actively, rather than passively, when absorbing information as it's presented to you?

Yes, for this one, the Yes Girls are exploring the power of doubt and the art of questioning situations in order to make better decisions with live studio guest, angel investor, entrepreneur, lawyer by training, and international business expert - Dr. Laila Macharia (@lailamacharia), who is the founding director of Aspen Initiative Africa and Co-founder and Chair of the Africa Digital Media Institute (ADMI).

Timestamps for Specific Segments

(0:00) Introduction

(2:59) Meet Dr. Laila Macharia

(4:59) The Yes Challenge - a moral dilemma: the Overcrowded Lifeboat

(7:19) Akumu and Claire put their critical thinking & analytical skills to the test

(17:43) Dr. Laila lays out how the Yes Girls used their higher-order thinking skills and the cognitive biases that hindered the process

(21:37) Being aware of cognitive frames and whether they are imposed on you

(22:34) The Anchoring Effect - a common cognitive bias during negotiation

(23:50) Dr. Laila rates Akumu and Claire's efforts in the challenge

(26:07) Problem-solving using the Six Thinking Hats by the DeBono Group

(27:37) Why critical thinking skills are so important in the 21st century

(30:36) Proper decision-making in action using the DeBono Thinking Hats

(32:23) The buck stops with you as a leader during decision-making

(34:46) The usefulness of critical thinking beyond your professional life

(38:09) Being suspicious of your thinking and its foundations

(39:13) Being aware of your own cognitive biases, heuristics and stereotypes

(40:22) "Getting off the dance floor and onto the balcony" for better clarity

(41:29) Seeking diverse opinions & viewpoints to get out of your echo chamber

(46:28) Are we born with these skills or can they be acquired?

(48:04) Critical thinking skills for agility in the current political climate

(54:07) Useful resources by the Aspen Initiative Africa for self development

(56:06) What Dr. Laila Macharia has recently said "yes" to

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Dr. Laila pulls out all the stops to ensure the girls have practical tips, tricks, and resources to enable them to think more critically.

Listen in to gain valuable insights into what critical thinking is, why it is such an important 21st-century skill, examples of how you can start thinking more critically, how critical thinking affects decision-making, why diverse teams make better decisions, and simple tips to make you a more discerning, deliberate and disciplined thinker starting today.

Important resources:

Learn more about Laila Macharia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laila_Macharia

Learn more about Aspen Initiative Africa

https://aspeninitiative.africa/

Learn more about the Africa Digital Media Institute (ADMI)

https://admi.africa/

Moral Dilemma: The Overcrowded Lifeboat by Garrett Hardin:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifeboat_ethics

The Six Thinking Hats:

https://www.debonogroup.com/services/core-programs/six-thinking-hats/

The Black Swan Theory:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_swan_theory

Getting on the balcony in order to see situations more clearly:

https://hbr.org/2002/06/a-survival-guide-for-leaders

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