Performance Review Phrases for Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is defined as having the ability to:

• Identify/Recognize problems and find workable means for meeting those problems
• Understand the importance of prioritization and order of precedence in problem solving
• Gather and marshal pertinent (relevant) information
• Recognize unstated assumptions and values

Obviously in some employees this is more important than others.  You would want a nurse in the ER to likely have exceptional critical thinking skills but an office clerk maybe not as much.  If you find yourself having to rate performance in this area, here are some phrases that can help.

Some positive performance review phrases for Critical Thinking could be:

Terry always thinks through the resolution before recommending a solution

Terry uses adequate reasoning skills when determining the solution to a problem

Terry always appropriately weighs the pros with the cons of a given solution

Terry is able to think quickly about problems and provide accurate solutions

Some negative performance review phrases for Critical Thinking might be:

Terry makes rash decisions when faced with a problem

Terry doesn’t balance the consequences when providing a recommendation

Terry fails to think through all potential outcomes of a proposed solution

Terry is unable to think through a problem completely before providing the solution

Terry doesn’t use a logical method of thinking through issues

If critical thinking is part of your performance appraisal, please think through and decide how to explain the competency as it relates to the role and explain to the employee why critical thinking skills are important.   Again, the employee may not know it is a requirement to the job.

For more Performance Review Phrases, return to the Core Competency Listings