The following list contains the 16 Habits of Mind. The habits begin with
the individual and move out to the entire community. Keep in mind, how-
ever, that the list is not complete. As our conversations continue—and as
you work with the habits—we are likely to identify other habits that should
be added to this list.
Although they are elaborated in Chapter 2, the 16 Habits of Mind
we have identified can be described briefly as follows:
1. Persisting. Stick to it. See a task through to completion, and
remain focused.
2. Managing impulsivity. Take your time. Think before you act.
Remain calm, thoughtful, and deliberate.
3. Listening with understanding and empathy. Seek to understand
others. Devote mental energy to another person’s thoughts and ideas.Hold your own thoughts in abeyance so you can better perceive another person’s point of view and emotions.
4. Thinking flexibly. Look at a situation another way. Find a way to
change perspectives, generate alternatives, and consider options.
5. Thinking about thinking (metacognition). Know your knowing.
Be aware of your own thoughts, strategies, feelings, and actions—and how
they affect others.
6. Striving for accuracy. Check it again. Nurture a desire for exact-
ness, fidelity, craftsmanship, and truth.
7. Questioning and posing problems. How do you know? Develop a
questioning attitude, consider what data are needed, and choose strategies
to produce those data. Find problems to solve.
8. Applying past knowledge to new situations. Use what you learn.
Access prior knowledge, transferring that knowledge beyond the situation
in which it was learned.
9. Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision. Be clear.
Strive for accurate communication in both written and oral form. Avoid
overgeneralizations, distortions, and deletions.
10. Gathering data through all senses. Use your natural pathways.
Gather data through all the sensory paths: gustatory, olfactory, tactile,
kinesthetic, auditory, and visual.
11. Creating, imagining, innovating. Try a different way. Generate
novel ideas, and seek fluency and originality.
12. Responding with wonderment and awe. Let yourself be intrigued
by the world’s phenomena and beauty. Find what is awesome and myste-
rious in the world.
13. Taking responsible risks. Venture out. Live on the edge of your
competence.
14. Finding humor. Laugh a little. Look for the whimsical, incongru-
ous, and unexpected in life. Laugh at yourself when you can.
15. Thinking interdependently. Work together. Truly work with and
learn from others in reciprocal situations.
16. Remaining open to continuous learning. Learn from experiences.
Be proud—and humble enough—to admit you don’t know. Resist
complacency
Source : Leading with habits of the Mind
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