March 2020 • Volume 16 • Issue 3
QUEENS CHAMBER NEWS & EVENTS
THINKING CRITICALLY: CHAMBER HOSTS NYIT PROF BY BENJAMIN FANG Business leaders throughout the borough got a lesson on critical thinking in the 21st century. On February 21, Joshua Bienstock, an employment and labor attorney for 30 years, hosted a presentation on the importance of critical thinking at the Queens Chamber of Commerce. A college professor for over three decades, Bienstock is now an assistant professor at New York Institute of Technology, where he teaches courses in human resources, business and conflict management. He defined critical thinking as a “self-directed process” by which a person takes deliberate steps to think at the highest level of quality. There are many benefits to practicing critical thinking, including
improved cognitive skills, becoming a better team player, less stress and trusting in one’s instincts. “That is really the critical step,” Bienstock said, “trusting ourselves to assess facts and not stress out when we’re under the gun.” Bienstock differentiated critical thinking from problem solving, which involves identifying the cause of a problem, coming up with a solution and reviewing the effectiveness of that solution. While problem solving is also important, Bienstock noted that waiting for a problem to “come to you” can sometimes lead to a crisis. “We don’t think well in crises,” he said. “If we look ahead, there are many crises we can avoid.” Critical thinking requires not only persistence, but also imagination and unrelenting questioning.
Joshua Bienstock leads a session on learning to think critically for Chamber members at Bulova Corporate Center.
It requires an open and curious mind, Bienstock said, and thinking “beyond the envelope.” He encouraged those who wish
to engage in critical thinking to take educated risks. CONTINUED ON PAGE 22
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