On Conviction, Technology, and Critical Thinking
Improvement Strategies for Design and Construction
Highlights
Conviction: Cultivate your conviction to deal with disagreement.
Technology and Critical Thinking: Technology should promote critical thinking, not replace it.
1: Conviction
Implementing program improvements often means facing disagreement. Non-consensus doesn’t necessarily mean we’re wrong, but it does mean we need to listen—because every concern, even if we disagree with it, is valid. Conviction is what helps us navigate these moments. It allows us to stay steady in discomfort and push forward with purpose.
For example, rolling out a new quality program. (See my articles on building a business case for enhancing an existing quality program.) Resistance is inevitable, but how we respond depends on our level of conviction. Conviction isn’t stubbornness—it’s the result of study, learning, and reflection. And often, those who push back simply lack the same context.
Learning is hard. Deep reading and comprehension require focus. Listening—truly listening—is an essential leadership skill. Conviction is what ties it all together. It’s what gives us the confidence to challenge pushback, absorb valid criticism, and keep moving the needle in the right direction.
2. Technology and Critical Thinking
Continuing on the theme of conviction, one of the most powerful tools for developing it is the notebook. In a recent Art of Manliness podcast, they discussed the commonplace book—a tool used to collect, reflect on, and organize ideas. (Read more about the commonplace book here.) Keeping a commonplace notebook forced us to engage with what we’ve learned, a challenging but essential practice. The act of writing and structuring our thoughts doesn’t just help us remember—it increases our intellectual capacity.
By contrast, today’s digital tools make it easy to highlight and store information without much thought. While convenient, this passive approach to learning doesn’t help us develop real understanding because it requires little or no effort.
This got me thinking about technology and the common complaints I hear:
“I want an easy button for quality.”
“Can’t Procore automatically create a plan for me that I can just follow?”
“How can this be automated to save me time?” (I wrote previously about automation here.)
There’s nothing wrong with using technology to streamline processes and save time. My concern is when these tools replace, rather than enhance, critical thinking.
We need a shift in perspective. These tools won’t (and shouldn’t) design, build, or think for us—but they can create space for deeper thinking, making us better planners, designers, and builders. Design and construction are difficult because they demand critical thinking.
If you’re looking for an easy button, you might be asking the wrong question.