The Habits of Mind are what successful people do well, when confronted with a problem, the solution to which is not immediately apparent. In short they describe how successful people use their minds. If we want people in our work force to be successful then we need them to posses or develop effective Habits of Mind.

Although work places are generally very good at defining outcomes, results, Key Performance Indicators, sales targets and the like, what we sometimes lack is a description of the processes that help us reach these goals. The Habits of Mind give us a language to describe this process and give clarity to the way we want empolyee's and management to use their minds.

When interviewing for a new position, what qualities do you look for? Naturally you look for experience and qualifications, but beyond that you are looking for particular abilities, ways of thinking and working. You are looking for "smarts", for "work ethic" and ability to problem solve, and communicate. There are many terms we might use to describe such qualities and often we can't quite describe what we're looking for - we just recognise it when we see it. The Habits of Mind help clarify these qualities and allow us to share a common language to communicate this across the business.

In the Habits of Mind MiniCourse for the Work Place we explore what it means for a workplace to adopt the Habits of Mind and discuss ways the Habits of Mind might be used to improve performance in the work place.

The video below shows one employers view of the Habits of Mind and how they have given clarity to their employment practices.

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