Often the two traits are confused but it is important to understand why effective people are skeptics not cynics.
A skeptic questions conventional wisdom and challenges the accepted view. Skepticism is a key part of all scientific investigation but has to be tempered with the honesty to acknowledge when the accepted view is correct as well as the courage to challenge and not just accept everything they are told.
Through the use of productive skepticism we are able to move forward and not remain stuck in the past. This is true in both your personal and business life.,
Cynics, on the other hand believe that everyone is motivated purely by self interest and distrusts everything they are told. They do not question it in the effective way that skeptics do and find it very hard or even impossible to accept the point of view of others even when presented with the facts.
When lecturing it strikes me that so often what I say is accepted without question or with cynicism. Everyone learns so much more when things are effectively questioned and then quality opinions formed. The cry of yes, but that won’t work in our situation is all too common.
Skeptics move us forward and cynics hold us back.
Make a note to be an effective skeptic.
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