Critical Skills

Welcome to the Critical Skills Blog, home to over a thousand human-generated articles—never AI—on topics that matter to continuous education. To find articles of interest, use the “Search” tab. Please feel free to comment, and please subscribe. All content on this site is free.

  • What IS a “College Education?”

    I am NOT saying that a college major represents a “college education.” It definitely does NOT. Personally, I believe that your major in college represents at most about 25% of your “college education.” In high school, you learned a lot of “whats” – primarily because those are the sorts of… More⇢

  • COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS! “Get Good” At Them!

    Communications skills are the number one skill area that our research identified. They include: Getting your ideas OUT of your head and into someone else’s head by Effective speaking Effective writing Getting someone else’s ideas INTO your head by Effective listening Effective reading All too often, a very bright individual… More⇢

  • Technology’s Impact on Executive Recruiting

    What is the effect of technology on executive recruiting? According to some recent articles, technology is encroaching on the executive recruiting world. By how much, though, is still a question. The difficulty, in my opinion, is finding a meaningful connection between “qualitative” data and “quantitative” data. Social networking programs such… More⇢

  • Something YOUR High School Students Can Do!

    Teaching the “Critical Skills” is difficult in a high school setting when the focus is on achieving high standardized test scores. An interesting project was completed by a team of high school students in Wheaton, IL back in 1993.  This project was a “Field Study” that enabled the student team… More⇢

  • National Academy Foundation TEACHES the “Critical Skills!”

    The National Academy Foundation (NAF) is a leader in the movement to prepare young people for college and career success. For 30 years, NAF has refined a proven educational model which includes industry-focused curricula, work-based learning experiences, and business partner expertise from our their themes: Finance, Hospitality & Tourism, Information… More⇢

  • McCain Said: Pay Attention When You Are TIRED!

    I’m not talking about Senator John McCain; I’m talking about his dad – Admiral John McCain. Admiral McCain taught me one of the most important lessons that I ever learned – and I suspect that it might even be a “skill.” Pay Attention When You Are TIRED! It was a… More⇢

  • Determine Your Profit Maker Skill Profiles! It Pays Off Big Time!

    You have certain “Profit Makers” in your organization, and it pays off in more ways than one to know their skill profiles. The best way to describe this is by an example: Not too long ago we conducted a study for a large food company that had approximately 90 individuals… More⇢

  • Does a College Major REALLY Matter??

    I’m really going to go out on a limb here and say . . . YES . . . and . . . NO. It is true that a college education will lead to greater earnings over the lifetime of a career. It is particularly true if that education includes… More⇢

  • Standardized Tests Do Not Measure “Critical Skills!”

    Standardized tests have become a way of life. It is not because they are effective in measuring what students can do or what they know – – as the late Ted Sizer (Founder of the Coalition of Essential Schools) put it, “Standardized tests are perhaps useful only to predict how… More⇢

Meet Your Host – Charles Cranston Jett

Charles Cranston Jett is an author, civic educator, and Professional Certified Coach based in Chicago. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy (Class of 1964) and Harvard Business School, he served during the Cold War aboard the nuclear submarine USS Ray (SSN 653), where his tactical innovations helped inspire Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan character. He developed the Field Studies methodology to teach “Critical Skills” and was endorsed by the Department of Labor in 1994. He is the author of six books, including Super Nuke!, hosts three podcasts, and writes across his Critical Skills Blog and Civic Sage platforms on history, leadership, and the health of the American republic. He and his wife, Dr. Nancy Church, co-host the Chicago Salons at Water Tower Residences.