What makes a good match? Whether you’re putting together a workplace mentoring program or just thinking about your prospects for Valentine’s Day, thinking preferences provide some clues.

On the work front, many organizations have begun setting up mentoring programs recently. With another estimated 4 million Baby Boomers expected to retire this year, these companies want to make sure their valuable knowledge, experience and critical thinking skills don’t leave along with them.

But just like any pair, not every mentor match is made to last.

Updating The Whole Brain Business Book has been a fascinating experience. One of the most interesting aspects has been looking at what our HBDI® data tells us today about how business people think, and in particular, how the C-Suite thinks.

As we saw when the research was conducted nearly 20 years ago for the original book, CEOs are a unique breed. What’s consistently true is that no matter what changes are occurring in the world—whether it’s the economy, demographics, market trends, technological advances and new regulations, or disruptions, catastrophic events and other factors—the data reveals that CEOs are different when it comes to thinking preferences. On average they tend to have strong preferences across all four quadrants of the Whole Brain® Model (analytical, structured, interpersonal and strategic)—more so than any other occupational group.

No organization is immune to adversity. Whether the result of unavoidable external events, like an earthquake or economic crisis, or internal issues and upheavals, challenging times can—and most likely will—hit every business at some point.

The question is, when crisis inevitably hits, how will you handle it?

It’s no secret the subject of learning and the brain is always on my mind. But lately, it seems to be something everyone is thinking about.

In the past month alone, I’ve received two requests to write articles about the impact of brain research on training and learning. It’s also a topic that seems to be percolating more and more in the overall business community, particularly as new methods of studying the brain have generated new findings, more publicity and greater interest in broader circles.

In light of all this, it’s not surprising that one of the most common remarks I now hear from business leaders, training professionals and learners alike is an exasperated, “I feel like people are telling me I have to be a neuroscientist to do my job these days!”

On a fairly regular basis, you can find articles on the Internet comparing (and often taking to task) the multitude of personality assessments and behavioral tests that are now available.

With so many tools and instruments floating around, and so many similar-sounding labels to categorize people, it’s hard to tell how each differs and whether or not they’re appropriate for your business purposes.

When comparing assessments, we’ve found one of the best places to start is by understanding the premise, which is the foundation on which something is constructed. In terms of an assessment, the premise affects what information people will gain from it.

Your monthly round-up of news from the world of thinking and learning:

• Tracking memory at the speed of thought. Just how much information can you store in your brain? New research methods that monitor memories in near real time are helping scientists get a better sense of the brain’s capacity limits. “People can only think about a couple of things at a time,” says one of the researchers, “and they miss things that would seem to be extremely obvious and memorable if that limited set of resources is diverted elsewhere.”

• Could the end of boredom be bad news for creativity? Digital devices have made it easy to avoid boredom, but at what cost? Bored people have the opportunity to connect with their idle thoughts, daydream and let their minds wander. And recent research published in the Creativity Research Journal suggests that bored people come up with more ideas, and more creative ones, than others do.

Some food for thought from the world of thinking this month:

Some food for thought from the world of thinking this month:

Some food for thought from the world of thinking this month:

• Here’s one kind of multitasking that’s not a problem for your brain. While certain multitasking activities have been shown to reduce performance and productivity, visual sampling is one type of multitasking our brains seem to be able to handle well.

• Brain scientists in England to work with schools on how to learn. Citing the need to address the “evidence gap” in applying neuroscience in learning, the Wellcome Trust and Education Endowment Foundation is funding the initiative to research how schoolchildren’s brains process information.

• How you practice affects how you learn. A new study suggests that the more time you spend trying to understand how something works, the better your learning outcomes. According to the researchers, “The study suggests that learning can be improved—you can learn more efficiently or use the

Some food for thought from the world of thinking this month: