With all the chatter going on in offices, people often turn to headphones to block out the noise and be able to concentrate. Noise-canceling headphones block out distractions, but they can also block out communication. It may be a good idea to set some boundaries for their use so employees can still collaborate.

For decades brainstorming has been our go-to method for ideation, yet it holds back our success when the environment doesn't encourage everyone to contribute. Instead, try brainwriting—writing ideas on paper and letting teammates iterate on them. It improves not only the quantity of ideas you get, but also the quality.

For many organizations, traditional testing groups are separated from the IT security group. But having traditional testers perform some security testing efforts is a great way of achieving a balanced approach to shifting left while being mindful of staffing and budgetary challenges. It also has some great advantages.