Your first idea is rarely your best. Exploring multiple possibilities, even "dummy" options, is the key to unlocking innovation. Here’s how to maximize your creativity and elevate your problem-solving skills: reject the trap of settling for your initial thoughts.

Paraphrasing Google X CEO Astro Teller, sparking group innovation can be as simple asking a team to “Gimme five.” Those two words contain a remarkable depth of wisdom.

One of the most fantastic definitions I’ve ever heard comes from an anonymous seventh grader in Ohio: “Creativity is doing more than the first thing that comes to your mind.”

Legendary Stanford professor Bob McKim had a simple, standard response to any student seeking his feedback on a new project. Google X’s Astro Teller does something similar today.

The counter-cultural practices of Google X, Amazon, and 3M demonstrate that public celebration reinforces organizational values, especially when those values run contrary to conventional business rules.