Unlocking Team Potential: Hackathons and Escape Rooms at the 2T Security Quarterly Meeting

Collaboration, communication, and creativity are the hallmarks of successful hackathons. As teams come together to tackle complex challenges, they must rely on each other’s unique skills and perspectives to drive innovation and achieve their goals. But these skills aren’t just critical in hackathons; they’re useful in all aspects of life—as we discovered during a recent escape room experience!

The Essence of Collaboration

The escape room demanded puzzle-solving, logical reasoning, and calm determination – skills also necessary for hackathon success. But what truly stood out was the importance of collaboration. Our team’s diversity of skills enriched the problem-solving process, and we quickly realised that success was only possible by pooling our knowledge and abilities. Much like in a hackathon, the combination of diverse expertise can lead to breakthrough innovations.

As one of the Directors commented about the escape room;

“It was brilliant to see everyone jumping straight in, then switching to work in pairs and swapping with someone else if they weren’t effective. The team just got to work, the communication was great and nobody felt compelled to take over or boss the group.”

 

Communication and Leadership

Effective communication also played a pivotal role in our escape room experience. We had to adapt to evolving situations, make collective decisions, and work together to achieve our mission. Clear communication and fluid leadership were our best allies in the thick of the action. Whether stepping up when your skills are in the spotlight or rallying towards the next clue, these moments tested and built our ability to work as a cohesive unit.

These skills have also been critical to our hackathon experiences. Thanks to our Project Managers and Team Leaders, a key difference is the pre-work carried out. Effective planning and leadership set the tone for successful hackathons, but the team’s collaboration, communication, and creativity ultimately drive breakthrough innovation.

Race Against Time

The tick-tock of the clock is your constant companion, whether you’re coding a solution or deciphering a cryptic clue. This situation might seem daunting, but it cranks up creativity and focus, reminding us to make every second count. As we continue participating in hackathons and other team-based experiences, we’ll carry the lessons we learned in the escape room: collaboration, communication, and creativity are the keys to success.

Learning and Adaptation

Setbacks are inevitable, but they offer valuable lessons and opportunities for growth. Our hackathons have allowed us to learn, iterate, and improve—as individuals and as a team.
Our setbacks in the Escape Room proved more amusing: ‘Tom, why are you blow-drying a cat?’ ‘Rebecca….step away from the guitar,’ ‘Jordan—‘Shall we just eat the cake?’ and TBE: ‘I think we were meant to blow that up!’ were among the highlights.

Conclusion

Our escape room evening was arranged as a lighthearted pre-dinner diversion. It turned out to be a microcosm of the dynamics that make our hackathons such powerful engines for innovation and team building.

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