23/09/2026
For one week, 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀.
We started 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻.
I recently had the opportunity to co-lead a team during a Hackathon.
By the end of the week, we together had generated the 𝗺𝗮𝘅𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗺 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀, 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀, and it turned out to 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 too
When I reflect on this , the numbers are not what excited me .
It was the 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆.
People helping one another when someone was stuck.
Regular meetings where we came together, looked at where we were, cleared doubts and decided what needed to happen next.
Someone getting an appointment and the whole group feeling encouraged.
Someone making a sale and others thinking, “Yes, I can do this too.”
Though it was a competition as it was a Hackathon, with g𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 , 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 , 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆
There was something underneath which was more powerful.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲.
For that one week, it felt less like individuals trying to achieve their own numbers and more like a f𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹.
And because we had only one week, there was very little room for “I'll do it later.”
𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹, 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻.
That combination of 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺.
Several team members stretched themselves and performed extremely well.
That was the bigger win.
Leadership is not always about being the person in front with all the answers.
It is about creating an environment where people feel:
𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 and
determined to make this happen 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.
When people feel that, you don't have to keep pushing them.
They start pulling one another forward.
The Hackathon lasted one week.
But the leadership lesson will stay much longer.
Build the goal, the rhythm and build the feeling that nobody need to reach it alone.
Have you ever been part of a team that felt more like a family?
What made that team special?
