This blog post has been written by Strangway Orridge, Director of Operations at FocusU. With a flair for turning half-formed ideas into full-blown magical experiences, he believes that when you lead with heart, magic isn’t optional – it’s inevitable.
A Boomerang Story: What goes around, comes around
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Sometimes I want to kick myself for the ideas that quickly roll off my tongue before my brain catches up! But then sometimes, such half-baked ideas turn out to be magical!
This is one such story.
In one of our early meetings, the client kept going on and on and on about how, in an earlier workshop, they absolutely loved the way another vendor-partner executed the workshop – super engaging, high energy, good learning, takeaways for each attendee, very memorable. In fact, the client told us, they were tasked to create something in that workshop that, later, was taken back to their office and was proudly displayed at the entrance. It apparently was still on display at the time we met. Considering her boss and other senior leaders were going to be a part of our workshop, many of whom had been a participant in that earlier workshop, the client had a very simple ask from us. MAKE IT MAGICAL!
“Can we take this workshop to another level? Can we do it differently? Can we create an unforgettable experience that would be talked about for a long time to come? Can we sprinkle some magic dust? Or perhaps wave our magic wand?”
“Yes. Of course, yes! Everything and more”, I heard myself say. Again, before my brain could catch-up!
The next meeting with the client was like a live reality show. Instead of pitching and whetting ideas internally before taking it to the client; we got all excited and worked up, and with our neurons going a-rat-a-tat-a-tatting away, we brainstormed, live, in the meeting itself. The client also got all fired up. With so much excitement in the room, and us totally without a clue as to what we were saying, we happily threw caution to the wind and before I could stop myself, I blurted out: “LET’S MAKE YOU FOLKS A GIANT BOOMERANG!”
There, I did it again!
Oh, we weren’t done with ideas yet. Far from it. Ideas flew thick and fast – from Boomerang-windchimes and chandeliers to a towering Boomerang wall. It was beautiful chaos. We went from a Boomerang Chandelier they could hang in their office to Boomerang Windchimes that would create mesmerising sounds when they moved and bumped into each another, to a Boomerang Wall, to a Giant Boomerang on a revolving stand. A revolving stand, imagine! We went crazy! Not only that, but each Boomerang would also have a handwritten message on it too, reminding the participant every time they saw it – I WAS THERE! Mind you, some of these ideas came from the client. It was ethereal!
Oh, how the client loved it all! After creating such a buzz, obviously there was no going back now. Even more so because the client got really excited considering they are headquartered out of Australia and New Zealand. And Boomerangs being native to Australia. Get the drift?
Lesson – when you throw caution to the wind, unlike a boomerang, it doesn’t come back!
Thus, a Giant Boomerang it was to be! A six feet Boomerang on a stand. And why not? When you’re going crazy, might as well go the whole hog, right? It would have the Company’s Values and Vision written on one side with the other side blank for every participant to write their names on, after the workshop. Simple.
We weren’t finished yet. The Giant Boomerang was for the office. Now, what about individual mementos to each attendee? Of course! And what better memento than a Boomerang Keychain with their Values printed on it! One for every participant. Of course! Why not? After a Giant Boomerang, this seemed like child’s play.
But, where on earth do you find these things in India – a Giant Boomerang and Boomerang Keychains? To our horror, we soon found out, you don’t!!! Why can’t reality be generous to ideas?
Now began a sincere – more like frantic – hunt for vendors, as nobody seems to stock six-foot Boomerangs anymore! After a lot of head-banging and soul searching about the deeper meaning of life, in desperation I called the only expert I knew who might be able to help – our wise old carpenter of years!
“Sounds easy”, he says when I tried to explain myself over the phone.
“Really?” I was thrilled.
Till he said, “just send me any videos and pictures you have of what a Boomerang looks like”. OMG! He did not have a clue!
“No problem, I’ll know once I see what this is you’re talking about”, he says.
“That’s it”, I asked?
“Yes, yes”
So, I worked with my carpenter over the few days that we had left, and after three iterations we had a beautiful six-foot Boomerang standing tall and proud in a customized stand. Cool, right? Only thing… I got it just a day before the workshop! And we still had the Values and Vision Statement to be written on it! OMG 2.0!!!
Amidst all this chaos, I had been busy looking for someone who could paint on wood, I didn’t like any of the options. With no time left, who does one turn to? Family and friendly neighbourhood, of course! Turns out an elderly neighbour in her 70s dabbled in art. And was super helpful. Overnight, the Values and Vision Statement appeared in beautiful cursive on the face of the Boomerang. It was beautiful! I couldn’t thank her enough. And so, we had our six-foot Boomerang all ready and looking dashing, even if I say so.
Wondering what happened about the mementos? The Boomerang Keychain with the Company Values? Well, as Paulo Coelho wrote, “When you want something (in my case- desperately), all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it,” and so it was.
Unbelievably, a dear friend from Australia happened to be travelling to India during just that time. Imagine my luck! This whole saga was proving to be like a Bollywood flick replete with unbelievable coincidences – like a dirt-bike parked in the middle of nowhere just waiting for the hero to kickstart and take off after the bad guys! All I did was call my friend to buy me a ton of Boomerang Keychains from the land of Boomerangs! Unusual request, he wondered, but got them. I had the time to print the Company Values on the Boomerang Keychains for all our participants.
And so, after sleepless nights and with our target dead-set to sight, we nailed it.
Among the happiest people on the planet after the workshop were my carpenter who was as excited as me to create such a novel piece, the elderly artist who put her heart and soul into it for me when I explained what I needed to be done and my friend from Australia who probably is mostly happy for me and still wondering why I ordered a ton of Boomerang Keychains! And of course, our team that worked very hard to make every wish come true for the client and make it magical for them. I do hope the client also felt the touch of magic.
Turns out, sometimes the craziest ideas – the ones you blurt out without thinking – are the ones that create the most magic.
Go ahead, take a walk on the wild side. The cosmos will conspire.
