The Fink Tank

What would be the best leadership style in the universe of Dr Seuss? Col suggests an Autocratic Democratic Anarchistic Meritocracy. To be fair, he started a reasoned and interesting conversation about combining systems of governance into your approach as a leader.  The Dr Suess bit was me.  I later noticed a further similarity with John Travolta’s lines before he launches into “Greased Lightning”...

I’ll “just” do it myself. I’ll “just” pay someone else do it. All of us have uttered those phrases, unaware of the horror that awaits. It’s easy to think we can solve a problem quickly and easily if we “just” do it ourselves. Or cheaply, if we “just” pay someone else to do it. When you don’t know what you don’t know, things can go comedically wrong at speed. Something you thought would be quick, e...

If you’re good, it’s okay to be repetitive. If you’re good, it’s okay to be repetitive. When Lisa O'Neill starts telling a fresh audience a story I’ve heard ten or twenty times, I am delighted. I’m delighted for the audience, I’m delighted for me, I’m delighted for the shared experience we’re about to have! Lisa’s done the work to shape and polish her brilliant ideas into memorable and hilario...

Mum’s request was objectively stupid. There was barely a problem to solve, and the “solution” added pointless extra faffing. Regardless, Col and I did it without question, because it was mum asking. Who doesn’t want to just make their mum happy?? Not us! Mum is a kind, generous, and loving parent and grandparent. If she occasionally has a silly request that doesn’t make sense, we’ll happily absorb...

It's hard to prove something to a dead person. Col tried for a long time. When making the Fink Tank we don’t discuss our topics in advance. One of us brings a story or prompt and we go where it takes us. I surprised myself in this episode by asking Col if he was trying, in his twenties, to prove something to our dead Dad. We’ve somehow never really spoken about it directly before, so it was a...

Have I wasted tens of thousand of dollars? Yes ..and no. I love all my fancy expensive camera gear, and the multi-camera setup we usually use for The Fink Tank. But our best performing episode of this year was shot just on a phone! Does that mean I should chuck all the expensive tech? Of course not, it’s critical for most of my professional projects. But it’s absolutely NOT where most people shoul...

In the 1980s dad bought a home video camera that weighed about 12 kilograms. It was made up of three different units tethered together with cables the girth of jumper leads. I have fond memories of dad using me as a pack horse on his home-movie missions. The actual camera was the size of a phone book (a gloriously antiquated analogy!), there was a second unit which housed the brick sized VHS tape...

First there’s the buzz and excitement of a new community. You “find your people” and the world is full of possibility. Amazing things happen. The sparkle evolves and matures, and then…. fizzes out. Either the whole thing implodes or it’s time for you to leave. Friendships can be for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Communities too. Why does this happen? What can you do about it? How do you cope?...

We’re both hypocrites. You probably are too. We’re doing exactly what we’re advising against, by recording something we said we weren’t capturing, and publishing it somewhere we say doesn’t matter. Regardless, this episode might be all the evidence you need it's possible to be both rampantly hypocritical and still make a decent point. Welcome back to The Friday Fink Tank for 2025! Col and are...

Wrapping up season 2 of the Fink Tank!

Do you aspire to be “world class”? Col thinks you should. I think that’s bollocks. Please enjoy some friendly sibling fireworks on what “world class” means, and whether it’s a useful or realistic aspiration. We started with Col’s interesting idea that people will forgive *one* element of something being a bit crap. But not two. I immediately warmed to this idea, and could recognise its truth. - If...

We’re probably all guilty of shaving a yak when we’ve lost sight of our original goal. If you want to see THE classic example, skip to the last minute for some Bryan Cranston gold from in Malcom in the Middle. Allow me - through a 2005 Seth Godin blog - to explain. Paraphrasing Seth's example, Yak Shaving is the last in a series of steps toward something you want to do. “I need to drive to a m...

New rule: you have to have three kids before you're allowed to have kids! Today's Fink Tank starts with an admission from Col that despite having three kids, as a parent he's just making it up as he goes along. All new parents share this realisation (I've heard!): there's no amount of study or research that will truly prepare you for parenthood. The only real preparation is the...

Lehmo repeated himself SIX TIMES in 12 minutes. Here’s why that was great. Lehmo and Sam Lane had me and Tony as guests on their show Summer Grandstand on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) . We were there to talk about our new film Ange & The Boss. Expertly guided, we shared the funny and interesting stories in (and about) our film, AND immediately sold lots of tickets to an eventu...

Dermot Crowley once posted a blog which got exactly zero likes or responses. Months later, it started a conversation that landed a huge contract. Someone read it, resonated with the message, then did absolutely nothing. On visible metrics the blog scored a fat zero. Then, after a chance real-life encounter in a lift, it delivered on THE metric. Money. Most of us face some version of this dilemma:...

Col is playing for a medal at the Ultimate Frisbee World Championships!! He JUST sent a message to the Fink Family group chat, they won their quarter final against Germany!! And he got Most Valuable Player!!! AAARGGHHHH!! He’s in California playing in the over 40s Grand Masters division, and results have far exceeded expectation!! Of the opportunity to play for a medal, Col just wrote “I did NOT c...

I realised, too late, that I forgot my pants. The Solicitor General of New Zealand was expecting me in five minutes. I stood outside the Crown Law building with my video gear, sans pants, and wondered: Is it better to arrive on time with no pants, or to buy emergency pants and arrive late? I opted for a VERY awkward phone call to let them decide. It wasn't just my reputation on the line, Alicia ha...

Our film premiere was a wild success!! Over a THOUSAND people packed the Astor in Melbourne, sold out for the first time in five years. For our film!! OUR FILM!! In this rather indulgent Fink Tank, Col plays the role of proud brother AND excited moviegoer. The film I co-directed and edited, Ange & The Boss, went down an absolute treat, and we couldn't be happier. "It was way better than I thou...

A couple of weeks ago, I took Col ’s kids to KidZania in Tokyo (while Col was home in Australia!) KidZania is a place where kids get their own bank accounts, try different jobs, wear uniforms, build things, sell things, interact with each other and other businesses. It’s VERY hands on. What a great way to give kids inspiration and a sense of possiblity in the world of work! But among the firefight...

For a few months about a decade ago, Col was insufferable. He was always “right”. He dominated most conversations and was constantly trying to impress people. It was exhausting.  It was also confusing, because that was usually my role!  In this Friday’s Fink Tank, Col asks what you should do if you’re always right. Because – spoiler alert – you aren’t. Especially you, smart people.  Lots of you* S...

Often, my fingers remember how to play a song my brain has forgotten. If I forget a section of a tune, the best way to remember is to start playing it again from the start, distract my conscious brain from thinking about it, and just let my fingers go about getting it done. Actively trying to remember is unhelpful, but once my fingers have reloaded it back into my conscious brain, we’re all good....

Col ’s family is bottle feeding four sheep, and one of them is the clear favourite. When Col finds himself deciding which sheep he wants to hang out with, he always chooses the one with the personality, the energy, the “spunk”. If you’re running your own small business, you need enough clients to make it work. For the clients to choose you, you have to be their favourite. Even better, if you attra...

Col and my relationship was once very fractured. Now it’s one of the most rewarding in our lives. What happened? Repairing relationships is a critical part of life. We're all flawed humans, and sometimes we get things badly wrong. How good are you at owning your role in a rift? We kick off this Fink Tank with two minutes of juvenile idiocy, before delving into a story of sibling reconciliation...

After many failed attempts over several years, Col finally quit smoking with 13 durries to go.  Smoking killed our dad, but that wasn't enough to make him stop. And my strong condemnation actively worked *against* his intention to quit. What’s that about?? Decisions clouded with shame often feel like they happen in closed-off parts of our brain. And it’s not only habits like smoking that are a...

I’m often baffled by how my money behaves. I can be convinced I want to spend money on something, which I can afford, which will make my life better. I then somehow just… don’t. My money has other ideas.  Other times I can be repulsed by an inflated price tag or an unnecessary indulgence. And to my dismay, the cash can’t spend itself fast enough. The surprises are the exception, but they happen ac...