The Fink Tank

The Fink Tank on tour, from the Hakuba ski fields of Japan! 🇯🇵⛷️🗻 Fighting the universe is a tough gig. It’s much bigger than you, and notoriously stubborn.  What do you do when your great plan ISN’T a great plan for right now? Your ability to be flexible and adjust accordingly is key. My favourite part of this episode - apart from recording it on a chairlift! - is when my mind blows at the 4:30s...

Making The Fink Tank has taught us comedic lessons about willpower, frameworks, and accountability.  It took MONTHS to get the Fink Tank up and running last year. A circus of self-sabotage left it languishing on the launchpad for months.  This was entirely my fault. Col and I recorded several episodes, and after a few weeks of weapons-grade procrastination I had a couple edited and ready to go. Ye...

Podcasts come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. I *think* that’s how the saying goes?? After 6 months and 25 episodes, that’s a wrap on season one of The Fink Tank! We’re probably not committing to a lifetime, but we’ll definitely be back for season two in the new year. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has enjoyed and engaged with this joyful sibling experiment! The comments, c...

How much of the content you consume was produced in the past 24 hours? Probably a lot. What are the chances that consuming something produced IN THE LAST 24 HOURS is the best use of your attention?? Probably low. Maybe Col should be holding up a newspaper, hostage and ransom style, to prove our worthiness for the 24 hour cycle newsfeed. Although this episode was recorded on the 16th of November, s...

Could reading kids books make you a better presenter? Oh YES, J Dog!! Often the WAY you talk matters more than the words you’re saying. Whether you’re outgoing and animated, or more subtly inclined, embracing a bit of drama and performance will make you more compelling.  Georgia Murch says people hear our content, but smell our intent. Our delivery style speaks volumes about our intent. It’s up to...

When is it a good idea to be a bit of a goose? 🦆 Bloopers and unguarded moments can build connection and trust. But they often feel risky. Vulnerability is appealing, but sloppiness isn’t. Making a mistake can make people like you more, but only if they already liked you! It’s a minefield. 💣 💥 We can’t all have the charm of Dr Gihan Jayaweera 'Dr G' getting busted popping and locking in...

ARE YOU GUILTY OF THIS EGREGIOUS CRIME? Okay that was a bit dramatic. Downplaying your experience, preparation and hard work might not, at time of writing, be an indictable offence. But it should be. - It betrays the effort underpinning your accomplishments.  - It misleads those who might be inspired by you. - It sells you short. Tall Poppy Syndrome has a lot to answer for. It’s particularly bad i...

Are you memorable, or forgettably bland?  You probably turn the volume down on interesting parts of yourself for fear of being unprofessional.  That sucks. In this Friday Fink Tank we chat about the time Cam's party persona and professional world collided, courtesy of the delightful Guy Chapple. Spoiler alert: nothing exploded. Being different and distinct is a big advantage in many roles and...

Maisie the miniature horse says: Don’t be original, be relevant. Col scythes through today’s Fink Tank with this great sentiment. Striving for originality is a fools errand. Relevance is a far more useful goal. As C.S. Lewis tells us, simply telling the truth is a far better path to originality. Paul Watkins models this brilliantly with his LinkedIn Daily Dose, which you should definitely check ou...

The episode where Col and I are judgemental prats. If you have a particular interest or expertise, there's a good chance you think it's more important than it actually is. We're inclined to think EVERYONE should spend more time getting good at the thing we do well. Can't these fools see how much better their lives would be if they'd just listen to my expert advice?? Also, I hav...

Asking for money is important.  The best street performers practise how they ask for money, because they’ve learnt the quality of their show doesn’t magically turn into dollars in the hat.  If a busker wants to make more money, getting 5% better at asking for money will make more of a difference than getting 5% better at juggling chainsaws. If you’re a solo business operator, you’re probably in a...

My brother Michael trained his dog to scratch at the balcony door if he needed to go out for a wee. After a week or so the system worked fairly well. The dog would scratch the door, Michael would open the door, the dog would go out for a wee. The dog learned that scratching the door got Michael to open it. So far so good. Weeks later, the dog scratched at the balcony door. Michael duly got out of...

The best thing about being your own boss is nobody tells you what to do. The WORST part about being your own boss…. I feel this on a daily basis. I have videos I’d like to record, videos I’ve recorded that I haven’t published (they’re literally just sitting there waiting to be posted!), and a bunch of ideas for directions I could take my business. And nobody is making me do it. It SHITS ME. If you...

“Complex systems that work invariably evolved from simple systems that also worked.” In this episode  Col Fink  takes aim at lofty expectations for technology solutions. It’s very common to underestimate how much time and effort will go into setting up a new, say, CRM. By trying to do too much, we risk ending up with a system that never does ANYTHING. Better to start with something simple that act...

When a hundred and fifty people turned their heads and glared directly at me, my panicked response was “IT WASN’T ME!” I didn’t directly cause the EAR-SPLITTING BLAST OF WHITE NOISE that shocked the crowd. But I was sitting at the sound desk at the conference, so it WAS my responsibility. My first response was horrible. My next action was even worse. I can still feel the shame. It’s a techicolour...

Cam knows exactly what his fingers SHOULD be doing when he plays the guitar left-handed. But they absolutely cannot do it.  And nor should they. They’ve never practiced the other hand’s job! Expertise isn’t the same as muscle memory.  You probably experienced a version of this the first time you got on stage or in front of a camera. You’re an expert and you know your stuff, why isn’t it coming out...

A spontaneous riff (ha) on the value of pop songs. More specifically, YOUR pop songs. Put on the spot, Col comes up with a great metaphor for choosing how to deliver great value. Fittingly, this is a shorter, pop-song-length episode!

What do hundreds of ducks and chickens, 30 sheep, 20 goats, four alpacas, two cows, three dogs, and a hippie commune have to do with teaching public speaking? In this episode we talk about the value - and difficulty - of sharing your real actual life in a professional context. If you're brave enough to offer detail beyond the surface expectation of your job title, you create opportunities to f...

Your logo doesn’t matter. But being someone who people can identify, recognise, like, and trust, absolutely does matter. In today’s Fink Tank, Col and I chat strategies for improving your “human logo”. I love Simon Dowling ’s purple shirt vibe, and associate it with his beautiful comedic style. Col enjoys Joshua McKiterick ’s black v-neck tee, and the understated intellectual sharpness that goes w...

How did Col end up on an episode of Thank God You're Here? He didn't, but it did FEEL like he did. You might too if you make the call you're avoiding. In this episode we talk about the difficulty of making that call. You know the one. You know the person, you know you could help them, you know they'd answer if you called. But you don't. We don't want to bother people. We do...

Even if you're presenting at the most presentery present-a-thon, your conversation voice is more likely to engage an audience. In this Friday Fink Tank I stumble at the very first hurdle, utterly failing to find my conversation voice in the opening minute. Luckily Col guides me to safety (because he's good like that) and we discuss strategies to help YOU find your voice. Your real, actual...

Experience is the thing you get just after you need it. Don't let a lack of it stop you from firing. In this episode, Col and I talk about what it means to be "ready". When learning a new skill, we often neglect a vital aspect of practice. Whether it's public speaking, posting videos, or delivering workshops, we need to practise not just the skills, but the act of performance. To...

“Why are you doing this to me???” v “Why are you doing this?” We’re often too quick to judge the “fairness” of an accusation or outburst. “How could you do this TO ME???”.  We see ourselves as sole cause and entire target of the transgression. We jump to defence and denial, and rail against the injustice of it all. “It’s not MY fault!!” we cry, which usually leads to escalation and blame games. Wh...

Most people are better at their job than they are at promoting themselves. Sound like you?? In solopreneur utopia, the quality of your work is all the self-promotion you need. Back here on planet Empty-Funnel, a more proactive approach is usually required. Inspired by a Tim Urban post (the brilliant Wait-But-Why guy), Col and I share stories of how and why self-promotion is so important. We'd...

When is it okay to torture a child? In this Friday's Fink Tank, Col regales us with swimming lesson experiences that balance opposing interests. From heartbreaking to hilarious, it's quite a journey. As adults, we often resist growth that would improve our happiness or success in the long term, because it's extremely uncomfortable in the moment. What can we do about it?