The Fink Tank

Vanity metrics aren’t a problem. Vanity is.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to increase visibility and reach. Just don’t be icky or out of alignment.

Agonising over the success of a post you care about is no fun, but having no clients or work is no fun either!

In this Friday Fink Tank, we discuss “vanity” metrics, our susceptibility to fall for their allure, and what we can do about it.

As kids, we destroyed several hundred dollars worth of light globes while playing hacky sack in the hallway throughout our childhood.

The fact that our parents elected to allow the wanton destruction to continue says something about their attitude towards prioritising our growth.

It can be really challenging to cultivate the same level of compassion for mistakes (and encouragement for growth) when considering how we treat ourselves as adults.

In this episode of The Friday Fink Tank, we find gratitude for the way our parents raised us, and lessons for how to think about tackling challenges in the future.

We record the Fink Tank on Col’s farm. They have lots of animals. Sometimes they die. 

As someone fairly new to farming, Col still finds this pretty confronting.

Deakin, his 4 year old, is far less affected, because he’s never known anything different. 

He’s used to deadstock. 

When you’re operating a solo business, you have to get used to your deadstock. 

Awkward sales calls, rejections, failed projects. 

They’re the unavoidable by-product if you want successful sales calls and amazing projects! 

Nearly everyone is prone to dips in self-belief. Those who aren't are surely lying.

Oscillations in confidence can be crippling.

When starting a new venture, the road is often bumpy. When developing a new skill, it's rarely a smooth ascension to mastery.

Most of life's endeavours come with peaks and troughs. Sometimes there are good reasons for them.

Often there aren't.

It's particularly galling when a loss of confidence is THE ONLY thing that might actually justify the loss in confidence.

"Thanks a lot, universe! Why are we like this??" - Col, reflecting on his mental rollercoaster in the lead up to launching the Solo Program.

The facts might not really change. And we're still the same person. If nothing is materially different, why the dip in self-belief??? What gives??

It can be a circular and confounding pattern.

In this week's Fink Tank, we chat strategies for how to cope with this annoying human condition.

When he was fifteen years old, Formula 1 driver Daniel Riccardo learnt a *teeeny* bit about how to drive from Col, who ran a go-kart company at the time.

Is your professional life analogous to a world famous F1 driver’s early karting career? Or to his penchant for “doing a shoey” with champagne on the winner’s dais? 

Probably not.

But this gratuitous name-drop DOES have relevance when we talk about exponential growth curves (and Col gets to say the word “asymptote”).

Some growth curves deliver huge returns quickly. Like learning to drive a go-kart.

Some growth curves deliver success slowly. Like building a professional profile.

If you’re trying to establish a reputation, instant success is unlikely to land in your lap. It’s even less likely to deliver a crowd of adoring fans cheering for you to skol champagne out of a shoe.

You have to do the work. Consistently and diligently. For months. Years. Early progress might be slow or non-existent. It can be an unrewarding slog.

Stick at it. You’re at the start of a growth curve. 

—

We typically don’t discuss episode topics in advance of recording, as it can “let the fizz out”, as it were. Col’s failure to bring a bottle bubbles for a Fink Tank shoey for this episode is nothing short of devastating. Pathetic preparation.

This week's Fink Tank is all killer, no filler!

Err... sorry, I've just been handed a note. Apparently that’s, um, like, incorrect. 

Turns out this episode of The Fink Tank does, in fact, contain quite a lot of filler.

Filler words.

You know the ones. Um. Kinda, like, ya know, ummm, if that makes sense?

Communication is central to the success of nearly every job. Warren Buffet famously said you can increase your value by 50% by improving your public speaking skills... no matter your industry or role.

In this episode Col and I turn the microscope on ourselves and see just how well—or poorly—we measure up.

Some is killer, some is filler, and some is pretty bloody funny. How much of each? You be the judge.

The statute of limitations has expired, so I confess that on 4 February 2017 I beat up a motivational speaker in the Sofitel ballroom in Sydney.

I watched this clown of a presenter commit a litany of egregious public speaking crimes. The captive audience suffered horribly, and I knew I had to act.

“The standard you walk past is the standard you accept”

Not on my watch. 

This speaker, this MONSTER, did horrible things. 

Among other travesties, he:

⛵ told a long irrelevant story about the time he sailed a boat 

📖 read whole sentences off his own slides

🙅‍♂️ didn’t ask a single question

⏰ went 7 minutes overtime

Boring stories poorly told are bad, but they’re worse when the audience is given no context or reason to care. Reading slides is awful, but not as bad as going overtime, apologising, then ploughing through the last 5 slides uselessly at speed anyway, BEFORE LUNCH. 

So on behalf of an aggrieved audience, I administered some vigilante justice. 

I tackled him off stage and wrestled him to the ground, thumping his head against the corner of the stage to the delight of the front row. I hauled him back on stage and executed a textbook suplex to the whoops and hollers of the people at the back.

I dropped an elbow off the top rope as lesson to presenters everywhere that there are LINES. YOU. DO. NOT. CROSS.

In this Friday Fink Tank we talk about the responsibility you carry when you step onto a stage. 

And we share a couple of easy tools to help do a good job.

—

* The statute of limitations (7 years for most tortious offences under Australian law) only applies to civil cases. Repeatedly smashing a motivational speaker’s head against the corner of a stage could well be considered a crime.

* Fans of the amazing podcast “60 songs that explain the 90s” by Rob Harvilla will recognise that I have wholesale ripped off this entire bit from his Portishead episode from November last year. You’re welcome, Rob.

Ready for some Friday morning schadenfreude? After a triumphant first day's skiing in Japan, Col and me crash back down to earth, literally and figuratively!

We were lucky enough to be skiing before we started school. We've spent our whole lives being excellent skiers... in Australian conditions.

Imagine our shock when Japan exposed just how bad at skiing we can actually be!

It was a humbling and hilarious experience.

And it's similar to something we see in a number of work-related contexts.

Great on stage ≠ great on zoom

Amazing facilitation ≠ amazing keynote

Confident with people ≠ confident on camera

Skills can be incredibly specific, and it's useful to know exactly what you can do, *and* what you can't.

Where have you found your skills disappointingly non-transferable?? We'd love to hear about it!

PS We're not in Japan anymore, but it seemed a shame not to milk the opportunity for another episode!

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 mark.

As usual, we laugh quite a lot.

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. Yet I couldn’t hit publish. The imposter syndrome and fear of judgement was crippling. Worse than I’d ever felt before.

Sometimes, to stave off the misery, I’d go to Col’s and we’d record MORE episodes, still having actually published nothing. In retrospect, Col displayed extraordinary patience during this time. Perhaps my obvious turmoil evoked pity rather than frustration.

Anyway, after we FINALLY published the first episode in June, we didn’t miss a week for the whole rest of the year. 

An absolute farce. Humans eh??

I learnt my lesson a bit faster this year. Having missed the intended start-of-Feb launch, I deployed a tactic I’ve learnt is more reliable than simply hating myself.

I loudly promised a room full of people - whose professional opinion matters - that Fink Tank Season Two would land today. Predictably I’m doing a late-night Thursday edit to hit the Friday deadline, but it’s here! Without a skerrick of self-loathing! 

In this episode we talk about the pitfalls of relying on motivation, and what we can do instead. META.

Shout out to Fink Tank fan Donna McGeorge for the nudge in January. It meant more than you know.

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, conversation, and wonderful feedback has been a delight. The consistent engagement from our “fans” has been particularly gratifying. THANK YOU.

On a personal level, making The Fink Tank has meant Col and I spend more time together, and we’ve both loved it.

It’s also drawn a level of consistency and commitment from me that, frankly, I’ve never managed before.

So this season finale is about the benefits of creating containers of accountability and commitment. If we’d planned to make weekly episodes indefinitely into the future, we’d probably have fallen off the wagon months ago. And maybe given up entirely.

Instead, we’re ending season one, taking a summer break, and will see you in the new year!

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, so the information we’re holding hostage could well be dead by now.

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 us to smell good.

In this Friday Fink Tank Col explains how reading stories to his kids has helped. He also enjoys the word “proffer”. 

I extol the virtues of GOING COMPLETELY OVER THE TOP to stretch your range, and as usual we laugh quite a lot. 

🚽 🔇 Who’s in the toilet watching this on mute? You, probably.

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 his car while stopped at the lights.

Fortunately, in this Friday Fink Tank Col and I provide an easy-to-follow and infallible formula for creating real human connection*.

* depending on how you define the terms "easy-to-follow" and "infallible".

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 in Australia and New Zealand, where being “a natural” is high praise.

Yeah nah. 

Nearly all achievement comes from practice and hard work, and to play that down is unhelpful.

Col rounds out this Friday Fink Tank reflecting that North Americans are less guilty of this than antipodeans. Which might explain why the auto-generated captions called it Total Puppy Syndrome.

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 jobs, particularly if you’re a solo operator. But knowing how to show up is tricky.

How do you bring more of your “human logo” to your profile in a way that serves you AND your clients and audience?

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 out. I’ve never met Paul, but I’m working on it. (How’s that Beau Miles-esque challenge coming along mate??)

Jane Anderson gets a shout out too, as one of the first LinkedIn “influencers” Col and I learned from many years ago.

By the way, I can’t take any credit for unearthing the C.S. Lewis quote. Alicia McKay shared it a couple of weeks ago. Much of what goes through my brain is downstream from what comes out of hers. She has a voracious appetite for information, and a unique talent for distilling what’s relevant. Follow her.

While I’m on a tagging spree, Michael Ellis delivered a timely Gabor Maté quote to me last week as part of his amazing mens’ circle I’m in. It totally shifted my thinking, and my appreciation for Michael isn’t diminished one jot because the message wasn't his original work. The hard part was setting the trust and context which allowed me to hear it.

Go well, beautiful people!

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 have excellent taste and values thank you very much.

We conclude this Friday Fink Tank reflecting the good earth is rich with people who'll be just right for you, and you should go find them.

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 similar position. You’re already great at juggling your chainsaws. Make sure you’re also practising asking for money.

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 his beanbag to open it. The dog ignored the open door, and dashed over to sit in Michael’s warm spot in the recently vacated bean bag. Didn’t even need a wee.

As a result, the system broke down, and the dog often wees on the floor now.

Incentivising people is tricky. Often we inadvertently encourage and reward the wrong behaviour.

This story doesn’t feature in this episode, because I only just remembered it. But Col has strong feelings about who should bear the cost of disposing of rubbish.

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’re a solo operator, keeping yourself accountable to your goals can be tricky. How do you give yourself the best chance of success?

Col works closely with a HEAP of people running their own business, and has seen one factor in particular to be a huge predictor of success.

In this Friday Fink Tank we chat about how important it is to Find Your Five.

Keep an eye out for the baby goats who hit mum up for an aggressive feed just after the two minute mark, and the absolute cacophony of cockatoos swooping in immediately afterwards.

“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 actually works and actually does something. It can evolve later.
It reminds me of the early days of home computing. As a teenager with a 386 PC, installing and updating software was an emotional rollercoaster. Floppy disks, unwieldy operating systems, and no way to ask for help. A archaic land before the internet, barely imaginable now.
The cycle was comical. An exciting new program that *should* have taken two hours to set up ends up taking ten. And doesn’t even work. Not only that, the existing version now also doesn’t work. And the computer won’t even boot up now. At hour fifteen, a win was getting things back to how they were before I started.
Ah, the early 90s. Good times.
Anyway, if you're setting up a new workflow, PLEASE start with something simple that you can implement quickly. Or Col will be sad.

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 memory.

What do you do in the uncomfortable spotlight when things going wrong? Are you an avoider?

In this Fink Tank Col and I discuss blame deflection, and the value of taking responsibility.

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 of your mouth the way it has hundreds of times before??

Muscle memory is very specific, yet we sometimes expect magical transference when taking our skills to new environments. 

In today’s Fink Tank we discuss what Col calls The Great Filter. The uncomfortable barriers we have to push through if we want to succeed. 

We’ve all been there. What do you do when you’re confrontingly crap?

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 form deeper and more rewarding relationships.

You can be more interesting, more memorable, and maybe more buyable.

Ah, if only it were that simple..

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 with it. Lisa O'Neill wears outfits that are basically a party invitation, and EVERYONE enjoys those.

Deviating from the sartorial theme, Col reliably laughs at his own jokes. It's a wonderful feature of his sessions.

Are you easily recognisable? Have you got a “thing” that is particularly you?

After a couple of decades in my social life, I’m trying out my colourful hat in the occasional work context. Mixed results so far!

What are you rocking?

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 don't want to be icky and sales-y. We fear rejection. By keeping ourselves "safe", we let huge opportunity pass us by.

If you call someone with curiosity and generosity in your heart, you might end up a) doing them a favour, and b) making some money. Even if neither outcome eventuates, they'll know you're thinking of them and care about their world. Still a win.

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 you voice. The one that people want to listen to.

I've looked at the word so much it looks weird now. Voice.

Voice voice voice.

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 practice performance, you have to ACTUALLY perform. Even if that means sucking for a while. Just start. Aim and fire. You'll be "ready" later.

“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.

What we feel as a personal attack often has more to do with our proximity than our contribution. And the human inclination to believe we’re more important than we truly are. But it’s hard to find compassion and empathy when the anger has been directed AT you.

In this chat Cam and Col chat about the wonderful technique of taking the last two words off the standard reaction “Why are you doing this to me?”. 

It’s not always easy in the heat of the moment. But it can quickly replace indignance with compassionate curiosity. It can help you find connection, forgiveness, and understanding far more quickly.

Although to be fair - and I can’t stress this enough - you might actually be an arsehole.

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 love to hear your stories. What self-promotion works for you? What success stories can you encourage newbies with??

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?

We all get it wrong from time to time. When people are laughing at you (or you *think* they are), what do you do? In this follow-up to last week's Fink Tank about flipping the focus of self-promotion (Take the hit), we chat about Cam's brief and ultimately insignificant shame spiral following the deft touch of a very funny man we don't even know. If you're not permanently hiding under a rock, you'll inevitably nurse a bruised ego at some point. You might bomb on stage. Commit a cultural faux pas. Be the butt of a joke you haven't understood yet. Mild in retrospect but all-consuming in the moment, how do you ride that emotional maelstrom? For his part, the author of the initial "grind-set" message never stopped posting, despite being mocked by a large portion of the internet for a day. He didn't delete the evidence either. I'm no fan of his content or attitude, but his resilience is impressive. I wonder how long the emotion burned when his post got ratioed and subsequently went viral?

What does a rotary-dial red phone that can only call Jeff Buckley have to do with running your own business?

Promoting yourself can be a cringe-ridden struggle. Cam and Col discuss ways to reframe the difficult practice of putting yourself out there.

In this episode Col references "the cream, the white, the off-white, the ivory or the beige". Those unfamiliar with The 12th Man will wonder why a parody of the doyen of Australian cricket commentary warrants a mention. Those who are familiar will be screaming "what about the bone?!?"