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 you’re a great presenter but you have crap slides, you’re still a great presenter. But if you’re ALSO dressed poorly? Trouble.

- If you’re a bit scruffy but your speech and slides are immaculate? You’re quirky.

We then plunge into disagreement about being "world class", and whether trebuchets are the superior siege weapon.

What say you? Have at it in the comments!

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 meeting across town”

“My car’s broken down, but I could borrow my neighbour Jill’s.”

“But it would feel awkward asking because I still haven’t returned her Mongolian pillow”

“I haven’t returned her Mongolian pillow because my dog chewed it and I need to get some authentic replacement stuffing”

The next thing you know you’re at the zoo shaving a Yak, just so you can borrow a car.

In this Friday Fink Tank Col and I compare our Yak Shaving potholes. Col reveals his strategy for avoiding the Yak Shaving, using an unsurprising strategy involving an imaginary Peter Cook.

What your version of Yak Shaving?

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 act of parenting itself.

This insight turns out to be true of nearly every challenge we face. The real preparation is found in the doing.

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 eventual sellout premiere at the Astor!

We left the segment with all the warm fuzzies. In this Fink Tank Col and I chat about what made it a great experience.

Lehmo and Sam did these three things, in this order:

1. Elevate others (us!)

2. Build audience rapport

3. Repeat important details

Because they’d done such a great job of getting the best out of us, Lehmo repeating the session details SIX TIMES felt like a favour to the audience, not a distraction or intrusion.

And it worked. We sold heaps of tickets!

We left knowing we’d been in the company of true experts, even though they did nothing to talk themselves up. Their mastery did all the heavy lifting.

—

If you’d like to see our film Ange & The Boss, there’s a couple of opportunities left this year.

Wednesday 4 December - Astor Theatre

This is a South Melbourne Hellas club night (the subject of our film!), and is sure to have amazing energy.

Thursday 5 December

7:45pm

Thornbury Picture House

SOLD OUT

Saturday 21 December

4pm

Thornbury Picture House

18 seats left

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:

- Content that grows your following is less likely to bring in business.

- Content that appeals to paying customers will likely reach fewer eyeballs.

There’s usually an inverse relationship between popularity and monetisation.

Alex M H Smith wrote about this last week (after we recorded this episode) with a sexy graph that neatly illustrates this idea. He makes the dubious claim of having limited growth himself AND HAS 96K FOLLOWERS, but we'll chalk that up to the English sense of humour. His stuff is great. https://lnkd.in/g-Tjwh3E

For those of us an order of magnitude behind, it’s helpful to be clear about what you want. What are your measures of success?

Col and I aren’t empirical about what we’re looking for, and we’re not crunching big numbers. There's no fancy sales funnel. We like having a laugh and prompting conversation between ourselves and others. We like making friends we might one day meet.

Sure we'd like a bigger audience. Who wouldn't?? But we don’t mind if the link between The Fink Tank and paying clients is indirect. Building relationships with stories and sibling silliness is fun. And the inbound leads are healthy.

Do you know what you’re looking for?

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 come here thinking we were a snowballs chance in hell of that happening”

How magical!!

A couple of weeks ago we recorded this episode about his aspiration to represent Australia. About what it means to wear the Australian Coat of Arms, to pull on the Green and Gold. About managing the sometimes conflicting goals of wanting to win AND enjoying the journey.

Australian bronze medallistJemima Montag gave an incredible interview at the Paris Olympics. She talked beautifully about the balance between wanting the medal but not needing it, and how nuanced the difference is.

I’m so proud of you Col. Whatever happens in the semi-final later today, you’ve done something truly amazing. And you sound like you are having the time of your life!!

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 had brought me in, and I was representing her too.

Five minutes later I was filming a strategy session with thirty of the finest legal minds in the country. Without my pants. And we all had a good laugh.

I learnt a valuable lesson in leadership and handling adversity. And that I need a better system for remembering to bring pants to important public appearances. I once had to borrow Col’s pants while I played guitar at his friend's wedding.

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 thought it would be!" Col generously opined.

Those with siblings will recognise this as praise of the highest order. The Greek Film Festival added six extra screenings on top of the initial two, the maximum allowed. Most sessions sold out, and the momentum and reception has been wonderful.

Tony Wilson, Robert Heath KC and I poured a lot into making this film. To hear audiences genuinely love it has been very gratifying.

We’re very proud of our movie.

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 firefighters, retailers, scientists, engineers, chefs, manufacturers, retailers, one thing was notably absent.

There was nowhere to work for yourself.

We can’t be what we can’t see.

Fortunately, Col’s kids can get their inspiration at home.

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* SUCK at realising your smug and entitled hot take is A) not as objective or impressive as you think, and B) no fun to be around.

If you suspect this might be you sometimes, feel free to skip to the last fifteen seconds of this episode to hear The Dude from the Big Lebowski give you the appraisal you may need.

*me