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

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. It’s like I get handed a reminder note from the person sitting next to me, except that person is my own hands.

Mastery is often a confounding pursuit.

In this uncommon episode of The Fink Tank (I barely say a word*!) Col talks us through what he's learned about brains and mastery through his obsession with ultimate frisbee.

How do you get really good at something, and then perform on the biggest stage?

Why are famous sporting chokes so fascinating?? What can we do to avoid the equivalent in our own professional lives?

I can CLEARLY remember the humiliation of an early public speaking appearance, where I lost not only the access to my knowledge, but also the ability to speak. I had definitely not practised enough.

Have you had a memorable “choke”?

* The main reason being I find it impossible to play guitar and talk at the same time. Can any of my fellow guitar players out there do this??

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 attract them by being you - by showing your energy, your personality, your “spunk” - you stand a much better chance of attracting people you'll like working with, and enjoying the work.

As Jay Acunzo says, you don’t have to be the best, you just have to be enough peoples' favourite.Go you good things.

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.

Warning: If you enter a puerile childhood idiom as a security question, you may one day have to say the answer out loud to a real person.

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 addictive. Work routines, negative relationship patterns, self sabotage, imposter syndrome, procrastination. There are lots of ways to be an addict. They’re often destructive, and we wish we behaved differently.

One day, Col DID quit smoking. With thirteen cigarettes still in the pack.

He smoked them. And never smoked another.

Why was this time different?