Charleston Currents

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FANNING: How I learned the power of delegation from making coffee

By Ben Fanning, contributing editor | I’d just turned 16 years old, and I took on the big responsibility of making coffee for my church.

I woke up at 5:30 a.m. every Sunday to head into church to make five massive pots of coffee so that when churchgoers rolled in, they had the required caffeine fix. My responsibility also involved unlocking 14 doors, turning on 37 lights and turning the air conditioner to 67 degrees because all those bodies in one space generated a lot of heat.

by Ben Fanning · 02/20/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Careers, Views

FANNING: How you can always be confident even without the answers

By Ben Fanning, contributing editor | I was so confident my shirt was about to bust open. My chest was out with head held high.

Then I boldly marched to the front of the room and grabbed the laser pointer. In the moment, I was cloaked in so much confidence I swatted down arguments with ease and led the group to an excellent outcome. People even thanked me afterwards for stepping up. Why was I so confident?

I had the answers.

by Ben Fanning · 01/16/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Careers, Views

FANNING: The power of minding your own business

By Ben Fanning, contributing editor | I heard someone say, “It’s probably something tantric,” as I walked with my family into a tightly-packed pizza restaurant in San Francisco.

There was a couple sitting right next to us involved in a kiss that was so long I was concerned they might suffocate. The longer the kiss went on, the more people around the restaurant stared. Minutes passed and tension built. Is this even sanitary?

by Ben Fanning · 12/19/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Careers, Focus, Views

FANNING: How to feel better by watching less news

By Ben Fanning, contributing editor | I noticed a few weeks ago that I was feeling anxious and paranoid. What had changed? I ran through my mental list of family, friends, health and career…all OK.

Then I looked down at my phone and noticed something different. On my home screen, there was a list of news headlines from an Apple News app that had automatically downloaded. Aha! You see I hadn’t realized that every time I picked up my phone I was seeing the top news headlines…most of which were loaded with bad news. This subtle change had slowly increased my anxiety and fear.

by Ben Fanning · 11/14/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Careers, Views

FANNING: How to travel overseas with kids

By Ben Fanning, contributing editor | Often, when parents take an overseas trip, they leave their kids at home; however, this can be a missed opportunity.

Recently, we traveled to Italy for two weeks and decided to take our 5-year old daughter with us. We discovered taking our kid added to the fun and was a rewarding experience for the entire family…without the stress. Cl;ick to read 10 tips for traveling well with kids:

by Ben Fanning · 10/17/2016 · 5 comments · Careers, Views

LIFE: Five easy ways to get to know your neighbors

By Ben Fanning, contributing editor | I smelled something so awful on the floor of our New York City apartment building; I knew our neighbor must be dead. I called the police to report it, and they asked her name…

I didn’t know.

Fortunately, about that time, I opened the microwave to discover it was 3-day old broccoli. I was relieved, yet embarrassed that I didn’t know who the heck my neighbor was.

Do you know your neighbor’s name?

According to a Harris Survey only 53 percent of Americans do. This reveals a big problem.

by Ben Fanning · 08/22/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Careers, Views

FANNING: Make your self-doubt become an advantage

By Ben Fanning, contributing editor | I know sometimes you doubt yourself. I know that you loose sleep sometimes when you’re taking on a taking a business risk, preparing an important presentation, or when your back is up against the wall with the looming deadline of an ambitiously project.

And I know the familiar questions that probably come up in your head. Can I really do this? What if I fail? What if I make a mistake that cost me my job or business?

by Ben Fanning · 07/17/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Careers, Views

FOCUS: How to get people to listen to you

By Ben Fanning, contributing editor | What do you do when you have the solution but no one is listening to you? Do you say it louder, tell the boss or keep saying it until you just give up in resentment?

If you’ve experienced this frustration, I’ve got a much easier approach to share with you. Try using the language of success to increase:

* Effective communication
* Openness to your ideas
* Acceptance of your requests.

In life, it seems easier to rely on job titles and organizational authority to get things done. This shows up whenever someone at a higher level in the organization asks (makes) someone else at a lower level do something, for example, when the CEO tells a manager to implement a new system or program. This can be effective short term, especially in a crisis when every second counts. But when it’s used repeatedly, this approach starts to lose its power.

by Ben Fanning · 06/27/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Careers, Views

FANNING: Five lessons from coaching kids’ soccer

By Ben Fanning, contributing editor | Ever thought you were going to “teach” someone something new, but then you quickly discover that you’re the one who is really the student?

Well that’s exactly what happened to me in two seasons of coaching ages 5-6 girls’ soccer. Turns out you can pick up a lot of lessons while coaching a sport, and they have practical application in your everyday work and life. Here are five life lessons I learned from coaching kids’ soccer:

by Ben Fanning · 06/06/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Careers