In last week’s blog, we discussed understanding ourselves as threads tightly woven by God into a tapestry of community and purpose. This week we’re passing along some great resources and practical steps to pair with part 1.
God gifted each of us with unique skill sets, talents, and abilities to speak into the lives of others. In celebration of that, we have chosen some resources that have helped others 1) identify the gifts and abilities God has given them, and 2) navigate how to use those skills in workplaces and communities.
Without further ado, let’s look at some resources.
Understanding ourselves in BAM
First things first, a great way for someone to understand how their personal calling to business might play out in the context of what God is doing around the world is for them to attend a BAM conference. The BAM Global Summit (online) is coming up this week and provides excellent opportunities for people to discover opportunities to contribute their skills and experiences and hear how God is using others with similar callings to fulfill His Kingdom’s purposes.
BAM Global conferences are community-driven and centered on connection. People all over the world come together to share stories and exchange experiences. As we listen and share we begin to develop a greater understanding of the grand tapestry God is weaving around the world through BAM. For some of us, we may begin to better understand the ways God has been preparing us and what He is calling us to do. Having this sacred time to sit with God and hear from the global church body practicing business for His kingdom is a great opportunity to reflect or launch into something new. We leave with fresh ideas, strategies, and a better understanding of how we fit and how we can impact others.
You will also find some great articles on this topic under the categories of Launching and Landing and Human Resources here on The BAM Review Blog.
Understanding how you interact with cultures
Cultural Intelligence Center – Many of us live in a non-native cultural setting. As BAMers, we’ve got a heart to relate and interact with cultures that are different from our own, and most of us know the challenges and stresses that can come with that. Working with cultural differences within a business team can be an even more daunting challenge, which is why we’re recommending the CulturalIQ resource. This resource helps you understand how you and/or your teammates are naturally inclined to engage with other cultures. It focuses on developing a greater sense of self-awareness so you can maximize your ability to work multiculturally. It begins by measuring your confidence within multicultural settings, your understanding of other cultures, your ability to plan for interactions, and then your ability to adapt. After taking the assessment, you’re given strategies crafted for the specific behaviors of you and your team.
Making the best use of your instinctive approach
The Kolbe Index – This assessment doesn’t measure personality or intelligence. Rather, it measures how you instinctively approach tasks you’re given. We all operate a little differently, some of us jump straight into a new project, perhaps using sticky notes to just have all the essential facts. Others are meticulous note takers who prefer to know all the facts about a subject of interest before diving in. Both are strengths, but we’d probably drain our “dive right in” friend if we assigned them to six months of extensive research.
When taken by a whole team, the Kolbe Index can help to highlight which tasks would drain which team members, which team members would be inclined to work well together, gives practical advice on how to communicate with our teammates, and more. It’s a great resource for making more informed decisions about how to manage our individual or team’s time, talents, and strengths as you work together.
