Are you looking for a simple step that can significantly increase your odds of being successful in Business as Missions?
Do you think you know what it is?
The single simple step is finding yourself an ICE Mentor / Coach!
I know you are saying to yourself, “Oh, I’ve heard this before!”
An ICE Mentor or Coach is not any sort of BAM coach!
It must follow the I.C.E principles.
International Experience
I believe that the perfect BAM mentor is someone who has had some international experience. Ideally, this person has lived a number of years overseas doing business in a cross-cultural setting.
Please listen closely! I am not saying that you should not find business mentors and coaches without international experience. All I am saying is that we have found it extremely valuable to have someone on your coaching team who understands doing business overseas. They will have experience in dealing with bribes, working in a foreign language, pressures of life abroad, struggles of international red-tape, and so much more.
Adding a mentor or someone to your board with international experience will potentially give you another set of eyes as you start your life in BAM.
Committed to Accountability
Another key ingredient to the perfect BAM mentor is someone that will hold you accountable. I am not saying someone who is just willing to hold you accountable! I am saying someone who is committed and able to hold you accountable.
If you really want to impact your chances at a successful BAM life, you need to find someone or a group of people who will speak into your life. Here are a few tips for developing a successful mentor relationship.
Execution Oriented
A final key ingredient of the perfect BAM mentor / coach is someone who will encourage you to execute. Dreaming and planning are great things!
The key difference between a good idea and a great one is the one that gets executed.
Find someone that is willing to help you think through your plan and then hold you accountable to do it. As I mentioned above, it is vital to set out your daily and weekly tasks with your mentor. Then begin executing the plan!
As far as execution goes, we have found it very helpful to break down the plan into daily tasks. If the tasks / projects are too big and lofty, young entrepreneurs get overwhelmed with what tasks to focus on. I would suggest you work with your mentor to:
Didn’t you forget a key ingredient?
I am sure some of you are wondering why I didn’t mention that your mentor needs to be a Christian with a passion for Jesus. That is a given to me! If you are looking for someone to mentor you in BAM, it should be very obvious that he / she should love Jesus. If they don’t love the Lord, they will quickly lose the focus of the “main thing.”
So where can I find an ICE mentor?
There are a number of places where you can find an ICE mentor. You could:
1. Ask around at your local church
2. Contact your sending organization for ideas
3. Ask your prayer mailing list for references
4. Contact a known BAM consulting company (please contact us for suggestions)
5. Attend a BAM conference and connect with a mentor there.
Note: Some mentors will be free while others may charge for their services. In our opinion, it is well worth the money.
Do you want help finding an ICE mentor / Coach?
Send us an email at contact@bam360.org