Core Tips for New & Aspiring Leaders
Volunteer leadership on 7 Cups is a unique and rewarding experience. You can learn valuable interpersonal and professional skills to carry into your life and have helped nurture our community in the process. Our leaders are the backbone of support to the daily operations of our platform, and thousands of caring volunteers over the years have built up and shaped our community today.
The leadership experience is also one of constant learning. Being mostly peer-powered, there’s always something new to pick up. I’d like to impart some of the basics that are often asked about.
Self-care
If you need to take a break for any reason at all, please do! Let the community know in our official Farewell/Break/Return post, and bookmark it to update when you return!
If you’re on a team, inform the respective leads and anyone else who may miss you!
A note on changing, leaving, or returning to roles
There are many valid reasons to step down from a leadership role. Perhaps you've achieved your goals, need a change of pace, or simply want to focus on different aspects of the community. It's important to be honest with yourself and put your needs first. Your team will not be disappointed in you; you’re not letting anyone down. We risk burnout if we continue to do something we’re not in a position to do. We would be proud of you for knowing your limits and not overextending yourself — this is a critical part of setting boundaries.
The door does not close behind you when you step away or step down. You can always return.
Leadership on 7 Cups is not a linear or fixed path. We support you at every stage in your journey.
Outreach
Outreach in the context of 7 Cups is the act of proactively communicating to inform or engage a specific group of people, to build relationships, collaborate, raise awareness, or promote an initiative.
Want to contact people who might be a good fit for your project? Want to let people know about a new initiative? Looking for feedback? Outreach is your biggest tool, proven most effective through PMs.
To learn more about conducting outreach, see our general guide!
Note: Teams may have their own guides on how to do outreach in their specific domains so ask your leaders!
Team leads: If you can focus most of your effort on 1-1 effective outreach (follow the guide), make sure to create a personalized message for your target audience and pair it with speedy onboarding, you will increase the possibility of getting many more leaders!
The only downside is it can be tedious. However, Project Agents are great stepping-stone roles and they could act as outreachers for your programs.
Communication is Everything!
Communication is the bridge that connects every one of us. We depend on clear communication to know what’s happening in each other’s worlds, to meet deadlines, to avoid misunderstandings, and work together better. In my experience, all the biggest problems usually stem from a lack of communication, but thankfully this is a very fixable problem if we simply talk! And believe me, there is no such thing as over-communication here!
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I hope this advice helps you in your journey as a leader with us! Please add more in the replies below!
@SparkyGizmo
some of your posts get me like
thank you for your loving words and for sharing your insight, Sparky!